Historic Smalley’s Inn Closes its Doors
There was nothing small about Carmel’s Smalley’s Inn and Restaurant – the décor, the portions, and the impression that diners walked away with.
Smalley’s Inn closed its doors Jan. 15 at 2 p.m., with owners Anthony Porto Sr. and his son, Anthony Porto Jr., citing financial reasons.
In addition to its full bar and Italian-American food, Smalley’s Inn was known for its over-the-top Halloween decorations, which surfaced every fall and attracted diners from near and far.
James Smalley opened the inn in 1852. In 1924, during a fire that consumed much of the hamlet, the inn burned to the ground. A new hotel, and eventually restaurant, was built. It has been owned by the Porto family since the 1960s.
The location has forever been rumored to be haunted. Online reports claim that about 15 years ago, Anthony Porto Jr. found the tombstone of a little girl buried under a set of basement steps in the restaurant. This discovery, along with staff reporting ghostly sightings of a little girl, prompted the owners to contact paranormal investigators.
It is believed that the ghost is Elizabeth Smalley, daughter of the original owner, who had been killed as a toddler.
In August 2012, Smalley’s Inn was featured in an episode of “The Dead Files” on The Travel Channel. In the episode, physic medium Amy Allan said she saw the transparent ghosts of a banshee and a soldier.
