The surrounding town was home to several attractions: the Torrington Hunting Club (a famed fox hunting institution), the Long Tree Gardens (featuring world-famous topiary sculptures), and many other rural luxury pleasures sure to attract the most refined patrons from each of the nearby cities.

Madeline O'Malley, originally Madeline Murphy, was born into a lower class Irish family in Philadelphia. She was an industrious woman, however, and was not content to join her neighborhood sisters in the textile factories. She worked several jobs as a clerk in some of Philadelphia's most noted business institutions before she finally caught the eye of Philadelphian businessman Thaddeus O'Malley. Thaddeus courted her, and they were soon wed. The Yankee Pedlar was to be the location of their honeymoon! Alas, it was not to be, as just hours after their lavish wedding in the heart of downtown Philadelphia, word came from Thaddeus's business partner Silas McDonough, that there was a major problem with the sale of their coal mine in upstate Pennsylvania - and that Thaddeus needed to come immediately.

Since they had already made plans to come to the Yankee Pedlar for several weeks, Thaddeus sent Madeline ahead to wait for him - he would only be gone a short week. So, Madeline O'Malley arrived at the the Yankee Pedlar Inn a happy and newly wealthy woman, with nothing to do. She spent her time writing, and left many journals, which are now archived at the county historical society. In these journals, she talks of her excitement in joining her husband as one of Philadelphia's socialites, the children they will have together, and the life they will share. And then, tragedy strikes.

She receives a telegram from Silas McDonough, from the Pennsylvania coal mine. It seems there had been a horrible freak accident during the mine appraisal process, and three mine workers were killed...as well as Thaddeus O'Malley, Madeline's beloved new husband. To make matters much, much worse, it seems that because of the complicated paperwork, marital and business laws at the time, Thaddeus's will had not yet been updated to reflect his new marriage. All of his wealth (directly tied into his business), would be left to his business partner Silas. Silas was a cold, brutal man, and had no pity on poor Madeline: All of Thaddeus's property and belongings were to be claimed by Silas, so if Madeline would return to Philadelphia, she would not even have a roof to sleep under.

Of course, this horrible, tragic news struck Madeline a devastating blow. So despondant over the destruction of her new life, she decided that she would join her husband in the afterlife. In one of the Yankee Pedlar's many rooms, she stood up on a chair, tied a rope to the overhead rafters, and hung herself.

What Madeline didn't know is that those unfortunate souls who perish in the midst of tragic circumstances are often bound to the earth as lost spirits, destined to wander the place of their demise for all eternity. As anyone who has spent a few nights in The Yankee Pedlar can attest - Madeline's presence is still felt on a nightly basis...