Jackson, Wyo. – The Wort Hotel, a landmark in downtown Jackson, has a new kind of employee on its staff. Longtime maintenance engineer Robert “Bob” Tomingas, who worked at the hotel for 45 years, is said to still be present in the building’s basement as a helpful spirit.
Bob’s legacy lives on
According to Danielle Hunter, the hotel’s marketing manager, Tomingas’ dedication to the Wort was legendary. He spent cold nights sleeping beside the boiler systems to ensure they ran properly and oversaw major upgrades to the hotel’s heating, water and electrical infrastructure from the 1950s through the mid‑1990s.
“He worked at the hotel for so long and was so passionate about it that his energy is still in the hotel,” Hunter said. “Everyone says it’s a good energy to be around. He was just beloved here.”
Spirits in the basement
Hotel staff report that the ghost of Tomingas appears when maintenance crews encounter a problem they cannot solve. In one recent incident, an engineer could not locate a damaged water pipe hidden within the walls. Suddenly, a pipe wrench was found leaning against a wall, pointing directly to the leak’s location. “Bob just kind of hints to where things are wrong,” Hunter explained. “They hear tinkerings and weird noises down in the basement. They believe Bob is still fine‑tuning things. He’s still taking care of the hotel.”
Other anecdotes describe the spirit moving tools around the engineering office when the space becomes cluttered. “When it gets super busy and they don’t keep the office clean, he moves the tools,” Hunter said. “They’ll put tools in one place the night before and they’ll come in and they’ll find them across the room, out of the way.”
Not a tourist draw, but a staff comfort
While some historic hotels market haunted rooms to attract ghost‑seekers, the Wort Hotel does not promote the phenomenon to guests. The reported activity is confined to employee areas, and no guests have reported any spooky encounters. The staff view the presence as a comforting reminder of Tomingas’ dedication rather than a marketing gimmick.
Hunter added that the hotel’s management respects the tradition and sees the stories as part of the Wort’s unique character. “He was just beloved here,” she said, noting that the hotel’s long‑standing reputation for warm hospitality is reinforced by the memory of a man who gave his life to keep the building running.
Annual tradition of storytelling
The story appears each October as part of Buckrail’s “Spooky Season” series, which offers light‑hearted, folklore‑style pieces for the Halloween period. The series makes clear that the tales are meant to entertain and are not necessarily verified facts.
Regardless of the supernatural claims, the narrative highlights the deep connection between longtime employees and the historic establishments they help build. For the Wort Hotel, the legend of Bob Tomingas serves as a reminder that dedication to service can echo long after a person’s retirement.
Original reporting: Buckrail (Jackson WY) — read the source article.
