Another Halloween is approaching and what a better way to celebrate than to stay in a haunted hotel! If you live or are visiting Arizona over this Pagan holiday, there are plenty of opportunities to find yourself a ghost, Zoiks Scoob! So get your digital voice recorders, EMF detectors, night vision cameras and an extra pair of underwear ready for some ghost hunting.
San Carlos Hotel
The first place most Arizona visitors go is to Phoenix - the capital and 5th biggest city in the US. Be sure to stay the night at the San Carlos Hotel where modern day and ancient spirits are said to make themselves known. The hotel has been in continuous operation since 1928 and less than 2 months after the hotel opened, the Arizona Republican (now the Arizona Republic - or "Repulsive" depending on the day), 22 year old Leone Jenson jumped to her death. It was rumored that Jenson was abused by her boyfriend and/or he was having an affair with another woman. While most evidence does point to suicide, some speculate that she may have been murdered by her boyfriend or the other woman. Her ghost appears as a white, cloudy figure accompanied by an eerie moaning noise. Mwuhahahaha!
Hotel Vendome
If you are looking for a place with a variety of haunted places to visit, go to Prescott, AZ. Prescott was the first and third territorial capital of the Arizona territory before Phoenix became its capital in 1889. Prescott has held on to its history and can be seen in the restored Victorian homes and the courthouse in the center of town.
Room 16 of the Hotel Vendome is reportedly haunted by the ghost of Abby Byr and her cat, Noble. In 1920, Abby and her husband - name unknown - had owned the hotel but had to sell out after falling on hard times. The new owners allowed the couple and their cat to remain at the hotel - in Room 16. Abby suffered from Tuberculosis and as her disease became much worse, she was less able to take care of herself. In 1921, her husband left to get cigarettes or medicine and never returned. Her illness and depression made her bedridden, unwilling to accept medicine or food. In February of 1921, the 33 year old Abby died, with Noble soon after.
People staying in room 16 have seen, heard and smelled Abby. Guests have reported seeing Abby's wispy reflection in the closet mirror while others claim to see her in full detail. Guests have also reported moving quilts and smells of perfume and roses.
However, history does not support the existence of Abby but there is a history of others having lived in the hotel and on the land before the Hotel Vendome was erected. Abby; therefor, is not the only apparition seen on the property as guests have reported seeing children and a man on the premises, as well as odd occurrences such as spinning DO NOT DISTURB SIGNS, and faucets, lights and fans turning on and off.
The Clawson House Inn
Bisbee, Arizona is another town in Arizona with numerous haunted locations. Founded in 1880 as a copper, gold and silver mining town, Bisbee now has a population of just over 6,000 and a healthy population of ghosts as well.
The Clawson House Inn is own of many haunted spots and carries with it the mining history of the town. The inn was built in 1895 by Mr. Clawson, a mine manager used as a residence and later a boarding house for mine employees. In the late 1890's, a labor dispute broke out at the Queen Mine southwest of town and the miners went on strike. While the striking miners were arrested and moved out of town, replacement workers moved in and took over the vacant jobs. Three of the workers found boarding and demise in the Clawson House Inn. It is rumored that several of the striking miners came back to town and murdered three of the new workers within the walls of the house. They are said to still haunt the inn today and they are not Casper!
Jerome Grand Hotel
Like Bisbee, Jerome, AZ was also a mining town. Established in 1883, Jerome once had a population of over 15,000 people (now over 350) and housed the workers of the nearby United Verde Mine which produced over 1 billion dollars in copper, gold and silver until the 1950s. During its heyday, Jerome was a hotbed of prostitution and gambling, giving it the label of "the wickedest town in the west" in 1903 by the New York Sun.
The Jerome Grand Hotel started as the United Verde Hospital in 1927 to treat sick and injured miners. The many patients brought to this 30,000 square foot building died there either from mining injuries, during childbirth, from their mental illness or by accident. One man was killed in 1935 when he was crushed beneath the hospital elevator. When the mines dried up, the hospital was closed in 1950, sitting vacant for 44 years until it was purchased and remodeled as a hotel to accommodate the many visitors to one of Arizona's great tourist attractions.
The ghosts at the hotel manifest themselves through apparitions, sounds, and movement. Before the hotel was purchased in 1994, lights were reported to turn on and off while there was no electricity to the building. Passersby would hear screaming, moans and labored breathing. Today, guests and employees of the hotel report to see the ghosts of a nurse and a patient. They also report of evidence that the ghost of the man killed under the elevator roams the area, lights turning on and off in unoccupied rooms, the smell of cigars and the moans and screams of past patients.
This is just a few of the many haunted hotels you can find in Arizona. But is you decide to stay in one, just remember, you may have a bed for the night, but don't expect to get much sleep! Besides, it is probably just old Mr. Withers trying to scare you nosy kids.
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