Sleeping With Ghosts in Arizona

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Panographic Map, Phoenix, Arizona, 1885.

This image available for photographic prints and downloads HERE!

• Hotel Vendome -  Built in 1917, this two-story landmark hotel has hosted not only travelers but a number of Hollywood celebrities over the years. At some point in the early 1900s, Abby came to Prescott in an attempt to heal herself of tuberculosis, then called “consumption.” She soon met and married a man and the pair bought the hotel. After a time, they lost the hotel due to unpaid taxes. However, the generous new owners allowed the couple to stay on at the hotel at no charge. Somewhere along the line, when her husband went out to get medicine, he never returned. The devastated Abby refused to eat or drink and ended up dying of starvation in Room 16 in 1921. After World War II, guests began to report seeing Abby, along with her cat in the room that she died. Apparently still waiting for her husband’s return, she is described as a benevolent ghost, friendly to those that she encounters. Hotel Vendome, 230 South Cortez Street, Prescott, Arizona 86303, 928-776-0900 or 888-468-3583. Book a room at the Hotel Vendome HERE!

Scottsdale

• Hermosa Inn – Built by cowboy artist Alonzo (Lon) Megargee as his home and studio in the late 1930’s, he worked without formal plans using adobe brick and wooden beams from an abandoned mine. To supplement his income, he began running the property as a guest ranch. In 1941, he was forced to sell the Casa Hermosa, along with many of its furnishings and original artwork. Today, the beautifully restored inn welcomes guests to a secluded oasis that is tastefully decorated to reflect the region’s rich heritage. But Lon never really wanted to leave his beautiful home, even after his death in 1960. He is said to continue to make appearances in his cowboy dress as well as flushing toilets and sometimes breaking glasses. Hermosa Inn, 5532 North Palo Cristi, Paradise Valley, Arizona 85253, 602-955-8614 or 800-241-1210.

Sunsites

• Coronado National Forest - Cochise Stronghold - Located to the west of Sunsites, Arizona in the Dragoon Mountains, this beautiful woodland area was once the refuge of the great Apache Chief, Cochise, and his people. At an elevation of 5,000 feet, Cochise Stronghold lies in a protective area of granite domes and sheer cliffs. In this area the spirit of a man playing a flute has often been seen atop the boulders that tower over the campsites. Cochise himself is said to walk among the hills. Coronado National Forest, Douglas Ranger District, 3081 N. Leslie Canyon Rd., Douglas, Arizona 85607, 520-364-3468.

Tombstone

• Buford House Bed & Breakfast – This adobe home was built in the 1880’s by George Buford, a prominent mine owner. Before becoming the bed and breakfast of today, it was called home to two sheriffs, a mayor, a state senator, and none other than Hollywood star John Wayne. Today, it is said to be haunted by the ghost of a young man who committed suicide after his girl rejected him. Both the owners and guests have seen him walking inside the home, as well as along the street in front of the old adobe structure. Often, the doorbell rings in the middle of the night, seemingly, of its own accord. Others have reported hearing knocking on walls, faucets turning themselves on and off, and strange lights appearing. Once in a while, women report that that they have felt someone touch their hair or stroke the back of their necks when no one is around. Buford House, 113 E Safford St, Tombstone, Arizona 85638, 520-457-3969.

Tucson

• Hotel Congress - Built in 1919, the hotel was constructed to serve the growing cattle and railroad industries. The roaring 1920’s saw the hotel filled with both genteel travelers and high rollers. However, this changed temporarily when on January 22, 1934, a fire started in the basement of the hotel and spread upwards through the elevator shaft. As the firemen helped the guests out of the windows via aerial ladders, an astute firefighter recognized several of the men as members of the John Dillinger Gang. Passing the information along, a stakeout was established and in the space of just a few hours the Tucson police had captured the gang that the combined forces of several states and the FBI had not been able to do. Today, the hotel has been artfully restored to its original Western version of art deco. Though no known ghosts of the Dillinger Gang haunt the hotel, it is home to a couple of other unearthly spirits. One known ghost, who is often spied staring out of a window, is of a man who suffered a heart attack and died in the hotel. Room 242 is also said to be haunted by a troubled woman who shot herself in the bathroom after a standoff with the police and a SWAT team. Her apparition has been seen in the bathroom and in the hallway outside the room. Others have reported hearing strange noises and having nightmares when staying in the room. The Hotel Congress, 311 East Congress Street, Tucson, Arizona 85701, 520-622-8848 or 800-722-8848.

• Santa Rita Hotel – Tucson’s most elegant hotel when it opened in 1904, it has been fully refurbished today continuing to cater to Tucson visitors. A number of spirits are said to continue to call the old hotel home, including a Texas rancher who killed his cheating wife before hanging himself. Said to sometimes appear in room 822 where he killed himself, the unearthly rancher also likes to play with the lights. Another spirit who is sometime spied, is a young boy who slipped while running around the pool and drowned. Allegedly, this you man continues to lurk in the area looking for his mother. Santa Rita Hotel, 88 East Broadway Blvd., Tucson, Arizona 85701, 520-622-4000.

• Royal Elizabeth Bed & Breakfast - The oldest Victorian era inn operating in Arizona, this adobe crafted mansion was built in 1878. Utilizing a combination of architectural styles, the classic 19th century home, hides an abundance of period antiques and beautiful woodwork inside. Originally serving as the personal home and offices for a prominent Judge Blenman, his descendents continued to occupy the home into their old age. Afterwards, the building began to fall into disrepair and was converted into small apartments. In 1998, it was fully restored to become the beautiful bed and breakfast inn of today. Judge Blenman seemingly doesn’t wish to leave his old home as he has often been spied in the inn, most often in the Sydney Marie Suite that once served as his law office. He has also been seen at the private entrance to the patio that adjoins the room and in the grand main hall. The Royal Elizabeth Bed & Breakfast Inn, 204 South Scott Avenue, Tucson Arizona 85701, 520-670-9022 or 877-670-9022.

.Williams

The Red Garter Bed & Bakery in Williams, Arizona

 is reportedly haunted by the ghost of Eva.

April, 2005, Kathy Weiser

Yuma

• Hotel Lee – Built in 1917 in the Spanish Colonial Revival architectural style, the Hotel Lee is Yuma’s oldest hotel. Located on a corner of what was once the busy Main Street of Yuma at the southern terminus of the commercial district, the hotel has been full restored today and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is also allegedly haunted by at least three different female spirits. The first of the original owner who has been seen walking down the halls at night and has been known to knock and rattle the doors of the rooms. An Indian woman, thought to predate the hotel has also been spied at the hotel most often hovering above the guest beds. Employees also blame her for moving tools and other small items only to replace them in odd places. The third is a young teenage girl who has been spied walking down the back hall in the evening carrying towels. Hotel Lee, 390 South Main Street, Yuma, Arizona 85364, 928-783-6336

© Kathy Weiser/Legends of America, updated October, 2007

Rainbow at the Grand Canyon.

This image available for photographic prints and downloads HERE!

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