Hauntings in Tucson Area
If you feel like going on a spooky field trip this Halloween season— Tucson and the surrounding towns are no slouches in the supernatural department! We put together a list of a few for you to check out!
Hotel Congress
The Hotel Congress was built in 1919 (the same year the Art Deco or “Jazz Moderne” movement was born) and has a VERY colorful history. Most Tucsonans know it for being the place John Dillinger and his gang were captured in 1934. (The way they were discovered is a weird tale unto itself—a fire started in the basement of the hotel, and when the gang foolishly asked the fireman to retrieve their luggage, they got a good look at them. One of the firefighters later recognized Dillinger from a copy of True Detective magazine and their goose was cooked. They were arrested a few days later.)
But guests over the years have reported strange occurrence and unexplained noises. The hotel is said to be haunted by the spirit of someone who was murdered there. To be fair—apparently there have been several murders and suicides there over the last 100 years. The hotel doesn’t mind the notoriety—in fact, they lean in! If you are feeling brave you can stay the night in one of their haunted rooms. (Not up for that quite yet? Go have some food at the hotel café and walk around a bit instead!
The Pioneer Hotel
photo- Arizona Historical Society
Built in 1929 by a father and son, this Spanish Revival style hotel was one of Tucson’s first high rises. This place was swank—on the night it opened 500 guests enjoyed the finest dining in the opulent ballroom, which was the largest ballroom in the country at that time. Complete with a rooftop garden where grand parties with orchestras, for decades it reigned supreme as the hub of social activity downtown for aristocrats.
Tragically, in 1970 a fire killed 29 of its inhabitants (including the builder son and his wife) shortly after midnight a few days before Christmas. This catastrophic event seemed to herald the decline of downtown Tucson during the 70’s and 80’s. Sadly, the hotel never recovered and was later converted to office space, with extensive façade work that eradicated its eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places (although it is considered a historical landmark locally). According to the Arizona Historical Society, those who have worked in the building have reported “odd occurrences”, including “screams” and the “smell of smoke”.
University of Arizona
In 1891, the 32 students who made up the inaugural class at the U of A had no idea that some 130 years later it would become the behemoth it has. But apparently that kind of expansion means more places for ghosts to hang around as well. I literally could not believe some of what I read while researching for this post—some of this is really wild! The University does not comment on any of this as far as I could ascertain.
Old Main is said to be haunted by the ghost of a murdered foreman working on the construction of the original building. He was found with his throat cut and no one was ever brought to justice. Naval officers reported encounters with him starting back in the 1940s when the building was used as a training facility.
But the fun times don’t stop there. Centennial Hall is positively teeming with sightings. There is the ghost of a man who was killed during a jousting duel over a romantic relationship—but get this—the young woman at the heart of the argument was trampled to death by horses while trying to stop the duel. While trying to save her, one of her beaus fell off his horse and broke his neck. 😱 Backstage, a ghost of a man from the 1920’s is said to lurk about. Some have said projection equipment has been moved around in an area where the ghost has been sighted. The one that gave me a chuckle were the reports of a Victorian lady who likes classical music performances and shoving living patrons out of the way.
Maricopa Hall is another place where there have been numerous stories over the years, but most are unsubstantiated. (However—unsubstantiated does not necessarily completely false, or at least we can pretend for Halloween’s sake!) One is the legends is that before the university was built, two rival female local dance hall owners got into an argument at a Tucson Vigilante Committee meeting. Things got so heated that in a rage they both got in their wagons and tore out of town into what was then open desert to have a gunfight. As the loser of the duel lay dying, the legend says she cursed the land that she lay on—the future site of the all women’s Maricopa Hall. There are more stories but I think that is the most entertaining one by far!
photo-Arizona Memory Project
There are many more places where horrifying events and subsequent tales of ghostly sightings have occurred—including Bear Down Gym (by human ghosts and a wildcat!), and the Modern Languages building.
The Presidio San Agustín del Tucson
One of the most historic sites is the Presidio San Agustín del Tucson. This iconic fort has was built in 1775 and over the centuries has been a military fort as well as a civilian settlement. Creepy tales of ghostly figures, voices and icy unexplained drafts have been reported.
Tombstone
We would be remiss in a haunted Tucson post not mentioning Tombstone. The site of the infamous O.K. Corral shootout was a violent end for a few folks that day—but it actually took place six doors down from the rear entrance of the Corral in a narrow lot. People at both places have reported faded looking apparitions of men in Western garb and cold spots.
The Boothill Graveyard is also said to have had ghostly apparitions, and according to some reports they were even photographed. The Buford House, Big Nose Kate’s saloon, the old Tombstone hotel and even sightings of ghostly stage coach drivers outside of the old Wells Fargo Bank Building have also been reported.
But it is the Bird Cage Theatre with allegedly 30+ ghosts that has the most scandalous reputation. The Theatre was originally meant to be a place for respectable variety shows that families could attend. The came up with marketing tactics used today in bars like “Ladies Night” where local women could attend for free. However, much to the chagrin of the owners this did not fly with demographics and economics of Tombstone at the time. But what did fly was appealing to the tough mining crowd with prostitutes entertaining clients in berths on the upper level while magicians, comedians, Cornish wrestling competitions and acts like the “Female Hercules” wowed drunken miners on the lower level. This rough and tumble spot was the scene of 26 deaths over the years. Today, in addition to ghostly apparitions, people have reported hearing laughter, clinking barware, music and smelled whiskey and cigars.
Other Spots
Other spots in the Tucson area known for ghosts and supernatural occurrences are Bisbee, Oracle (including the Oracle State Historical Park and the Oracle Hotel), Colossal Cave, the 22nd Antique Street Mall, Li’l Abner’s Steakhouse, the Rialto and the Fox Theatres.
We hope you have enjoyed this 100% human researched and written article —and we wish you a spooky and safe Halloween!
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