Sarah Moser wrote on September 14, 2015, “I work the graveyard shift front desk at the Grand and have had many of the experiences mentioned in articles, including regular visits with my sometimes grumpy but ever-present coworker, Claude (Scotty) Harvey.” It’s still common for the front desk staff to report hearing Claud’s coughing and sneezing from the laundry room. On your visit to the Grand Hotel today, you may meet Scotty standing near the Otis, loitering in the stairwell, or moving the elevator from floor to floor with no help from the living. The coroner determined that the elevator could not have been the cause of his death and believed he was murdered and placed there for concealment.Ī forerunner of cover-ups of our day, United Verde Copper Company was instrumental in preventing an autopsy and did not allow x-rays to be taken on poor old Scotty’s body. Scotty was found at the bottom of the elevator shaft with his head pinned beneath the car. This elevator is noteworthy in the hauntings of the Jerome Grand as it was a factor in the rather suspicious death of maintenance man Claud (Scotty) Harvey. It was fitted with one of the original Otis elevators, the first self-service elevator, no operator required. Listed as one of the most modern hospitals in Arizona, many professed it to be the finest equipped hospital in the United States. The hospital was built to serve the employees of the mining company but was open to the public. It derived its original name, United Verde Hospital, from its builder, the United Verde Copper Company. When the Jerome Grand Hotel was originally constructed in 1926, it opened as a state of the art hospital. The Jerome Grand Hotel and Asylum Restaurant My personal favorite is the Jerome Grand Hotel and Asylum Restaurant. You can tour haunted mines, restaurants, and bars. Ghost tours are one of the major attractions to the area. Hotel Asylum EntranceĪ significant impact on the resurgence of Jerome has come from its folklore as a historic ghost town. In 1967, Jerome was designated a National Historic District by the federal government. You’ll find artists, musicians, sommeliers, bikers, innkeepers, proprietors, museum curators, and more than a hermit or two. Today’s population of 450 is a mixed group of humanity. Rising from the embers, it grew to a population of 15,000 then shriveling to less than 50 in the 1950s. It was burned to the ground three times in the three years between 18. Birthed with the discovery of copper, gold, and silver in 1876, it has had more ups and downs than the S&P 500 chart.
#ABANDONED PLACES IN ARIZONA FULL#
Jerome’s past is full of rich history and folklore. Today, the town is a tourist hot spot, a place where bikers and aristocrats rub shoulders on the streets and in its bars and shops. THE ARIZONA COPPER CAMP NOW THE WICKEDEST TOWN.” In 1903, The New York Sun ran the headline “THIS JEROME IS A BAD ONE. It was once known as the “wickedest town in the west” for its gambling, brothels, and heavy drinking miners. The quaint mining town of Jerome is brimming with museums, gift shops, galleries, a host of activities, fine food, and drink. This dynamic 20-mile stretch known as The Old Jerome Highway is packed with hairpin switchbacks and scenic views, making it a most enjoyable ride. View of Jerome from a hill.Īrrival from the west is a dazzling drive over the Black Hills Mountain Pass from Prescott Valley. Watch your back, pull over, and snap a picture. It’s difficult to keep your eyes on the road as you stare up at this haunting western town. From the east, it is a short but scenic climb up Cleopatra Hill from the town of Cottonwood.Īs you make the climb from Clarkdale, you pass the botanical gardens and wind your way to Jerome. Today, there are two options for arriving in Jerome. No intersections, no choice of highways, one way in and one way out of this old historic mining town. It occupies a prominent status on the original stretch of historic Highway 89A from Prescott to Jerome.Īt the time, State Route 89A was defined as a state highway in 1927, only the portion from Prescott to Clarkdale was complete. Jerome is located at an elevation of 5,200 feet on the side of Cleopatra Hill, the east rim of the Verde Valley in central Arizona. However, people visiting from around the world speak of the town as picturesque, distinctly western, fun, friendly–and call it haunted Jerome AZ. The archives call it Historic Jerome, Arizona. Welcome to Haunted Jerome AZ!īy Ron Elledge Welcome to Jerome, Arizona.