Haunted America: The Ghosts of the Copper Queen Hotel in Bisbee, Arizona

The roaring 20’s was a time when fashion became all the rage due to the high appeal of the heavily made up and bobbed flapper girl, an absolute 1920’s phenomenon. The flapper was easily spotted with her fancy dropped waist dress that fell to her knees, laying ever so softly over rayon or silk stockings, and she was often adorned with a high fashioned beaded necklace. The Charleston was all the rage, and it was the dance that flappers were quick to learn and proudly demonstrated while they typically hung out in establishments where illegally transported booze was hauled in by the truckloads. Of course prohibition forced bootleggers to resort to this method, and the dominant personality of the flapper girl hardly felt the need to argue with such practices as speakeasies and other establishments practicing in this illegal behavior gave her reason to be the life of the party which was her ultimate comfort zone.

The flapper isn’t the only thing possessing so much character. In fact the town of Bisbee, Arizona is packed full of it, from Old West and Victorian architecture to haunted hotels with apparitions ranging from the 1800’s cowboys to the glamour girl’s of the roaring 20’s. The town of Bisbee, Arizona started out as a tiny mining camp in 1877 with plenty of ruddy characters building up the community, who through word of mouth and several years of hard work filled with sweat and blood, built a solid town filled with many wealthy citizens by the year 1910. Saloons popped up everywhere and Bisbee quickly earned a reputation as being one of the best places in the territory for drinks in rowdy saloons with live entertainment from gunfights and dancing girls to outlaws and fist fighting miners who had too much to drink.

The Copper Queen Hotel was a favorite location for many of these rowdy cast of characters to hang their hat at night, and rightfully so. It offers personality plus it is quite stunning to take in with its four-stories of Italian and Victorian style architecture reminiscent of an upper-class villa with picturesque aesthetics that is quite often referred to as being “one of the last remaining historical gems of the southwest. Another historical gem is the dominant ghost of Julia Lowell. This popular flapper girl was also a prostitute who became e regular companion to the men staying at the Copper Queen Hotel; that is until she fell in love with one of the men who openly rejected her and any thoughts of marital bliss that the two could have shared had he agreed. The devastating blow to her heart and ego resulted in Julia killing herself at the tender age of 30. She remains at the hotel still today. Her ghost has been witnessed by hundreds of guests and paranormal investigators as wearing a sapphire blue dress.

Prostitution was permitted in the state of Arizona during the 1920’s and the flapper girls embraced it as a means of making a good income. They became a big part of the Copper Queen Hotel and men were drawn in like magnets to the fun party girls that danced the night away without asking much in return other than a night of dangerous adventures into sinful bliss. Many of these flapper girls walk the hallways still today in hopes of finding a potential husband; unfortunately they appear as nothing more then giddy apparitions that vanish into thin air when you get too close to them. However they enjoy being playful with the male guests by lightly touching their hair or by flirtaceously whispering in their ear in a manner unbecoming of a mannerly ghost.

Room 315 is a hot spot for seeing the ghost of Julia in the buff. She especially likes to show off when a male is present in the room. Her smile is often the last thing that is noticed right before she vanishes into thin air. The flapper girl favors the main stairway as well, and is often spotted holding a bottle of whiskey. Many men have actually reported that they thought she was a real woman, because she is such a beautiful sight to take in. Another well known spirit prefers a more matronly look with her long black dress, and she has been seen walking up and down the stairway in a manner that can only be described as in a worried state of mind. She passes people by without bothering them, but her presence is hard to ignore and many of the guests have actually screamed at the site of this particular entity.

Running, bumping and thumping noises are heard on the third floor all hours of the day and night. The irritating sounds are thought to be coming from an 8 year old boy who is extremely mischievous. He most often appears to children in the dining room, but adults have seen him wrapped in a towel as if just getting out of the bath. A strange unknown male ghost has also been spotted on the third floor, but he causes very little chaos other than scaring the staff and guests half to death with his sudden appearances. Heavy walking has been heard resonating through the hotel and a tall dark male ghost donning a period suit appears randomly on the fourth floor. This bearded ghost also enjoys strolling through hallways and making his grand entrance on the stairway.

The Copper Queen Hotel is adored by the ghosts who once stayed here during their life, and it is loved by the thousands of visitors who have had the luxury of staying here today. It has been proven to be haunted by many different paranormal investigators that have documentation proving that spirits do in fact exist throughout the hotel. After spending a restless night at the hotel, the South West Ghost Hunter’s Association came back with documented phenomena showing proof of a young female entity that shows up in room 318 and the restaurant. They determined that the third floor is the hot spot where the ghosts flock to and several voices were detected on their high-tech EVP equipment. Orbs were caught on camera as was several other questionable objects, and strange occurrences from jiggling doorknobs to lights flickering continued throughout their stay at the hotel. For more information on their investigation, go to: http://www.sgha.net/az/bisbee/copper.html

Ghost Hunts at the Copper Queen Hotel: This particular event is a favorite for ghost hunters, especially during October, and more specifically during Halloween. The tour is held every Thursday night and you must rent a room to be included on this hauntingly spirited event. Host Renee of Old Bisbee Ghost Tours will lead you into a dark adventure filled with orbs, apparitions, strange odors and a chilling look into the spirits that have made the hotel their permanent home. You will learn the proper technique of using ghost hunting equipment like the EMF, and you will actively seek the spirits out so that you can mingle with them. The ghost hunt starts at 8:00 pm in the interior of the highest tower of the Copper Queen Hotel. The Cost: Single Occupancy $221.00 all inclusive, Double Occupancy $257.00 all inclusive, and each additional person is $36.00. This after dark adventure fills up fast, but you can reserve your spot by Calling: 520-432-2216

Legends, Ghost Stories & Proof of Paranormal Activity: The Copper Queen Hotel was featured on the SyFy Channel’s Ghost Hunters under the episode titled, “Spirits of the Old West” with results that were both instant and shocking to the no nonsense paranormal investigators. Jason and Grant immediately came face to face with a figure that was hard to ignore. Attempts at debunking the hotel as being haunted were futile, and the guys agreed that the proof was hard to ignore. The group provokes spirits so that they will manifest themselves, and their results at this particular destination were nothing short of phenomenal. The popularity of the hotel did not go unnoticed by ghost hunters everywhere, and the New York Times wrote a feature article on the Copper Queen Hotel under the titled: A Hotel Where Some Guests Have Been Dead for Years. The journalists reported first hand accounts from people claiming to have had strange experiences from shaking bathroom doors to prank phone calls and encounters with the ghosts themselves. For more on this documented report, go to: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/23/us/23bisbee.html?_r=2&emc=eta1

How to Have a Successful Ghost Hunt: All ghost hunts require a few pieces of equipment to successfully draw out the spirits into a mode of communication and mild chaos, and to do this they recommend that you bring one or more of the following: a digital or analog audio recorder with external microphone, infrared camera, EMF detector, dowsing rods, shiny objects or small toys. For more information, go to: http://www.oldbisbeeghosttour.com/CQGhostHunt.html

Location: 11 Howell Avenue, Bisbee, Arizona 85603

Sources:

http://www.murderinkproductions.com/cqueen.htm

http://www.copperqueen.com/

http://history1900s.about.com/od/1920s/a/flappers.htm

http://halloween-headlines.com/haunted/hotel_copperqueenAZ.htm

http://www.oldbisbeeghosttour.com/

http://www.tripadvisor.com/VacationRentalReview-g31171-d1454159-The_Copper_Queen_House_in_Historic_Bisbee_Arizona-Bisbee_Arizona.html

http://www.hauntedhouses.com/states/az/copper_queen_hotel.cfm

http://www.haunted-places-to-go.com/copper-queen-hotel.html


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