Melissa Goldman

Tales about Jerome hotel's 'friendly' ghosts haunt visitors

Is Casper really a friendly ghost? Spring Break may have held a lot of questions for all of you -- which beach to lay on, which drink had the highest proof, which casino could get the highest winnings, which ghosts were the friendliest ...

My belief in the supernatural was questioned this past weekend, as my friend Karen and I ended up in a haunted hotel in Jerome.

As graduating seniors, Karen and I decided to do something -- for the sole purpose of not sitting at home for our last Spring Break. In our quest for a mini one- or two-day outing, I came upon a hotel recommendation for the Jerome Grande Hotel, 45 minutes away from Sedona. The hotel was originally the United Verde Hospital, though it was closed down in 1950. After remaining desolate for 44 years, the former hospital was renovated and became the Jerome Grande Hotel. The postcard had a spectacular mountain view, the price was reasonable, and the time off was perfect for a couple of girls with major cases of senioritis. We journeyed on a gorgeous Friday morning, with the CD player blasting and discovering the relationship between a stick shift Saturn going up steep Northern highways and its air conditioning system.

As we arrived in Jerome (population: 400), we started to marvel at the small town atmosphere. As I started to look forward to a couple of days away from Tempe, Karen casually remarked that her mom had seen a news story about a hotel with constant management problems because the establishment was "haunted." She added that it could be the one we were heading toward.

Uh, thanks for the tidbit -- 10 minutes away from our destination.

As we registered for our room, I asked the woman at the front desk about those crazy rumors, hoping I wouldn't offend the hotel's reputation. Ready to be laughed at, she instead handed me a photo album of the hotel, with written descriptions as to why it could indeed be haunted. Would we also like to watch a video about the hotel's history?

Wait, I didn't actually want this haunted stuff to go beyond rumors.

Ironically though, the same haunted confirmation that terrified me also immensely fascinated my historical and journalistic sides. The curiosity was nearly killing me.

The maintenance man told me, "Don't worry. They're happy ghosts here."

Despite all my intrigue about the history behind the Victorian-style dwelling, the ambiance made me want to stall my sleeping ritual as late into the night as possible, although both of us were exhausted from the drive up to Jerome. (Karen wisely persuaded me to watch the "Sightings" video the hotel offered to its guests in the morning.) Feeling like a tremendous baby, I stubbornly made my drifting eyes stay awake-I did not want to experience any paranormal events. It suddenly occurred to me that even if you strong disbelieve in ghosts and the supernatural, different circumstances could be involved in testing them. I was relieved to wake up ghost-free the next morning.

Relieved to be going, but glad for the experience (and a ghost story/conversation piece to tell our friends back home), we packed our bags, had our picture taken in front of the building and said good-bye to the hotel.

Who knows? Maybe Casper waved back.

Melissa Goldman is an education senior and can be reached at melissa.goldman@asu.edu.

Karen casually remarked that her mom had seen a news story about a hotel with constant management problems because the establishment was "haunted." She added that it could be the one we were heading toward.