The Jerome Ghost Report

The Jerome Ghost Report

December 15^th - 17^th 2006

Agent Cobra and Agent Jackie

Location

This is the first ghost report from the IMPS' southwestern branch. As you may or may not know there are many haunted places in the southwest. In particular, Arizona seems to have it's share of ghostly places despite being a relatively young state in the union. As Agents C and J found out, Arizona does have ghosts! That is unless the following recordings and pictures can be explained by some other rational means.

We at IMPS like to look at the rational side of things. There is usually an explanation for almost everything we experience during our ghost hunts. For instance, I personally believe that a lot of the orbs in the following pictures are simply dust particles in front of the camera that get magnified because of the flash. Many of the bangs heard in the audio recordings may be simple plumbing issues or someone visiting the porcelain god in the next room. Never the less, we did encounter some unexplainable noises during the night and during our investigation. Before we get to the meat of our report, first we will go into a little history of Jerome.

Jerome is a ghost town with living inhabitants. It was once a prosperous copper mining town in the early 1900s. It was so prosperous, that it needed a state-of-the-art hospital. Many of the earlier hospitals were destroyed in fire or too small to handle all the miners and ladies of the night that lived in the town. All that changed in January 1927 when the Phelps-Dodge Mining Company opened a modern hospital on top of Cleopatra hill overlooking the Verde Valley and Jerome. The hospital was in operation until 1950 when the mine along with the town shut down. The hospital was on standby until the 1970s when it was abandoned for good. It was empty until 1994 when it was purchased and renovated to become the Jerome Grand Hotel which opened it's doors to tourist is 1996. It has been a hotel ever since and it sports and expensive yet great restaurant, “The Asylum”.

Our research began on the night of December 15, 2006. My assistant and I decided to spend two nights in the hotel and do some visual and audio investigations. Pictures were taken with a HP Photosmart E327, 5MP which I apologize for the quality. Unless you hold the camera really still, it blurs the pictures. Audio was done with an excellent Olympus Digital Voice Recorder VN-2100PC. Most of the audio recordings were done in high quality setting however, to save time and space, the all night recording was one step down in quality.

December 15^th 2006

On the night of December 15, 2006, we performed our first investigation. We happened to be staying in Room 36 on the third floor which was where the old operating rooms were when the hotel was a hospital. Our room had a balcony which faced to the east at the Verde Valley and the San Fransisco peaks. I took a picture looking down the balcony at night

As you can see, there is no sign of a ghost here. The next picture is one of Room 36 where we stayed.

Up next was an audio recording and photo tour around the hotel. This was done about 10:00 at night. The hotel was rather noisy with people watching TV and talking in their rooms. As a result, I did not catch any EVPs on my tour. The following are some pictures taken on that night.

This is the 2^nd floor of the hotel, there were no ghostly recordings on this floor.

Here is a picture of the 3^rd Floor looking South toward the area where a gust of wind came in on the night of the 16^th and knocked over the table with the plant. The loud bang scared a lady next to the door and caused her to come out and investigate. My assistant and I helped shut the doors of the balcony behind the table with the plant. This was not caused by ghosts. The night of the 15^th ended without any sign of a ghost. During the night, Agent Jackie would say she smelled cigarette or cigar smoke. Funny thing is, there is no smoking allowed on this floor of the hotel. Come to think of it, I think the whole hotel is smoke free. However, it was difficult to sleep through the night. There were a lot of bang noises coming from the hallway outside of our room and in other rooms. I speculate that most of these are the building settling on the steep hillside or pipes and furnaces kicking on and off. Many of the noises heard were toilet flushes and people experiencing bowel movements in adjacent bathrooms.

December 16^th 2006

The next morning we woke up tired. We didn't get much sleep through the night and I awoke to a shaking old fashioned radiator. This is a natural occurrence when an old radiator kicks on. We went downstairs for some coffee and donuts. I decided to ask the two ladies behind the counter if they had experienced any ghostly occurrences in the hotel. One of them had been working there for a while and she told us two experiences she had.

The first happened when she was working at the front desk counter in the lobby one night or day (I don't remember which it was). She stated that while she was working there, a picture hanging on a pillar coming out of the front counter came flying off its hook. If flew to the middle of the lobby and hovered there for a brief second and then slowly descended to the ground. This reasonably startled her. She said she had never experienced this before.

The second occurrence happened when she was cleaning dishes in a sink in the boiler room located on the first floor to the south of the front lobby. As she was cleaning dishes, a knife sitting on the edge of the sink flew off the sink on its own power and landed precariously on the edge of a moat surrounding one of the original boilers of the building. She was not close enough to the knife or sink to bump it when it happened. She has not been able to explain this. After reading several books about ghost stories in the hotel, it seems this boiler room is particularly haunted. The reason for this may be the story of Claude Harvey who was the maintenance man when the hotel was a hospital. He was found dead April 4, 1935 in the hotel. His head was pinned underneath the original elevator which is still there today. Many people think it was a murder and many people suspect he is the reason for the ghostly happenings in the hotel.

While I was talking to the front desk lady about ghost experiences, Agent Jackie was looking over a note pad on the front counter where people can fill in their experiences that happen during their stay. She happened to notice that someone who had been staying in Room 36 had experienced cigar smoke smells on and off like Agent Jackie experienced the night before. It turns out, even the ghost books report the smell of cigar or cigarette smoke on the third floor.

After breakfast we decided to hit the town which is full of many haunted places. One such place is the Liberty Theater. This was once a place where miners and ladies of the night could see old motion pictures. It has been renovated several times since its original layout. We took a tour of the theater and I snapped pictures. A couple pictures contain some orbs. The picture with Agent Jackie on the steps contains the most orbs. Once again, I believe these to be dust particles and not spirits.

Click images to see full size.

After the Liberty Theater, we walked the town and visited some of the shops. We stopped into “The Spirit Room” which is a bar in an old building which is supposed to be haunted. I didn't take any pictures or recordings because there were some patrons and I didn't want to look like a dork. However, I would like to stay at the hotel upstairs sometime. The upstairs is supposed to be haunted too. Next, we ate at the Haunted Hamburger which is also supposed to be haunted. Once again, no pictures or recordings were taken here because too many people were eating and it would cause too much interference. I highly recommend this place because the burgers are swell....Hea..

Next on the list was the Douglas Mining house which is part of Jerome State Park. If you are interested in mining and history, this is a place to check out. It offers some cool exhibits but unfortunately you cannot go into the open copper mine pit on Cleopatra Hill. I did capture some weird tapping noise coming from the stables area. The recording can be found below.

We decided to drive to Prescott since it wasn't that far and I had never been there. After messing around there for a while, we returned and were hungry for some good food. We decided to eat at “The Asylum” restaurant on the first floor of the Jerome Grand Hotel. The first floor is where the emergency room used to be and people have experienced weird things here too. If you buy the book Arizona Ghost Stories by Antonio R. Garcez or Sleeping With Ghosts by a lady whom I forgot, then you can read more into some of the ghostly experiences that occur here. I snapped the following picture of the restaurant the next morning.

The night had begun for ghost investigations. This would prove to be the night of EVPs and strange noises. The EVPs can be opened at the bottom of this report. I did do a tour of the building this night and it was more quiet however I did not catch any EVPs or anything unusual. I snapped a photo of the 4^th floor which was the maternity ward and morgue in the old hospital days.

The elevator which pinned Claude Harvey's head and killed him was parked on the 4^th Floor when I was up there. I did some recordings but found nothing. Here is a picture of the elevator.

I toured and recorded on all 4 floors this night but caught nothing on camera or recorder. I decided to call it a night and set up the recorder to record all night long. This is when I found some weird things. As far as rational explanations, many of the bangs could be the same as we experienced the night before. However, there were times when it seemed like it was more than settling or pipes. Listen to some of the EVP's below and you will see what I mean. I also caught some voices. Some of it sounds like whispering like “Ok, Ok” or some of it sounds like a raspy Golum like voice. Most of it I can't make out. You will notice that some of the recordings have me breathing in the background so it couldn't be me and I do believe Agent Jackie was asleep. Decide for yourself.

December 17^th 2006

The next morning, we woke up tired again. Many people decided to take showers at 2 and 3 in the morning and when someone takes a shower, you hear it all over. Lots of toilets flushed in the night too. We ate breakfast and packed up to leave for home. Before we left we did one more EVP tour, especially on the 4^th floor. On the fourth floor, I did capture an EVP of a voice. In the EVP you can hear me saying, “Make your presence known.” After I say that, there is a low voice that can be heard. I didn't hear it during first examination but it is definitely there and not us! I snapped a picture of the stairwell going from the 4^th to the 3d and captured two orbs, one at the top right and one on the bottom right. Click on the picture to see the original full size.

This is possibly the best EVP recorded during the whole trip and this occurred around 10:45 in the morning. As we left the building, nothing really happened but we returned to Jerome for a couple minutes to look at the art and jewelry shops again. I snapped the following picture of Jerome and the Jerome Grand Hotel (top center). This picture gives you a good perspective of it's location relative to the town.

Overall the trip was a very fun and interesting one. We did capture some EVPs and weird noises on tape. We also captured orbs on the digital camera which I still think are dust particles. When you come to Jerome, expect an old fashioned time traveling experience. I would highly recommend this place for people interested in the Paranormal and Ghost Hunting. The Grand Hotel is just one of the many haunted places in this town, and we would definitely like to return some day. But for now, Jerome remains home to some old fashioned folks, hippies and maybe, the dearly departed!

In alphabetical order, here are the EVPs recorded during the investigation, with info and possible explanations. They are all in .wav format. EVPs were recorded by investigator Cobra, and sent to be analyzed and cleaned by investigator Justin. The clips below contain the original sound file and the cleaned versions.

4th Floor EVP - Possibly the best EVP recorded during the investigation. Talking can be heard in the background of our investigator and directly after he finishes his sentence, a low voice can be heard. The talking is unintelligible. The first segment is the original, followed by a noise reduction repeated twice. The voice after the investigator may be saying "record" or something similar. You decide.

Another Whisper - Our investigator's breathing can be heard during this clip, as can a far off whisper that sounds like a man and/or lady laughing. The first segment is the original followed by two cleaned versions of the clip. You can hear the laughing after the first breath. This clip was especially hard to analyze but know that the breathing is our investigator and not of ghostly origins.

Bangs and Moving of the Recorder - This clip contains several bangs and what sounds like the recorder itself being moved slightly. This clip is not repeated and is the original. IMPS founder Justin states that the first bangs sound like a door closing, although this would be impossible as both investigators present were asleep at the time. The dragging sound is undetermined.

Clap in the Night - A random bang that resembles a clap. Could a ghost have clapped during the middle of the night? The clip is repeated and cleaned.

Douglas Mining House tapping - Recorded near stables according to Investigator C. Justin states this sounds like horse hooves, possibly of a long deseased horse that was once there.

Flatulent Ghost - This clip is not real, and is our investigators having fun, almost too much fun.

Get Out of Here - A very clear and chilling statement recorded in the middle of the night in Room 36. The entity is either saying "Get Over Here, or Get Out of Here." The clip has the original sound, a cleaned version (x2) and a slowed version (x2).

Humming - Recorded in the middle of the night, a series of strange sounds picked up by the recorder. Justin states this sounds like cars passing on a street, but also says that there is significantly erie sounds that accompany it, almost as if someone is saying NOOOOOO (listen to last burst of energy, its hard to hear). This, says Justin, is his favorite clip out of the investigation. Clip contains original and noise reduction (x2). Recorded during the middle of the night as well.

Kill the Family??? - The Golum (Lord of the Rings) like voice that randomly seems to appear during silence. This one, along with Get Out of Here, are the clearest EVPs recorded. Could this be a patient that died in the hospital, or a miner? The tone of this voice is too erie to tell. The clip contains the original and the cleaned version twice. It could also be saying "Get Away!"

Loud Scrape and Loud Scrape 2 - Recorded in the same location as the previous EVPs, this weird noise sounds almost mechanical, but currently can not be explained. Loud Scrape is repeated twice normally and twice with NR on. Notice with NR on, the scrape doesn't show up. Loud Scrape 2 has the original once and the NR twice. Again, the NR seems to make the scrape sound different. Justin will be further analyzing these two clips. Slowed down version - sounds like a typical squeeky hospital cart to me.

Mechanical Sounds - Strange bangs and scrapes were recorded in Room 36 in the middle of the night. I am very surprised that Investigators Cobra and Jackie did not hear these while they were happening as they appear to be very loud. Could this be echoes of the hospital past leaking through? One listener to this clip thought it sounded like a dog barking. The clip plays once in its original form, and once with noise reduction applied. Justin's theory is this the sound of a cart possibly carrying a hospital patient flying down the hall. The event, like many hauntings, is residual. There is also a weak growling noise near the end of the clip. If you notice as well, the banging gets louder until the end of the clip and fades in the distance, as if it is passing room 36.

Okay Okay Voice - I had trouble hearing exactly where the spirit says Ok Ok, but there is a substantial amount of whispering in this clip. I believe the whisper is before the first breathing sound can be heard. The breathing is Investigator Cobra. The clip is played twice in normal form.

Possible Voice - Indistinct Whispers can be heard during the duration of this clip. The clip contains the original and two cleaned versions of the sound. Can you help decipher what is being said here?

Scary Noise, Amplified - Almost sounds like a sigh as if from a ghost in distress. This clip is the original version and is not repeated.

Scary Voice With Investigators Talking - The voice comes after "Oh God" and the first laugh, and appears to be saying "You're Horrible." The clip contains the original, and "You're horrible" by itself along with three cleaned versions of "You're Horrible." Apparently ghosts have a sense of humor.

Super Loud Bang - Possibly from inside the room. The clip contains the original, and a boosted version of the less powerful bangs before and after it, which sounds exactly like a door opening and closing, which, as stated above, was not possible.

Weird Noise - Sounds like a human saying "uh oh", many times fast, or laughing. The clip has the original once, and cleaned versions twice.

Weird Noise 2 - Almost sounds like a drop of water splashing, but amplified as it obviously wouldn't create this loud of a noise in real life. Several odd bangs can be heard prior to the water dropping noise.

Weird Voice Disturbance of Investigators - For some odd reason, the voices of our investigators sounds extremely distorted during one segment of the tape. As you can hear, it cleans itself up magically. Remember, these are digital recorders we are using, no magnetic heads here.

All EVPs above are property of the IMPS (Inter-Mountain Paranormal Society). Do not use without written permission from us. If you are interested in using our EVPs or images, please email marsam233ATyahoo.com. Replace AT with @ in your mail program.