Monday, February 9, 2009

Haunted Hassayampa Inn

I came across this ghost story today and thought you guys might enjoy it:

The four-story Hassayampa Inn in Prescott, AZ was named after a nearby river. It has an exterior of red brick trimmed in white, and its own bell tower. The bell tower seems to be the source of a well known haunting at the Hassayampa.
Shortly after the Hassayampa Inn opened on November 20, 1927, they say a newlywed couple checked into the hotel to spend their honeymoon. The husband stepped out to buy ‘a pack of cigarettes’ and never returned to his bride. ‘Faith’ as they call her, waited restlessly for three days. Depressed and all alone, the deserted woman hung her self in ill-fated bell tower.

Now guests and employees see her wandering in the halls wearing an off-white wedding gown. They report feeling her presence in Room 426—which has been named ‘Faith’s Room’. Lights turn on and off –objects seem to move or fly by—and sometimes her apparition has appeared sobbing near the doorway to the balcony.

I had my own encounter with Faith a few years ago when I was up in Prescott on business. The hotel staff knew I was a paranormal investigator and was eager to see what would happen when I stayed in ‘Faith’s Room’. I noted that every time I put my key in the door (they since have gone keyless) a spark of static electricity would shock me. EMF readings maintained a steady 2.9 in the room throughout the evening. At midnight, I turned off the lights and TV. I crawled into bed and settled in for a good night’s sleep.

Suddenly, about 1:00am I woke from a sound sleep to the TV blaring. All the lights in the room were turned back on. I hopped out of bed, turned everything back off and laid back under the covers. Then I felt someone—presumably Faith—sit down on left side of the bed. I slid my foot under the covers and pushed her off the bed. She sat back down in the same spot. Again, I pushed her off with my foot.

I felt a supernatural battle about to unfold. To my right, I could hear ‘someone’ in the bathroom filling a glass with water. Then, there was a presence hovering over me with the glass. I covered my face expecting to be drenched—yet peeking thru the cracks of my fingers—as I didn’t want to miss what was about to happen. I saw the glass tip, but nothing poured out! As soon as it tipped over, it faded away and disappeared. There was no sign water or the glass. Faith had her revenge and all was quiet in the room once more.

Other staff members speak of a tall man dressed in a long brown coat they call the ‘Night Watchman’. He has been seen sitting in the hotel lounge reading a newspaper. A staff member spoke to him, but he did not respond. When she turned to speak to him again, he was gone. The lonely looking man has also been seen in the lobby, and witnesses say they have watched him walk through the lounge to shake and secure the entrance doors.

So, next time you are headed up to Prescott, reserve a room at the Hassayampa Inn. Check into ‘Faith’s Room’—if you’re lucky, you might have a ghostly encounter of your own. And don’t worry, the night watchman will make sure you are locked in safely for the night.



Examiner