Jerome, Arizona: The Ghost City

Jerome, Arizona: The Ghost City

Between Flagstaff, and Prescott, Arizona, built on Cleopatra Hill, is the quaint little town of Jerome. This town was once a booming copper mining community and is now a tranquil place where artists live and sell their artwork in houses and stores that they renovated.

History:Jerome is a copper mining town and was founded in 1876. It was made up of many different characteristics of people, seeking riches from the mines below. The international blend of people made life in Jerome thrilling and lively. It began with three prospectors laying claim on the copper deposits they found. They then sold out to a group that formed the United Verde Copper Company in 1883. The mining camp consisted of wood and canvas cabin/shacks and was named after Eugene Jerome, who was the principal backer. Only two years later, the company had to shut down because of the high cost of operations. A new owner took over named William A. Clark. He added a narrow gauge railroad to reduce freight costs. By the 20th century, the United Verde was the largest producing copper mine in the Arizona Territory. The canvas cabins were no longer and replaced by brick and framed buildings. Jerome had churches, schools, theatres, hotels, shops and a civil center making it a place where many wanted to live. In 1912, James S. Douglas, started the Little Daisy Mine. By 1916, Jerome had two mines that had an abundant amount of copper minerals, boasting billions of dollars in profit by investors and financers. Jerome was hit with many fires but was always rebuilt. In 1918, with several fires in the tunnels and dynamiting cracking the buildings and causing the ground to shift, the mines took an enormous beating. The Little Daisy Mine shut down in 1938 and Phelps-Dodge took over the United Verde in 1935. In 1953, with copper prices continuously rising and falling and the loss of profits, Jerome’s copper mines shut down for good.

In 1929 the population peaked at 15,000 and was down to about 50 souls living there by the late 1950’s. Today, this peaceful community is thriving thanks to the writers, artists, musicians, historians and families that call Jerome home.

Ghosts Sightings and Haunts:The Community Center has a ghost of a prostitute that has been seen walking in front of the building.
At The Connor Hotel, a couple with their dog had reported that they had some strange experiences. They said that they experienced a sudden drop in temperature, the coffee pot turning itself off, all their batteries that ran their devices were drained and their dog being spooked by a shadow figure on the wall.
At The Jerome Grand Hotel, a woman in white has been seen roaming the halls and a nurse with a clipboard has been seen in some of the rooms. Late in the night, a ghostly child has been seen running through the bar area looking for his mother. Also, a screaming head and several apparitions have been seen on a regular basis in various areas of the hotel.
The Grand Motel was once a hospital/insane asylum. It has had many different occurrences from the lights turning on with no electricity fueling them and phantom hounds that are five feet high making themselves known to others.
The Ghost City Inn had many uses, including being used as a funeral home. A female spirit has shown herself to visitors in the Cleopatra Room.
The Old Episcopal Church has a white misty figure that appears there.
Inn at Jerome is located on Main Street and boast a phantom cat that roams the halls and sometimes leaves an indention on the bed where it sleeps. Maids have reported seeing objects being moved when nobody was there. The armoire in the Lariat and Lace Room at one time has had its door fly off its hinges.

With all the many people that lived in Jerome's past, it looks like some of their spirits have chosen to stay.