The Copper Queen Hotel
Date: Spring, 2006
Location: Copper Queen Hotel, Bisbee, Arizona
Historical Background: At the time of its opening in 1902, the Copper Queen Hotel was
considered the most modern hotel in the American West and hosted many dignitaries of
the time, as well as rowdy cowboys and miners taking advantage of the rich lodes of
copper, lead and silver located nearby. According to sightings reported over the years,
there are several resident ghosts at the Copper Queen Hotel. One is a tall older gentleman
with long hair and a beard, usually seen wearing a black cape and a top hat. Some claim
they smell the aroma of a good cigar either before or after seeing him. Another is the
spirit of a young boy, about eight or nine years old, who drowned in the nearby San Pedro
River. It is believed his spirit inhabits the hotel because either his parents or a relative
were employees of the hotel. He is blamed for much of the mischievous pranks that take
place at the Copper Queen, including guests finding their personal objects moved to other
rooms. The boy’s footsteps have been heard running down the corridors, followed by the
unmistakable sound of a child’s giggle. Perhaps the most famous apparition is that of a
female in her early thirties who has been identified as Julia Lowell, a prostitute who used
the hotel to entertain her clients. After being spurned by a client she’d fallen deeply in
love with, she committed suicide in the hotel. Allegedly appearing only to men, some
men have reported hearing a female voice whispering in their ear, while others claim that
she appears to them in the shape of bright white smoke. Then there is the reported
sighting of a front desk clerk from the early days of the Hotel named Howard who seems
to have taken his job so seriously that almost a century after his death, he still checks up
on guests and on other employees to make sure they’re doing their job.
Findings: As these incidents were being told to the team, one of the team members heard
a little boy's voice behind them say "Look at the keys", followed by a distinctive giggle.
Immediately, on the wallboard that holds all the room keys, a set of keys from a third
floor room began to move on its own. They also experienced severe drops in temperature
when they visited the room where Julia was supposed to have taken her life, as well as
glimpsing the shadow of a small boy in one of the upstairs corridors. One of the members
of the team, who is male, strongly felt the presence of Julia behind him to the point where
he could detect the faint aroma of a woman’s perfume (which the female members of the
team were not wearing). As he and the team left the Copper Queen, they all felt the spirit
of Julia following them. However, the further they moved away from the hotel, the more
panicked she became and they felt her leave them and return to the hotel.
Conclusion: With so many reported sightings, as well as several investigations by other
paranormal groups during the years, including our own, it is safe to say that the Copper
Queen is definitely haunted by several entities.
Reason for Haunting: In the case of Julia and the little boy, a tragic death will lead many
times to a spirit being trapped. Burdened by feelings of rejection and self hate, the spirit
of Julia cannot move on until those heavy emotions are transmuted for her. There may also
be feelings of guilt because of the way she earned her living that prevent her from moving
on. In the case of the little boy, it is reasonable to assume that he may not even know he is
dead and continues running down the corridors and giggling as he did in life. The elder
gentleman may have loved the hotel so much in life that he sees no reason to leave it in
death and continues enjoying his cigar while watching guests come and go. And the clerk,
who was conscientious in life, continues to feel a need to keep up the good work in
death. In his case, his identity of who he was became so wrapped up in the Copper
Queen Hotel and how he performed his job that he cannot break those bonds in death and
continues to carry out his duties to his own exacting standards.
Case Closed.
Date: Spring, 2006
Location: Copper Queen Hotel, Bisbee, Arizona
Historical Background: At the time of its opening in 1902, the Copper Queen Hotel was
considered the most modern hotel in the American West and hosted many dignitaries of
the time, as well as rowdy cowboys and miners taking advantage of the rich lodes of
copper, lead and silver located nearby. According to sightings reported over the years,
there are several resident ghosts at the Copper Queen Hotel. One is a tall older gentleman
with long hair and a beard, usually seen wearing a black cape and a top hat. Some claim
they smell the aroma of a good cigar either before or after seeing him. Another is the
spirit of a young boy, about eight or nine years old, who drowned in the nearby San Pedro
River. It is believed his spirit inhabits the hotel because either his parents or a relative
were employees of the hotel. He is blamed for much of the mischievous pranks that take
place at the Copper Queen, including guests finding their personal objects moved to other
rooms. The boy’s footsteps have been heard running down the corridors, followed by the
unmistakable sound of a child’s giggle. Perhaps the most famous apparition is that of a
female in her early thirties who has been identified as Julia Lowell, a prostitute who used
the hotel to entertain her clients. After being spurned by a client she’d fallen deeply in
love with, she committed suicide in the hotel. Allegedly appearing only to men, some
men have reported hearing a female voice whispering in their ear, while others claim that
she appears to them in the shape of bright white smoke. Then there is the reported
sighting of a front desk clerk from the early days of the Hotel named Howard who seems
to have taken his job so seriously that almost a century after his death, he still checks up
on guests and on other employees to make sure they’re doing their job.
Findings: As these incidents were being told to the team, one of the team members heard
a little boy's voice behind them say "Look at the keys", followed by a distinctive giggle.
Immediately, on the wallboard that holds all the room keys, a set of keys from a third
floor room began to move on its own. They also experienced severe drops in temperature
when they visited the room where Julia was supposed to have taken her life, as well as
glimpsing the shadow of a small boy in one of the upstairs corridors. One of the members
of the team, who is male, strongly felt the presence of Julia behind him to the point where
he could detect the faint aroma of a woman’s perfume (which the female members of the
team were not wearing). As he and the team left the Copper Queen, they all felt the spirit
of Julia following them. However, the further they moved away from the hotel, the more
panicked she became and they felt her leave them and return to the hotel.
Conclusion: With so many reported sightings, as well as several investigations by other
paranormal groups during the years, including our own, it is safe to say that the Copper
Queen is definitely haunted by several entities.
Reason for Haunting: In the case of Julia and the little boy, a tragic death will lead many
times to a spirit being trapped. Burdened by feelings of rejection and self hate, the spirit
of Julia cannot move on until those heavy emotions are transmuted for her. There may also
be feelings of guilt because of the way she earned her living that prevent her from moving
on. In the case of the little boy, it is reasonable to assume that he may not even know he is
dead and continues running down the corridors and giggling as he did in life. The elder
gentleman may have loved the hotel so much in life that he sees no reason to leave it in
death and continues enjoying his cigar while watching guests come and go. And the clerk,
who was conscientious in life, continues to feel a need to keep up the good work in
death. In his case, his identity of who he was became so wrapped up in the Copper
Queen Hotel and how he performed his job that he cannot break those bonds in death and
continues to carry out his duties to his own exacting standards.
Case Closed.
