Haunted hotel guide · Bisbee, Arizona
The Haunted Oliver House, Bisbee: Nat Anderson, an Unsolved 1920 Murder and a Boarding House Full of Stories
A 1909 boarding house on the hill above Brewery Gulch, an unsolved murder in its hallway, and more than a century of guests who swear they were not alone.
The Oliver House sits on Sowles Avenue, up the hill from Bisbee’s Main Street and Brewery Gulch, about 25 miles from Tombstone. It was built in 1908 and opened in 1909, after fire swept through town, and the Bisbee Daily Review called it “the finest building on the hill” that year. It has been a boarding house for its whole life and a bed and breakfast since the 1980s.
It is also one of the most talked-about haunted buildings in Arizona. The house has appeared on Ghost Adventures and been the subject of podcasts and investigation videos for more than 15 years, and its owners call it your “haunt away from home.” Haunted Rooms has run ghost hunt sleepovers at the Oliver House too: see our Oliver House Hotel Ghost Hunt and Sleepover page and our Arizona ghost hunts for dates.
Oliver House at a glance
Haunted Rooms Score
- Address 26 Sowles Ave, Bisbee, AZ 85603, a short uphill walk from Main Street
- Opened Built in 1908 and opened in 1909 as a boarding house; a bed and breakfast since the 1980s
- Most haunted spots The upstairs rooms and hallway, the parlor and the old shared bathrooms
- Best-known ghosts Nat Anderson, a railroad man shot in 1920, plus a jealous deputy’s victims from local legend
- Booking the haunted room There is no single named haunted room. The upstairs rooms are where most stories come from, or you can rent the whole house.
- Good to know Adults only (21+). Vintage rooms, no TVs, several shared bathrooms, creaky floors and a speakeasy-style bar downstairs.
The ghosts of The Oliver House
Nat Anderson
The center of the Oliver House story is a real crime. In February 1920 a railroad employee named Nat Anderson was shot between the eyes as he returned to his room. Nobody was ever convicted, and the murder remains unsolved more than a century later.
Many guests connect the house’s footsteps and sudden cold spots to Anderson, and the owners now mark the anniversary with a weekend called Nat Anderson Days (the next is planned for February 2027). Whether you believe he is still here or not, it is one of the few Arizona hotel ghost stories built around a documented death.
The deputy and the parlor shooting
The darker legend, repeated by locals to FOX 10 in 2015, says a sheriff’s deputy living in the house found out his wife was having an affair with another boarder. He shot them both, opened fire on other people in the parlor, then left town and took his own life.
We could not find a newspaper record that matches this story, so treat it as Bisbee lore rather than history. It is the reason the parlor and the upstairs hallway are the places people most want to sit quietly late at night.
26 deaths, or more?
The house’s own website calls it “the home of 26 deaths (or more!)” and older articles put the number at 27, including a mass murder. Those totals have been repeated for years, but none of the sources we checked lists the names or dates behind them.
What is certain is that a boarding house in a booming copper town saw a huge turnover of miners, railroad men and drifters over the decades, and some of them died there. Legends of America says five spirits are reported in the house.
What guests report
The experiences people describe are consistent: footsteps in the upstairs hall at night, cold spots, doors and shutters opening by themselves, a rocking chair that moves with nobody in it and the sound of water running through pipes that are no longer there.
Guests have been writing their experiences in a log book at reception for years, and reading it is part of the stay. The owners say activity is reported most in the upstairs rooms.
The most haunted rooms and places to look
- The upstairs rooms: Where the owners say most activity is reported. Ask for an upstairs room when you book and mention you are interested in the house’s history.
- The upstairs hallway: Footsteps at night are the most common report. Leave your door ajar for a while after the house goes quiet.
- The parlor and common room: Linked to the deputy legend. Read the guest ghost log here, and look for the rocking chair.
- The Plum Room: A dark purple room with baroque mirrors and Victorian furniture that one travel writer found eerie even before anything happened. It may have been redecorated since, so ask.
- The whole house: The Oliver House can be booked in full for groups, which is the best way to explore every room after dark.
History of The Oliver House
Bisbee boomed on copper from the 1880s and was a crowded, fast-growing mining town by the early 1900s. Fire tore through the town in 1908, and the Oliver House was built that year and opened in 1909. Legends of America credits Edith Ann Oliver, the wife of a local mining official, with building it.
From the start it was a boarding house. Mining company staff and employees lived here, and so did baseball players in town to play at Warren Ballpark. One of them was Bert Shepard, who later lost part of his right leg in World War II and in 1945 became the first major league player to pitch with an artificial leg.
Bisbee’s big mines closed in the mid 1970s and the town emptied out. The Oliver House changed hands several times and became a bed and breakfast in the 1980s, keeping its old layout of small rooms and shared bathrooms. Its reputation grew with every paranormal team that came through, from local groups in 2010 to Ghost Adventures.
In 2023 Amy and Kenny Naico, who had often stayed here on trips from Tucson, bought the house rather than see it sit on the market. They kept the vintage feel, with no TVs, added a speakeasy-style bar called 26 Souls in the downstairs common room and opened the house for weddings and whole-house group stays.
Tips for a haunted stay
- It is adults only (21+), so plan a kids-free trip.
- Only a few rooms have private bathrooms. If that matters, ask for one when you book.
- Bisbee is steep and the house is up a hill. Pack light and wear good shoes.
- Read the guest ghost log in the common room, and add your own story before you leave.
- Combine it with a night at the Copper Queen Hotel, a few minutes’ walk away, and a day in Tombstone.
- Watch our Arizona ghost hunts page for new Oliver House sleepover dates.
More haunted hotels nearby
- Copper Queen Hotel, Bisbee: Julia Lowell and Billy, a short walk away
- Bisbee Grand Hotel: quiet Victorian ghosts on Main Street
- Tombstone Bordello: a former brothel 25 miles away
- The Gadsden Hotel, Douglas: Room 333 and Pancho Villa’s staircase
- Haunted hotels in Arizona
- Haunted hotels in Tombstone
Stayed in one of these hotels? Tell us what happened
We collect first-hand accounts from guests and add the best ones to our guides, with your first name and the date of your stay. We read every story before it’s published.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Oliver House in Bisbee haunted?
Guests have reported footsteps, cold spots, moving furniture and doors opening by themselves for decades, and the owners openly embrace its ghosts. It has appeared on Ghost Adventures. Nobody can prove a haunting, but its reputation is one of the strongest in Arizona.
Who was Nat Anderson?
A railroad employee who was shot between the eyes as he returned to his room at the Oliver House in February 1920. The murder was never solved, and many guests link the house’s activity to him.
Did 26 people really die at the Oliver House?
The house’s website says 26 or more, and older articles say 27. We could not find a list of names or dates to confirm those numbers, so treat them as part of the legend.
Can you book the whole Oliver House?
Yes. The owners take whole-house bookings for groups and celebrations, which is popular with paranormal groups.
Are children allowed at the Oliver House?
No. It is an adults-only (21+) property.
Does Haunted Rooms run ghost hunts at the Oliver House?
Yes, Haunted Rooms has run ghost hunt sleepovers there. See our Arizona ghost hunts page for dates.
Sources
Facts on this page are checked against the hotel’s own website, historic records and news coverage. Ghost stories are reported as guests, staff and local historians tell them. Read how we rate haunted hotels.
- The Oliver House (official site)
- Paranormal (The Oliver House)
- Oliver House (Arizona Highways)
- Bisbee, Arizona: a historic town that many say has a dark side (FOX 10, 2015)
- Beds, ghosts and breakfast in Bisbee (Hotel-Scoop)
- Sleeping With Ghosts in Arizona (Legends of America)
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About the authors
The Haunted Rooms Team runs public ghost hunts and overnight investigations at historic venues across the United States. We research every hotel in our guides using hotel histories, local archives, news coverage and the accounts of guests and staff, and we review each guide regularly so you are not booking a hotel that has closed or changed its name. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.
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