For those interested in uncovering the mysterious past of haunted buildings, Phoenix is one city that will certainly not disappoint. There are plenty of haunted buildings and ghastly ghost stories to satisfy your curiosity!
Now, let’s take a look at the 13 most haunted places in Phoenix, Arizona.
1. Hotel San Carlos aka Crowne Plaza
The Hotel San Carlos is one of the most distinctive spots in Phoenix history! The hotel played host to many celebrity guests in its heyday, including Marilyn Monroe, Mae West, and Clark Gable.
However, it is not any of these stars who are said to haunt the building today, but rather a young lady named Leone Jensen who jumped to her death from the hotel roof in 1928.
She was suffering from a broken heart, although some disagree and say she merely wanted to escape a prolonged illness that she was tired of living with.
BOOK A ROOM2. Orpheum Theatre
The Orpheum Theatre may look stunning, and it is indeed grand, but do not forget that appearances can be deceiving, and this building also has a creepy side. It is haunted by a ghost known as Mattie, who has been spotted by staff and theatergoers alike.
3. Saguaro Boulevard
There is a tragic and gruesome tale that is connected to the location. In the early 1980s, it was said that a young girl was kidnapped and then murdered.
Pieces of her body were then hidden throughout a house here on Saguaro Boulevard. This is believed to be what is now causing the paranormal activity in the area.
Locals have reported hearing crying and screaming without being able to trace the source. Some also claim to have seen an apparition of the little girl outside the house in question, and she is always scared and attempting to run away.
4. Deer Valley School
Phoenix certainly isn’t short of haunted buildings, but it seems to have an overabundance of a particular type of haunted property – schools!
The first of several schools to feature on the list would be Deer Valley High School, where students run into a male ghost with regularity!
He has been nicknamed ‘Dewy’ and often appears in the school auditorium!
He’s also known to mess around with the lights, and the projectors and students often hear his disembodied voice.
Others say they have felt his presence or are being watched, while others describe hearing faint crying and moaning.
All in all, this is one creepy school!
5. Glendale Pizza Hut
Okay, so a pizza joint is probably the last place you might expect to find some paranormal activity, but there have been years of reports that say otherwise.
Among the many reports of unexplained activity have been claims that faucets in the bathrooms turn on and off by themselves and that customers have heard children laughing or babies crying when there are no children in the store.
6. San Marcos Resort Hotel
The well-known San Marcos Hotel, aka One San Marcos Place, was built in 1913, and over the years, it has played host to many notable guests.
However, these days the most famous guest staying at the hotel is a ghostly one! People often report seeing a female spirit drifting around the hotel.
There are also reports of a disembodied moan which is thought to be a different male spirit.
Staff also say that they frequently receive calls from phone extensions within the hotel that either do not exist or have been disconnected for years!
CHECK AVAILABILITY7. Highland Junior High School
Phoenix does seem to have a high concentration of haunted schools! The next one to make our list is Highland Junior High School.
The locker room is allegedly haunted by a young girl who flushes the toilets, turns the blow dryers on, and bangs on locker doors.
She is not a former student of the school but rather a little girl who was killed on the farmland where the school was built on. Legend has it that she was killed by her father when he ran her over with his tractor by accident.
There is no evidence of who she is, but most people have decided to go with the name someone gave her at one time or another, which is Lily.
8. Superstition Mountains
How could they not be haunted with a name like the Superstition Mountains? This is rumored to be the location of ‘the Lost Dutchman’s Mine,’ which is believed to be cursed and has spirits who stand guard over it.
People in the valley have described seeing mysterious light anomalies and shadows in the mountains, which they believe to be these spirit guardians.
Despite the legends surrounding the area, it is still a popular spot for Phoenix locals looking for a weekend getaway!
9. Jefferson Park
On the surface, Jefferson Park looks like any other children’s playground in the heart of a suburban neighborhood.
However, when night falls, the atmosphere here becomes very different. The park is haunted by the spirit of a little girl who was raped and murdered in the park.
Her spirit lingers here, and as midnight approaches, teenagers and passing adults will often report hearing the girl screaming and have also glimpsed her apparition on several occasions.
10. Peoria High Performing Arts Centre
Another high school auditorium that makes the list is the performing arts center at Peoria High School.
According to one former theater teacher, the ghost that haunts there is the spirit of a student who fell from the catwalk above the stage, but the school administrators are pretty cagey about either confirming or denying that particular rumor!
11. Rosson House
If there were only one house in Phoenix that you could guess was haunted just by looking at it, it would have to be the stunning Gothic-style Rosson House!
It was initially built back in 1895 for a well-known local doctor and his family but has now been transformed into a museum.
The paranormal activity here has been attributed to the spirit of a former caretaker who was shot dead right outside the property in the 1980s.
Visitors and employees alike have reported strange occurrences, including phantom footsteps coming down the stairs, items moving around in the museum when nobody is there, and some reports of the caretaker’s apparition.
12. Chandler High School
The last of the schools that make our list is Chandler High School, among the oldest schools in Arizona.
The school was founded in 1914, just two years after Arizona was declared a state.
The number of people who have had a paranormal experience in the school is surprisingly high. It includes teaching staff, students, parents, administrators, visitors, and custodians – both former and current!
The activity seems to be more or less focused on the second floor of the school’s North Wing, one of the oldest buildings on the school campus.
It is so haunted that at least one of the custodians has refused to clean that part of the building after she had a spooky experience there!
13. Pioneer Living History Museum
The Pioneer Living History Museum consists of 26 separate buildings ranging in age from the earliest 19th century to 1912.
The buildings have been relocated to the historical community, and they all seem to have brought their ghosts with them when they arrived!
Caretaker Ken Johnson said that when he accepted the job taking care of these historic buildings, he had no idea that he would hear the disembodied voices of children singing in the old schoolhouse or watch a shadowy figure darting out of the Opera House!
These are just two examples of the paranormal phenom that has been reported here!
Other stories involve seeing apparitions, experiencing ice hold blasts even at the height of summer, and hearing the sound of disembodied voices.
Some visitors to the attraction have also reported being touched or having their hair and clothing tugged by unseen hands!
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