Copper Queen Hotel 

The Copper Queen Hotel can be found in the former mining town Bisbee in Arizona. Bisbee was once a thriving copper town. The Copper Queen Hotel is the longest continuously operating hotel in this state. Not two rooms are alike in this historic building where many celebrities once slept. But they might have not been alone in this hotel, because some guests have never left. And they are not shy to make contact. 

The history of the Copper Queen Hotel 

When copper was discovered in Bisbee, the Phelps Dodge Corporation thought investors and dignitaries needed lodging while visiting the nearby mine. So, the Copper Queen was constructed in 1898. The hotel was ready by 1902 and housed 72 rooms with a shared bathroom on each floor. The Phelps Dodge Corporation had a mercantile building across the street from the hotel and the large boiler in that building provided heath for the hotel through a tunnel.

To keep the hotel cool, the walls were very thick and the Palm Room on the first floor was used as an air well during Summer. Sadly, the stained Tiffany glass in that same room was destroyed by a monsoon. The hotel also houses a restaurant, now named the “1902 The Spirit Room” and a Saloon which is now named the “Overlook Saloon”. Famous people who stayed at the hotel were John Wayne, Harry Houdini, Nancy Reagan, Michelle Pfeiffer, Julia Roberts and Keifer Sutherland.  

Bisbee Arizona  

Gabriel Millosvia flickr CC BY-SA 2.0
Gabriel Millosvia flickr CC BY-SA 2.0

Copper, gold and silver were found in Bisbee. The discovery made the town “the place to be” at the start of the 18th century. The copper mines were closed in 1975, but the town remained popular among tourists because of the historic old west charm. Most buildings are built in the Victorian style and the Copper Queen Hotel is no exception. The hotel has been modernized a couple of times, but the Victorian elements are still there. It now has 48 rooms, all with their own bathrooms. There are 5 more rooms in the courtyard, adjacent to the hotel. All rooms have their own personalities and two of them have even been named after their ghostly residents.  

The ghosts of the Copper Queen Hotel  

There are at least three ghosts at the Copper Queen Hotel. They are all friendly, even though one of them loves a good practical joke. TV shows like Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures visited this hotel and received some convincing evidence! 

The old bearded man 

Copper Queen Hotel - Paul R. Jones via shutterstock
Lobby – Paul R. Jones via shutterstock

One of the ghosts at the Copper Queen Hotel is that of an older gentleman with long white hair and a beard. Right before he manifests, people claim to have smelled the scent of cigars. He always wears a top hat and a black cape. His favorite hangout is the fourth floor and he sometimes appears in rooms as a shadow figure.  

Billy 

Another ghostly resident of the hotel is a young boy named Billy. He tragically drowned in the San Pedro River. He most likely haunts the hotel because his mother used to work here. He’s a little practical joker. He likes moving objects, makes things levitate and he changes the tv channels. Billy loves playing with your items that look like toys. His little footsteps are heard running down the hallways and he likes to giggle. No one has ever seen the boy, but he’s present alright. Billy has room 412 named after him. Even though the boy seems happy he’s still terrified by water. Whenever the sink faucet or shower is turned on, people hear him crying. Poor boy.  

Julia Lowell 

Guest Book - Paul R. Jones via shutterstock
Guest Book – Paul R. Jones via shutterstock

Julia Lowell’s ghost is probably the most famous at the hotel. Julia used the hotel for herself and her clients for she was a prostitute. She fell in love with one of her customers and when she told him about her feelings, he rejected her. Julia was heartbroken and took her own life by hanging herself in room 315. This room is named after her. Julia’s spirit still haunts the Copper Queen Hotel. She manifests herself to men only, staff or guest. She likes to play with men’s feet, whispers in ears and has even been seen dancing provocatively at the stairs. Once a female guest spotted her when she turned the corner. Julia was caught by surprise and spoke the words; “Oh, oh! Have you seen anything?” I guess ghosts can get startled as well! 

Dennis shared his ghost story with us

Reader Dennis was so kind to share his ghostly encounter at the Copper Queen Hotel with is: “Saturday June 18, 2018 I was on a Harley Davidson rode trip out west from Huntsville AL to Tombstone AZ. That Saturday we were staying the night in The Copper Queen Hotel in Bisbee about 30 miles south of Tombstone. It so happened to be the Pride weekend celebration in Bisbee. At the top of the main stairs of the hotel lobby on the second floor was a table full of basketball size balloons. Sunday morning I was carrying my small luggage bag down to load onto my Harley tourpak prior to checking out of the hotel and noticed all the balloons on the table”.

Ghostly balloon

“I walked down the stairs, out the hotel main entrance doors, down the outdoor four or five steps and turned right to walk about a block uphill on the street to where the Harleys were parked on the side of the road, against an approximately 5 foot stone retaining wall. This was in the uphill curve of the street where it bears right, directly across from the YWCA building. About half way up the street I looked back at the hotel and watched as one of the balloons from the 2nd floor of the hotel come bouncing out the hotel doors, down the four or five concrete exterior steps, out to the middle of the street where the balloon made an abrupt right hand 90 degree turn and began bouncing uphill up the middle of the street behind me. I did not notice an wind blowing whatsoever”.

Copper Queen - Marine 69-71 via commons.wikimedia CC BY-SA 2.0
Copper Queen – Marine 69-71 via commons.wikimedia CC BY-SA 2.0

Playful Billy

When I reached the Harleys, I watched the balloon continue up the middle of the street, pass by me and continue up and around the right hand curve and out of my sight.  About a minute later here comes the balloon back around the curve, still in the middle of the road. I jokingly shouted, ‘hey little ghost, is that your balloon’, the balloon stopped moving down the street, made an abrupt 90 degree left turn and came about 10 feet and stopped right between my front tire and the rear bumper of the car parked in front of the Harley. It was parked about a foot beside the stone wall and the balloon had also stopped about a foot from the wall. There was a little thorn bush/weed against the wall also”.

Did Dennis meet Billy?

“I said out loud, ‘hey little ghost, you may want to move out of the way because I am going to spray some sunscreen on my arms’. After saying that, the balloon rolled side ways stopping a few inches from the wall, never touching my front tire or the car bumper in front of me, then made another 90 degree abrupt right turn, rolled between me, the bike, the stone wall and actually moved sideways an inch or so as to not bump into the thorn bush.

The balloon rolled to behind my rear tire and the front bumper of the car parked behind the Harleys. I finished my sunscreen spraying and turned and said: ‘well little ghost, it was nice to meet you and I’ll take your balloon back to the hotel and put it back on the table’. I’m sure I must have met Billy, the little boy ghost that day”.

The Copper Queen Hotel today 

The Copper Queen Hotel still is the only full operating hotel in Bisbee so if you’d like to visit a real old west town, book a room here. If you’re not scared of ghosts, make sure to book room 315 or 412. Make sure you’ll write all your ghostly adventures down in the special Ghost Log at the reception. You’re in for a treat!  

Cover photo: Chanel Wheelervia flickr CC BY-SA 2.0
Sources: wikipedia, copperqueen.com, hauntedrooms.com, nytimes.com, wtfwanderers.com and fox10phoenix.com 
Address: 11 Howell Avenue, Bisbee, AZ 85603, USA 

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