By Parker Anderson
Every once in a while, someone will strike up a conversation with me regarding Prescott's various reputed "haunted" sites. I enjoy the subject, but in reality, Prescott is probably one of the least haunted cities in America. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, there are not that many purported hauntings in the Prescott area, so the same stories are told over and over again.
Perhaps our most famous ghost is "Abby," who reportedly haunts room 16 of the Hotel Vendome. While some workers do say that footsteps are heard in the room, and the bell sometimes rings for service when the room is vacant, there still are many guests who sleep in the room every year without incident. If Abby really is there, she only appears sporadically. I used to know personally someone who worked there-while he admitted to hearing sounds coming from the room that he couldn't explain, he still assured me he didn't believe in ghosts.
Out near Lynx Creek lies the lonely grave of a two-year old child, Angeline Hoagland. Over the years, many college students have camped out at the gravesite hoping to get a glimpse of her spirit that reputedly haunts the site. It is largely accepted today that the ghost stories probably originated because Angeline's tombstone is made from a luminous rock. Therefore, if your car headlights hit the rock, it glows brightly! Admittedly, I have also heard stories that certain people have actually seen Angeline's spirit in "little girl" form, but since they were second-hand tales, I don't' put much stock in them.
The Prescott Fine Arts theatre, formerly the old Sacred Heart Parish, is certainly a great place for a ghost, and there reputedly is one . However, during my many years of involvement in Prescott theatre, I have witnessed the story of the PFAA ghost evolve as it went from storyteller to storyteller.
When I first arrived at PFAA in 1987, the ghost was said to be female, and the staff referred to her as "Sophie." Later on as the story went along over the years, the ghost changed gender and became the specter of the priest who is, in actuality, buried under the spot where the altar used to be. Staff then started to call him "Father Michael" whenever they heard unexplained thumping sounds, and the name has stuck, even though it was later discovered the interred priest's name was actually Father Edmond.
Perhaps my favorite Prescott ghost story is the least known. As I heard it second or third hand, I doubt its veracity, but it was still fun to hear. Back in 1981, Claude Cline (then the owner of all of Prescott's movie theatres) sold all of his properties, including the Elks Theatre. The new owner of the Elks proceeded to so some interior remodeling, which included the installation of a huge ceiling chandelier.
One evening, so the story goes, the workers were getting ready to leave the Elks, when they heard a sound of glass tinkling. They looked up and saw the transparent form of a little girl swinging from the chandelier. Needless to say, they ran out of the building as fast as they could. A true story? I doubt it, but that's what makes ghost stories so appealing-not knowing if they are really true or false.
Prescott's colorful history is very conducive to ghost stories; that's why these tales are told and retold. Scores of people visit the Hotel Vendome and Angeline's grave annually, hoping to see something strange. But, one has to wonder, would they do if they really did see something out of the ordinary?
Parker Anderson is a Playwright and Actor with the Blue Rose Theater.
Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number: (buc1042pa). Reuse only by permission.
The Sacred Heart church, now the Prescott Fine Arts Association building, on the Northwest corner of Willis and Marina streets has been endowed with a ghost, but the stories of this ghost shift with each telling. The author believes that there are not that many purported hauntings in the Prescott area, so the same stories are told over and over again.