Ghost hunt of the Bisbee Inn (Hotel La More), Bisbee AZ

Investigation Report

Location: Bisbee Inn (Hotel La More), Bisbee AZ
Date: 31 August 2001
Personnel Participating: Cody Polston, Jessica Irwin
Weather Conditions: Clear
Humidity: 32%
Geomagnetic Storm Activity: Unsettled
Temperature: 82
Number of Photos taken: 241
Number with possible targets: 1
Average EM Readings: 3 mg
Average M fields Readings: 1 nt
Average E Field Readings: 1 vpm
Cold Spots detected: None
Hot Spots Detected: None
Olfactory Phenomena: None
Visual Phenomena: None
Type of Investigation: Ghost Hunt

Location Description and History

The history of Hotel La More/The Bisbee Inn predates its actual construction. Acquired from Mexico in 1853 as part of the Gadsden Purchase, Lots 11 and 12, Block One, of the Bisbee town site were deeded to the City of Bisbee by the U.S. Government in 1904 and purchased by J.P. Hill in 1905. Early photographs of this site on Chihuahua Hill show two wooden buildings, described in directories of the time as housing "rooms" and "furnished rooms."

As Bisbee prospered and grew, the dirt track leading along the lower slope of Chihuahua Hill, originally called "OK Trail," became OK Street. Lots 11 and 12 were sold to Mrs. S.P. Bedford who, in 1916, constructed a substantial, 24-room hotel building on the site of the wooden buildings which had been destroyed by fire.

Mrs. Bedford furnished the hotel and leased it to Mrs. Kate La More on October 1, 1917, for $160 per month. The 1917 Bisbee directory lists the "Hotel La More" as "just up the hill from the depot," with rates of $2 per day or $8 per week. The hotel was advertised as "the most modern in Bisbee."

By 1920 the Hotel La More Annex was in operation upstairs in the Muheim Block above the present day Brewery restaurant, under the management of Mrs. La More's daughter Mamie. The La More family was itself in residence in the main hotel.

Around 1922 or 1923 the lease reverted to Mrs. Bedford who continued to run the hotel under the La More name through the mid '20s. From 1925 until 1936 it operated under another owner until it was sold to Grace V. Waters who ran the establishment as the Waters Hotel.

In 1982 the old hotel underwent a Certified Historic Restoration, becoming The Bisbee Inn bed and breakfast. When it changed hands in 1996 and a new round of renovations took place. Period carpeting and additional antique furniture complement the original oak dressers. The walls have been decorated with old maps, photos and other pictures reflecting the hotel's early days and times and sixteen rooms were remodeled to include private baths. Again under new (feminine) ownership, Hotel La More continues to offer clean, quaint, cozy rooms and breakfast is still included within the price of the room.

Designated by Tucson Lifestyle magazine as "one of the most romantic getaways in Arizona," Hotel La More/The Bisbee Inn was also voted "Best Bed and Breakfast" for two years running in the "Best of Bisbee" contested hosted by the Bisbee News. It remains the second largest hostelry in Bisbee.

History from the Inn's website

Reported Phenomena

There is a presence in both the "Blue Room" and in Room 13 (now room 23), as well as in several other locations throughout the house. In the "Grandma Room," various guests have reported what appeared to be an older woman watching over them during the night. Although the sightings reportedly made guests nervous, it was thought to be a benevolent spirit offering its presence as protection.

The activity is not centered around a particular section of the hotel. Beds are torn apart, the outline of a invisible person lying on the beds is visible at times.
Chairs and tables are moved about in the hallways.
"Abigail" appears as a foggy tornado between the bed and door of several upstairs rooms.
Another ghost is rumored to be Michele, a blond prostitute, who haunts the first floor.
The Spirits here do not like people and activity drops when the hotel is busy.
Generally, the spirits here do not show themselves to the employees, only the guests.

The Investigation

We arrived at the hotel around 7:00pm and began conducting interviews with the staff on duty. it seems that most of the employees know at least a story or two and the stories were often consistent.

We then searched the "active" areas for D/C electromagnetic fields and took photographs of the areas.

No interesting electromagnetic fields were located in the Inn. Photographs taken during the ghost hunt appear to be false positives although this is uncertain due to the resolution of the pictures.

Several high A/C electromagnetic fields were found on the second floor, particularly in the hallway. these fields are probably originating from unshielded powerlines in the floor.We moved to the first floor and tried to acquire the fields on the ceiling but we could only locate the same field in the east section of the building. The A/C fields were 60HZ at 8 to 42 milligauss.

Photographs

Click on the thumbnails to view the larger image

Initial Conclusions

Strong A/C electromagnetic fields were in the vicinity of two of the 'active' locations in the building. This could explain some of the "ghost" occurances as being caused by a man made source.

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