THE PARANORMAL WORLD DATABASE       NEVADA   ABRAHAM CURRY HOUSE (CARSON CITY) BACKGROUND: Built in 1871. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. It is a one-story masonry building that was home for Carson City founder Abraham Curry (d. 1873), who was first Superintendent of the United States Mint in Carson City. Abraham, Abram, or Abe, Curry was born in Ithaca, New York in 1815. Little is known of his early career, but by 1858 he was in Western Utah. In company with three other men, he came to Genoa in that year from California, intending to establish a general store there. Finding the price of land in Genoa too high, the four men - A. Curry, B. P. Green, Frank M. Proctor and J.J. Musserrode a few miles north to Eagle Valley, then owned by John Mankin, who operated the Eagle Ranch. The asked Mankin the price, which was the same as a small lot in Genoa, and bought it from him for even less than his first asking. Although there were four "proprietors" of the Eagle Ranch, from all accounts it seems that Curry is the one to whom credit should be given for making the ranch into a town. (https://npgallery.nps.gov) PHENOMENA: It’s said the ghost Abraham Curry himself haunts the building. His apparition has been seen on many occasions in all-too- solid form, making positive identification all but certain. which has been described as being solid enough to identify resemblance to the man. Some has said to have witnessed his ghost staring out windows as they pass by the house. It is not open to the public for tours or to enter the home, because it is currently being used as an office for a local attorney. BALLY’S ON THE STRIP (LAS VEGAS) BACKGROUND: The 43 acres site was first occupied by the Three Coins Motel, which opened in 1963. The Bonanza Hotel and Casino opened on the site in July 1967. It was later renamed the New Bonanza Hotel and Casino in 1973 shortly before construction of the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, owned by Kirk Kerkorian, began. It opened on December 5, 1973 with 2,084 rooms for the then-staggering cost of $106 million and was the largest hotel in the world at that time, and larger than the Empire State Building. The MGM Grand opened as one of Las Vegas's first mega-resorts on December 5, 1973. Dean Martin was the entertainer on opening night. It was the largest hotel in the world at its opening and would remain so for several years. When the hotel was built, it set a new standard of size and luxury in Las Vegas, and is considered to have made the biggest impact on Las Vegas until the construction of Steve Wynn's Mirage Hotel in the late 1980s. The hotel had a movie theme to reflect Kirk Kerkorian's interest in movies from his ownership of MGM and the hotel's use of MGM in its name. It was also one of the Strip's most popular entertainment destinations. Sergio Franchi was the first entertainer signed to star in the Celebrity Room (three-year contract starting February 1974). Franchi's frequent co-star was comedian Joan Rivers. The Celebrity Room also hosted such acts as the Carpenters and Barry Manilow. On November 21, 1980 the MGM Grand suffered a fire that started in a casino restaurant and traveled up into the hotel, killing 87 guests and employees. The Grand was rebuilt in only eight months, and remodeling added a tower which opened in 1981. The hotel was sold in 1986 to Bally Manufacturing for $594m, and the property's name was changed to Bally's. PHENOMENA: Guests have complained on numerous occasions about the smell of smoke on the upper guest room floors. The have also reported screaming coming from the stairwell, perhaps from the spirits of guests who were trapped and died in the fire. A certain bank of slot machines in the casino is said to be haunted by an old woman. Those who have seen her claim to see smoke coming from a cigarette she is holding but a closer look reveals her dress is on fire. She is normally seen playing two slot machines at once and if approached she vanishes instantly. The voice of what sounds like a small boy has been heard in the 17th floor corridor crying out for his mother. His cries fade to coughing and then to total silence. TRIVIA: Featured in such movies as; Rocky IV, Fever Pitch, Hot Shots!, Honeymoon in Vegas, Leaving Las Vegas and The Incredible Burt Wonderstone. BONNIE SPRINGS RANCH (LAS VEGAS) BACKGROUND: The ranch was originally created in the 1840s, as a stopover for wagon trains heading to California. Bonnie McGaugh purchased the ranch in 1952, and it was subsequently named Bonnie Springs Ranch after her. Horseback riding and a restaurant were added by the mid-1960s. Old Nevada, the western town replica, was opened at the ranch in 1974, followed by the zoo and a motel in the 1980s. Businessman Howard Hughes owned the adjacent Sandstone Ranch. Before his death in 1976, Hughes made an offer to purchase Bonnie Springs; his offer and others up to that point were rejected by Bonnie, who did not want to sell it. In January 2019, plans were announced to demolish the ranch and replace it with approximately 20 custom homes, a new restaurant and motel, and a barn to be used for events. Bonnie Springs closed on March 17, 2019. PHENOMENA: One of Bonnie Spring Ranch’s most commonly sighted ghosts is that of a little girl. Her apparition is mostly sighted playing in and around the town’s replica school house before suddenly disappearing. The nearby merry-go-round has also been known to turn on its own. With no wind or explanation as to why it may spin by itself, many believe it could be the spirit of the little girl playing on the ride. Another active area of Bonnie Springs Ranch for paranormal activity is the wax figure museum. This small tunnel-like, maze leads guests through a creepy, defunct history display, which literally comes to life for some. Many have claimed to witness these wax figurines move on their own accord and appear as though they are inhaling breath. The park’s management even had to allegedly nail the displays down as they were moving out of position so frequently. The final and most sinister of Bonnie Springs Ranch’s hauntings existed within the Opera House. It is here that a darker more menacing presence exists. It takes the form of a dark shadow figure that follows people through the area and has even been captured in photographs. TRIVIA:  The ranch was featured in a 2011 episode of Ghost Adventures. BOULDER DAM HOTEL (BOULDER CITY) BACKGROUND: The hotel was built for W.F. Grey, who saw the opportunity for a hotel in the "government town" of Boulder City. The hotel was completed in 1933. P.S. Webb built the hotel and purchased it from Grey in 1935 as part of his tourist agency. Webb advertised heavily, turning the hotel into a destination resort. Webb sold the property during World War II, as the tourist business had declined precipitously. The hotel has seen a number of celebrity visitors, including Boris Karloff, Shirley Temple and then-Crown Prince Olav and Princess Martha of Norway. The Boulder Dam Hotel Association purchased the hotel in 1993 and spent over $2 million to restore it. During the restoration, the number of rooms was reduced from 83 to allow for more public spaces. Major renovations were completed in the early 2000s allowing the hotel to reopen. PHENOMENA: In the 1980s, a former owner claimed to see a man standing in front of her multiple times who could only be seen from the waist up. a 30-year night clerk named Tommy Thompson is said to haunt the lobby of his former place of employment. He is said to be the friendly sort who worked under a number of various owners beginning in the 1930s. BOWER’S MANSION (WASHOE VALLEY) BACKGROUND: The land originally was purchased in 1856 by Eilley Orrum Bowers and her second husband Alex Cowan, who returned to Utah a year later with other Mormon settlers. Eilley secured a divorce and moved to Gold Hill where she ran a boarding house and took in washing. Some miners, unable to pay for lodging and laundry with cash, gave Eilley Orrum pieces of their mining claims in payment. Thus she acquired the mining claim which, together with that belonging to her third husband Sandy, became the source of their fortune. The mansion was the fulfillment of Eilley's dreams of prestige and respectability. It was a design conceived by Eilley based on her recollection of elegant buildings in her native Scotland. Indeed, the Bowers employed stonecutters from Scotland for the construction of their new home, which eventually cost $300,000 to build, an exorbitant sum in the 1860s. Eilley and Sandy toured Europe from 1861 to 1863, purchasing furniture, statuary, paintings and other adornments for their home. Unfortunately, during one of these trips abroad, Eilley Bowers's only child, a daughter named Margaret Persia, died. Following the death of Sandy Bowers in 1868, Eilley fell on hard financial times. She generated income by renting out rooms in the mansion and hosting parties and picnics on the grounds. The mansion hosted a ball for the women's suffrage movement and was the location of the annual Miner's Ball. However, this was not enough to overcome Eilley's debts and she finally lost her home to foreclosure in 1876. The mansion was abandoned by the time Henry Riter acquired it and operated it as a resort until 1946. The building is currently owned and operated by the Washoe County Parks Department. PHENOMENA: The apparition of Eilley Bowers, who possessed a crystal ball and was known as the “Washoe Seeress”, has been seen floating through the mansion on occasion as has the spirit of daughter Margaret Persia and another young girl who is said to have drowned in a nearby pond and is sometimes seen there. It’s said a glowing green form has been seen moving across the grounds and other glowing forms are alleged to frequent the adjacent cemetery. CARSON CITY MINT (CARSON CITY) BACKGROUND: A branch of the United States Mint, it primarily minted silver coins; however, it also minted gold coins, with a total face value in dollars nearly equal to that of its silver coins. The mint minted coins in 21 different years. Built at the peak of the silver boom conveniently near a local silver mine, 50 issues of silver coins and 57 issues of gold coins minted here between 1870 and 1893 bore the "CC" mint mark. The mint was established in Carson City to facilitate minting of silver coins from silver in the Comstock Lode, much as the San Francisco Mint was established to facilitate minting gold coins from the gold of the California gold rush. From 1895 to 1933, the building served as the U.S. Assay Office for gold and silver. The federal government sold the building to the state of Nevada in 1939. Coins struck here, especially Morgan dollars, are generally rare and command a high premium among collectors. The construction supervisor was Abraham Curry, also known as the "Father of Carson City." It is now the home of the Nevada State Museum. Although the mint has not struck United States coins since 1893, Coin Press No. 1 (the original coin press from the mint) is still in the building and used to strike commemorative medallions with the "CC" mint mark. The most recent of these are medallions commemorating the 75th anniversary of the museum. PHENOMENA: It’s thought that two spirits haunt the building;  Osborne Parker, who was an employee who died when he was crushed under some equipment in 1872 and Abraham Curry. Museum and historical society staffs have reported the sound of phantom footsteps inside the building. There is an elevator that appears to operate by itself and it’s generally thought the entities there are both friendly and supportive of the current stewards. CLOWN MOTEL (TONOPAH) BACKGROUND: The Clown Motel was founded by sister and brother Leona and LeRoy David in 1985. They chose the location next to the cemetery because it’s where their father was buried. They decorated the walls with their clown collection and ran the place until 1995, when they sold to Bob Perchetti. Catering to bikers, truckers, and other long haul travelers who find themselves off the beaten path, the Clown Motel is the final port of call before yet another stretch of unbroken Nevada desert. From the moment travelers enter the adjoining offices they are greeted by a life-size clown figure sitting in a chair, cradling smaller figurines like familiars. In fact the entire office is covered in shelves and bookcases full of clown dolls, statues, and accoutrement of every stripe. The motel is now up for sale, but owner Bob Perchetti claims the clown (over 600 of them) were brought in by a former business partner that had collected them at his home. From that point, people from all over the country would send them to the hotel for a permanent home. There is also a cemetery located next to the hotel. It closed  only ten years after opening when the increasing number of dead outnumbered the plots the cemetery had to offer. Inside its gates lay 300 deceased. Among them are the victims of a mysterious “Tonopah Plague” which swept through the area in 1902, fourteen miners who died in a fire in 1911 and the pioneer residents who spent their years building Tonopah.  (https://the-line-up.com) PHENOMENA: Some visitors have reported interactions with spirits: doors slamming, room keys gone missing, disembodied voices. Apparitions have been spotted along with the terrifying sight of mannequin hands moving. Many guests will come dressed as clowns and enjoy the experience while others have walked into the office and screamed or fainted. COMMERCIAL CASINO (ELKO) BACKGROUND: Built in 1869, it was originally named the Humboldt Lodging House. It was purchased in 1893 and renamed Commercial in 1941, with the advent of the legalized gaming in Nevada. Although unsubstantiated, Commercial is probably the only casino in the world with a 10 foot, 4 inch giant white polar bear stuffed and standing guard by the entrance. “White King” was killed by an Eskimo in Alaska. The actual date of his death is unknown. The stuffed, mounted polar bear was purchased by a former casino owner from Jonas Brothers when they were located in Denver. White King resides in the same location in Commercial today that he has occupied since his arrival in 1958. PHENOMENA: The early history of Commercial is filled with folklore. In the 1800’s Commercial was the scene of a murder when “Handsome Harry” and his mistress (an infamous Elko prostitute) were shot to death by her husband in one of the second floor hotel rooms. Rumors, and many sightings, have it that Handsome Harry wanders the second floor of the old hotel looking for his lost lover yet today! Other reports are of a shadow floating down dark hallways, or hovering in corners up near the ceiling. On the third floor guests have reported loud arguing, gunfire, moaning, babies crying, unexplainable floating lights, violently rattling doorknobs, doors that slam shut and then open on their own accord, and even the sound of a creaking rope suspending something heavy. Office occupants have also said that they have been locked in their own offices, and doors that have been locked shut for 50 years will suddenly burst open. (https://travelnevada.com) TRIVIA: White King was immortalized in Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing In Elko, a 1992 Rolling Stone cover story. GOLDFIELD HOTEL (GOLDFIELD) BACKGROUND: Built at a cost of between $300,000 and $400,000, it was reported to be the most spectacular hotel in Nevada at the time of its completion in 1908. Champagne is said to have flowed down the front steps in the opening ceremony. Shortly after the hotel was built, it was sold to mining magnate, George Wingfield, primary owner of the Goldfield Consolidated Mines Company, and hotel entrepreneur, Casey McDannell, who created a new hotel corporation called Bonanza Hotel Company. The hotel was in use as such until the end of World War II, its last occupants being officers and their families from the Tonopah Army Air Field. Despite several renovation attempts over the years, it has remained unoccupied. At the 2003 Goldfield Days auction, the hotel was sold to Red Roberts, a rancher and engineer from Carson City. Roberts has plans to refurbish the bottom two floors of the four-story hotel and open them to the public. As of today, the hotel renovations remained uncompleted. Goldfield resident Virginia Ridgway spent three decades as caretaker and "keeper of the keys" to the hotel, granting visitors access to the building and accompanying them as they toured its floors. In January 2016, Ridgway announced that she was giving up that role and turned the keys of the hotel over to Malek DaVarpanah, who owns an antique shop in Goldfield. PHENOMENA: There are  number of spirits said to haunt the Goldfield, the most famous of which is Elizabeth, said to be a mistress/prostitute of George Wingfield whom she claimed got her pregnant. When she could no longer hide the pregnancy, it’s said he chained her to a radiator in room 109 and given food and water until the child was born. Stories conflict she ether died in childbirth or the infant was taken from her and thrown down a mining shaft under the hotel. She now is said to haunt the hotel dressed in a white gown, wandering the hallways or in room 109 searching for her child and the sounds of a baby crying are a common occurrence. Urban legend alert >> There is some reason for skepticism in terms of the timeline as Elizabeth supposedly died in the 1930’s at a time when Wingfield no longer owned the hotel. The mining shafts were built by Newton Crumley in 1923, two years after he purchased the property from Wingfield. Two suicide victims are said to haunt the hotel and have been seen by visitors. One is a woman who hanged herself, and the other a man who leaped to his death. In the Gold Room, a man who has become known as “The Stabber” is said to terrorize people with a long knife before vanishing from sight. Three spirits, including two children and a little person have been known to frequent the lobby staircase playing pranks on unsuspecting visitors. Wingfield is also thought to haunt the hotel, typically noticeable by the smell of cigar smoke, though according to many, he was nothing more than an investor who rarely visited the property. TRIVIA: In 2004, Ghost Adventures featured the property, where cast members Zak Bagans and Nick Groff conducted a paranormal investigation. The investigation became famous for a specific incident in the basement when a brick was seemingly flung across the room on its own, provoking a terrified response from Bagans. Four years later, in 2008, TAPS of the popular Syfy show Ghost Hunters investigated the hotel GOLD HILL HOTEL (VIRGINIA CITY) BACKGROUND: The oldest hotel in Nevada began as “The Riesen House”- popular notion is that it dates from 1859, but 1861 is more accurate. Gold Hill’s population grew from 638 in August 1860 to 1,297 in July 1861, four months after the creation of the Nevada Territory. Hotels and boarding houses were in great demand and records show that in July of 1861, the Riesen House was under construction.  In the winter of 1861/1862 there were floods across northern California and Nevada. Melting snow and unprecedented rains filled ravines and canyons with torrents of water. Horace M. Vesey acquired the hotel in late 1862 and added a wooden structure to the south of the original stone building. The popular hotel became an important part of the thriving metropolis of Gold Hill, hosting many Comstock social events such as “Vesey’s Ball,” an elaborate Riesencotillion party in 1863. This hotel bore witness to many events. Miners from Gold Hill and Virginia City first assembled in front of the Vesey House on August 6, 1864 to adopt a constitution in the first attempt in the West to organize. Jabez Spencer shot and killed James Murray in front of the Vesey House August 26, 1871. On December 26, 1873, Thomas Miller attempted to settle his bill by shooting proprietor James Lowery–Lowery who ducked just in time. The present wood structure (which houses the restaurant, kitchen, front desk and 8 spacious rooms) was added as part of a renovation in 1987, shortly after Bill and Carol Fain acquired the property. The Fains were the owners and regular innkeepers of the Gold Hill Hotel for 25 years, retiring and selling to the current owners in 2011. (https://goldhillhotel.net) PHENOMENA: It’s thought many of the 37 miners killed in the “Yellow Jacket Mine Fire” in 1873 haunt the hotel to this day. Some guests claim to have seen their apparitions and in many areas, doors are said to open ans shut themselves or unlock on their own. A red-haired female spirit dressed in 1800s clothing named “Rosie”  is said to haunt one particular room and her presence is typically announced by the fragrance of rose perfume. A male entity wearing a derby hat has been spotted wandering the building and like Rosie, is accompanied by a fragrance, his being the smell of cherry pipe tobacco GOVERNOR’S MANSION (CARSON CITY) BACKGROUND: Built between 1908 and 1909. Until that time, Nevada's governors and their families found lodging where they could in or near Carson City, the capital. State Assembly Bill 10, the "Mansion Bill," was passed in 1907 to secure a permanent site and residence for a Governor's Mansion. Mrs. T.B. Rickey sold the land where the mansion now stands to the State of Nevada for $10. Acting Governor Denver S. Dickerson and his family were the first residents when they occupied the mansion in July 1909. The building was first opened to the public during an open house on New Year's Day, 1910. The governor's daughter, June Dickerson, was born in the mansion on September 2, 1909, and remains the only child born there. The mansion was at the center of a legal dispute resulting from the divorce case of Governor Jim Gibbons and his now-former wife, Dawn. Several months before filing a divorce petition in May 2008, the Governor moved out of the mansion, returning to the couple's private residence in Reno. Upon filing for divorce, he filed a petition seeking his wife's eviction from the mansion, citing state law which requires that the Governor maintain his or her home and office in the state capital. Mrs. Gibbons challenged that petition, citing a desire to continue fulfilling her duties as First Lady and instead offering to live in the mansion's guest house, which would allow her husband to live separately in the main house. Furthermore, her attorney also cited state law which allows divorcing couples to divide equally anything of value enjoyed by both parties until the divorce is finalized. After their divorce, Governor Gibbons moved back into the mansion, and Dawn Gibbons relocated to an apartment in Las Vegas. PHENOMENA: The mansion is said to be haunted by Gov. Dickerson’s wife Una and their daughter June, whose ghosts have been seen on occasion on the second floor by visitors and staff. Una wearing a long dress with June following her along. It’s said that at times when someone stands in front of an antique Grandfather clock on the first floor of the mansion, they can feel a blast of cold air or cold breeze. Doors in the parlor have been known to open themselves and the distinct sound of a man’s footsteps have been heard going up the staircase to the second floor. HOOVER DAM (BOULDER CITY) BACKGROUND: In 1922, the Reclamation Service presented a report calling for the development of a dam on the Colorado River for flood control and electric power generation. With little guidance on water allocation from the Supreme Court, proponents of the dam feared endless litigation. A Colorado attorney proposed that the seven states which fell within the river's basin (California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming) form an interstate compact, with the approval of Congress.  In 1922, representatives of seven states met with then-Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover. Initial talks produced no result, but when the Supreme Court handed down the Wyoming v. Colorado decision undermining the claims of the upstream states, they became anxious to reach an agreement. The resulting Colorado River Compact was signed on November 24, 1922. On December 21, 1928, President Coolidge signed the bill authorizing the dam.[21] The Boulder Canyon Project Act appropriated $165 million for the Hoover Dam along with the downstream Imperial Dam and All- American Canal, a replacement for Beatty's canal entirely on the U.S. side of the border. There were 112 deaths reported as associated with the construction of the dam. The first was J. G. Tierney, a surveyor who drowned on December 20, 1922, while looking for an ideal spot for the dam. The last death on the project's official fatality list occurred on December 20, 1935, when an "electrician's helper," Patrick Tierney, the son of J. G. Tierney, fell from an intake tower. Included in the fatality list are three workers, one in 1932 and two in 1933, who committed suicide onsite. PHENOMENA: There have been numerous reports of crying sounds and footsteps inside the corridors facility, and apparitions of men wearing old-fashioned work clothes have been seen. One employee in the warehouse area watched as boxes slid by themselves across the floor. TRIVIA: Contrary to common beliefs and legends, no one is buried in the concrete at Hoover Dam. MACKAY MANSION (VIRGINIA CITY) BACKGROUND: The Mackay Mansion in Virginia City, Nevada is one the Comstock Lode’s oldest and best preserved buildings. Built 1860, the mansion was originally the offices of the Gould and Curry Mining Company, as well as housing for the mine superintendent. The home’s first resident was a young George Hearst who was superintendent of the Gould and Curry. Hearst would make the beginnings of his vast fortune in Virginia City, and would become one of the West’s most famous characters. The structure contained a vault where bullion and cash from the Gould and Curry mine was stored. In the 1800’s two men attempted to rob the vault, only to find that an armed guard was stationed inside. The two men were killed. The Mackay Mansion was spared from the devastation of the 1875 Virginia City fire, which burned a large part of the city and left ten thousand people homeless. “Bonanza King” John Mackay lost his home in the fire and subsequently moved into the mansion, hence the name “Mackay Mansion” which is still used today. PHENOMENA: It’s been said a little girl dressed in white haunts the mansion and has appeared to many overnight guests at the house..  Johnny Depp claimed to have seen her while staying here during his filming of the movie Dead Man. The ghost of an elderly woman assumed by some to be a former lady of the house has been spotted “floating” about on the second floor. A male entity favors sitting around in the kitchen and a female entity who appears to make frequent trips up and down the stairway. TRIVIA: The mansion was featured on an episode of Travel Channel’s Dead Files. MIZPAH HOTEL (TONOPAH) BACKGROUND: The Mizpah and the nearby Belvada Building, both five stories high, shared the title of tallest building in Nevada until 1927. The hotel was named after the Mizpah Mine and was the social hub of Tonopah. The hotel was pre-dated by the Mizpah Saloon, which opened in 1907, and was the first permanent structure in Tonopah. The hotel was financed by George Wingfield, George S. Nixon, Cal Brougher and Bob Govan and designed by George E. Holesworth of Reno, Nevada. According to legend, Wyatt Earp kept the saloon, Jack Dempsey was a bouncer, and Howard Hughes married Jean Peters at the Mizpah. But Wyatt Earp left Tonopah before the Mizpah was built, Hughes was married in Tonopah, but not at the Mizpah, and Dempsey asserted he was never a bouncer. The hotel nevertheless features the Jack Dempsey Room and the Wyatt Earp Bar. PHENOMENA: The hotel is said to house a ghost deemed the Lady in Red by hotel guests who have experienced her presence. Legend says that the Lady in Red is the ghost of a prostitute who was beaten and murdered on the fifth floor of the hotel by a jealous ex-boyfriend. Another widely accepted description of the events is that The Lady in Red had been caught cheating by her husband at the hotel after he had missed a train, who then proceeded to kill her in a jealous rage. Guests report items that mysteriously move and an old elevator whose doors randomly open and close and where the Lady in Red makes an occasional appearance, especially to male guests to whom she might whisper, “Hey you” or something of that nature. Shes also been known to leave a pearl on the pillows of some guests.It’s also said that ghostly children haunt the third and fourth floors along with the spirits various miners whose apparitions are said to make frequent appearances throughout the hotel but mainly in the basement. TRIVIA: The Lady in Red haunting of the Mizpah was featured in season 5, episode 2 of Ghost Adventures on the Travel Channel. OVERLAND HOTEL (PIOCHE) BACKGROUND: The historic Overland Hotel was built in 1908 by Dan Griffith, a local pioneer. George Sherman, a popular politician and civic leader, was the establishments’ second owner, and is credited with putting the hotel "on the map." Sherman served as Fallon's Mayor from 1911 to 1915, followed by a term as state assemblyman. During his tenure as owner, Sherman played an integral part in originating Fallon’s electric company as well as Churchill County's telephone system (CC Communications). As the years passed the Overland had a series of owners, who altered the interior design and decor. After a 24 year ownership by Carol Harper, George Machado purchased the hotel in May of 1996. George a long time Fallon resident was fascinated by the brick structure and began the Overland’s restoration to its original state. PHENOMENA: Staff members report hearing disembodied footsteps and voices during their shifts. One went into room 8 upstairs, opened the door, went out to bring something back and saw a human shape in the form of a mist sitting in the room which then began to float across the room. On another occasion, a man staying in room 10 claimed that someone attempted to smother him during the night. There have also been a number of apparitions and shadowy figures seen roaming the hotel. TRIVIA: The Travel Channel featured the hotel in an episode of Ghost Adventures. PIONEER SALOON (GOODSPRINGS) BACKGROUND: The Pioneer Saloon was built in 1913 by a prominent businessman in his day, George Fayle. Built as a place for miners and others to gather and tell stories, have a few drinks, maybe meet up with some ladies of the night (there was at one time, after all, a hotel known as the Fayle hotel nearby that burned to the ground in a later fire). The Pioneer Saloon was a gathering place for townspeople to get to know one another and to possibly make a wager or two. In the early 1940s, the Pioneer Saloon was frequented by none other than the famous actor Clark Gable. He and Carole Lombard visited the town many times. The interior and exterior walls are of stamped tin and manufactured by Sears and Roebuck. It is thought to be one of the last, if not the last of its kind in the United States. The legendary bar installed in 1913 was manufactured by the Brunswick Company in Maine in the 1860's. PHENOMENA: There are said to be at least two ghosts in the Pioneer Saloon, one is the ghost of the gambler, Paul Coski, killed in the ill- fated poker game back in 1915. People often claim to have seen him over by the poker tables and at other places in the bar. Another ghost is thought to be that of a prospector or miner wearing a crumpled up cowboy hat, and according to those that have seen him, he is not very tall. He is thought to be just "hanging out" at the bar and seems to mean no harm. Nearly every employee of the bar is said to have seen the old miner, and he is regarded as harmless. There could potentially be another ghost, that of a former owner of the bar who, according to legend, was drinking at the bar when he collapsed and died right there at the bar. According to that same story, the bartender who was working that day finished the saloon owner's glass of beer, crushed the glass, and said "to you," right after the former owner died. (https://wanderwisdom.com) TRIVIA: The famous screen legend, Clark Gable, waited for three days at the bar for word on his wife of less than two years Carole Lombard. She was lost in a plane crash near Mount Potosi. PIPER’S OPERA HOUSE (VIRGINIA CITY) BACKGROUND: An historic performing arts venue in Storey County, Piper's served as a training facility in 1897 for heavyweight boxing champion Gentleman Jim Corbett, in preparation for his title bout with Bob Fitzsimmons. The current structure was built by entrepreneur John Piper in 1885 to replace his 1878 opera house that had burned down. The 1878 venue, in turn, had been to replace Piper's 1863 venue which was destroyed by the 1875 Great Fire in Virginia City. Mark Twain spoke from the original Piper's stage in 1866, and again a century later in the third venue, as portrayed by Hal Holbrook in his one-man play Mark Twain Tonight. A lynch mob hung a victim from the first venue's rafters in 1871. American theatrical producer David Belasco was stage manager at the second opera house before moving to New York City. Piper's opera houses played host to Shakespearean thespians such as Edwin Booth. Musical performers Lilly Langtry, Al Jolson and John Philip Sousa once performed here. In 1940, Errol Flynn auctioned off historic Piper memorabilia from the opera house stage, during a live NBC broadcast that coincided with the premiere of Flynn's new movie Virginia City. PHENOMENA: During performances, folks at Piper’s Opera House have reported seeing a young woman dressed in lavender standing at the top of the balcony. They say that she even smells a bit like lavender. She usually appears in the Presidium box seats and especially enjoys musicals and children’s performances. The apparition of an old man in a gray suit and top hat has also been observed. He is said to sit in the side balcony seating in a middle chair with what’s thought to be family members on either side of him. Performers report seeing a male entity standing on the attic ladder watching them perform. (https://ghost.hauntedhouses.com) ST. MARY’S ART CENTER (VIRGINIA CITY) BACKGROUND: The main building was constructed in 1875 as a hospital for miners. It opened in 1876 as the St. Mary Louise Hospital. It was a fairly luxurious hospital—for $20 a week, patients could have their own private room complete with food, medical attention, and both hot and cold running water—but by the late 1890s, the local mining population had dropped significantly. Though the hospital struggled in the gold rush’s waning days, it managed to stay in business until the 1940s. After it closed, the abandoned building was left to rot and decay. That is, until 1964, when Father Paul Meinecke and Louise Curran joined up with a group of artists to breathe new life into the place and open it as an art center. More than 30 people attended its first painting class, and business continued to boom thereafter. The art center became a thriving retreat for artists, who transformed the old hospital into a stage for their creative endeavors. (https://www.atlasobscura.com) PHENOMENA: The primary entity at the Art Center is the “White Nun”. She is often seen near the former infirmary, walking the halls or entering into the rooms. She is also known to stare out a second floor window. She has also been seen on the bottom step of the front staircase of the building with a little boy wearing braces standing unsteadily at the top. Some times her former bed is seen unmade. People have also reported seeing a ghostly horse-drawn hearse silently pulling up to the hospital building. SILVER QUEEN HOTEL (VIRGINIA CITY) BACKGROUND: The Silver Queen Hotel was originally constructed all the way back in 1876, making it the oldest hotel in Virginia City. PHENOMENA: A prostitute named Rosie operated some business deals in the Silver Queen, and supposedly slashed her wrists in the bathtub of Room 11 sometime during the late 1800s. Her story remains mysterious, but Rosie is said to have never left the Silver Queen, making countless appearances in the decades following her suicide. Even though the entire hotel is carpeted, guests have often reported loud steps on a wooden floor, rattling doorknobs, the sound of voices, being pursued down hallways by an unseen entity or even the sight of Rosie herself at the top of a long staircase where she has been spotted lingering. TRIVIA: Virginia City is where Mark Twain first coined that name. Twain ran Territorial Enterprises, which was located in the front of what is now the Silver Queen. THUNDERBIRD LODGE (NORTH LAKE TAHOE) BACKGROUND: In 1935, Captain George Whittell Jr. purchased the 27 miles of Lake Tahoe shoreline and nearly 40,000 acres from Norman Biltz. It encompassed essentially 95% of the Nevada shoreline of Lake Tahoe — all of the land from Crystal Bay, Incline Village, Sand Harbor, Glenbrook, Cave Rock, and Zephyr Cove to Round Hill. Whittell paid approximately $2.7 million or $81.00 per acre. Between 1935 and 1969, Captain George Whittell continued to amass a vast majority of the acreage in Washoe, Carson, and Douglas Counties on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe. In 1936 construction began the summer residence, Thunderbird Lodge, designed in the Rustic style by Frederic DeLongchamps for George Whittell Jr. The stone house was completed 2½ years later. The estate includes numerous small buildings, before 1937 designed by Frederic DeLongchamps, and after by the design firm DeLongchamps and O'Brien. The house had no guest rooms, as Whittell wanted no overnight visitors. As the years passed, Whittell grew more reclusive, gradually abandoning his casino development plans for Sand Harbor in favor of maintaining his own secluded hideaway and lifestyle. He entertained only a few people at Thunderbird Lodge, including his neighbors Ty Cobb and Howard Hughes, for the occasional all night card games and did whatever he could to antagonize his neighbors. Thunderbird Lodge is currently owned by the non-profit Thunderbird Preservation Society. It is now a popular tourist attraction, with public tours by reservation. PHENOMENA: It’s been assumed that the aggressive and unwelcoming male entity present at the lodge is former owner George Whittell. He’s been known to push visitors or pull on the hair of females. There are a number of people who believe the hauntings here have their origin in the land itself, that was once strictly Native American territory. It’s been said the sound of drums beating and chanting is fairly common here. It’s known that during construction of the pool area, a workman fell to his death from a ladder. Whittell sealed the room shut after that and the project was never completed. The spirit of that worker is said to remain on the premises. Activity has also been reported in the cook and butler’s quarters, now the gift shop. TITANIC EXHIBIT (LAS VEGAS) BACKGROUND: The 25,000-square-foot exhibit features numerous items from the Titanic, including luggage, the ship's whistles, floor tiles from the first-class smoking room, a window frame from the Verandah Cafe and an unopened bottle of champagne with a 1900 vintage. In addition, the exhibit features a piece of Titanic’s hull, a full-scale re-creation of the Grand Staircase as well as a newly expanded outer Promenade Deck, complete with the frigid temperatures felt on that fateful April night. These actual artifacts, recovered from two and one half miles below the surface of the North Atlantic, tell the story behind the legendary Titanic’s short journey from construction and destruction to eventual recovery. PHENOMENA: Paranormal activity inside the exhibit has ranged from feelings of being followed to actual ghost sightings. One of the bizarre events that took place here involved a photo of Bruce Ismay, the former Director of the White Star Line. While the morning crew was opening the Exhibition they noticed a photo of Ismay on the floor, leaning against the wall, undamaged. When the manager went to review the surveillance footage to see how the picture got on the floor, what he saw was unbelievable. The picture began to shake and then very gently was moved to the floor, with not a person in sight. Time and time employees and guests report seeing a woman with her hair in a bun, wearing a black period dress with a white collar. On one occasion a photo crew member was setting up in preparation for the Exhibition to open. During set up he noticed a lady walking down the Grand Staircase, which puzzled him because he never saw anyone walk up and the doors weren’t open yet. He proceeded and asked the lady if she would like her photo taken but there was no reply. As the crew member went back to work he suddenly felt someone behind him and when he turned it was the same lady. Again he asked if she would like her photo taken and he got no response. The lady slowly disappeared and didn’t show herself again for a few days. Staff has had their names called, heard music or phantom footsteps and in some cases have had their clothing grabbed or their hair mussed. WASHOE CLUB (VIRGINIA CITY) BACKGROUND: Part of the largest historic district in the state of Nevada, it should come as no surprise that the Washoe Club is home of Virginia City’s oldest saloon! The Washoe Club originally opened for business just four months before the Great Fire that destroyed most of town. The Saloon was rebuilt and opened a second time later in 1876, and aside from being a bar, the Washoe Club was designed to be the meeting grounds for the Virginia City elite. By the mid 1870s, Virginia City was booming in a way that’s hard to grasp in modern times; the Comstock was pumping out millions of dollars in profitable, high grade silver, and the upper crust of the American West had set their sights on Virginia City. The most skilled miners, famous prostitutes and gunslingers, writers, performers and businessmen flocked to the Comstock, hoping to get in on the action. The richest of the rich wanted a place to meet, and formed the Old Washoe Club, otherwise known as the Millionaires Club. PHENOMENA: Spirits who are said to haunt the Washoe Club include: a young girl who was murdered in the basement by a child predator. She is said to be around 13 years old and is sometimes seen inside a bedroom on the second floor. It’s been said a blonde-haired prostitute named “Lena” was murdered in a third floor room in the 1870s and now appears occasionally in the form of a blue mist on a spiral staircase in the building. The is also another young girl and a man - possibly the one who killed Lena - who are also said to haunt the club. Her name is said to be “Ellie” and her apparition appears with a dog in an upstairs hallway. Ellie is said to have died in an explosion when a neighboring building blew up. There is a part of the building called “The Crypt”, where bodies were put into cold storage awaiting burial. It also served as a storage area for the bar, which is also a place where objects are said to behave oddly, like bar stools falling over by themselves. Room 12 on the third floor has a door that slams hard on its own with the door cracking from the force. It’s been said a suicide happened in the room. TRIVIA: The Washoe Club was featured on Ghost Hunters in Season 4, Episode 08. The Ghost Adventures crew also investigated the club, receiving what some consider evidence of the paranormal, which, however, has yet to be tested or confirmed as legitimate. WESTGATE LAS VEGAS (WESTGATE) BACKGROUND: A hotel, casino, and timeshare resort in Winchester, Nevada, near the Las Vegas Strip. It is owned by Westgate Resorts and operated by Paragon Gaming. It opened in 1969 as the International Hotel, and was known for many years as the Las Vegas Hilton, then briefly as the LVH – Las Vegas Hotel and Casino, until taking its current name in 2014. From 1981 to 1990, it was the largest hotel in the world. Kirk Kerkorian, the chairman of Trans International Airlines and landlord of Caesars Palace, began formulating plans to build a 1,000- room casino hotel in Las Vegas. After considering several potential locations, he selected the racetrack site, reasoning that it was natural to put a hotel next to the Convention Center. Howard Hughes, the eccentric billionaire who had purchased several Las Vegas casinos, saw Kerkorian as a rival and the International as unwelcome competition. He attempted to deter Kerkorian from building the project, first by making a sham announcement of a major planned expansion of his Sands Hotel, and then by conveying false claims to Kerkorian about damage to buildings from nearby nuclear tests. In 1970 and 1971, Kerkorian sold his shares of International Leisure to Hilton Hotels. The International was renamed in July 1971 as the Las Vegas Hilton. On the night of February 10, 1981, a major fire occurred at the Hilton. Philip Bruce Cline, a hotel busboy who was under the influence of drugs, set fire to a curtain in an elevator lobby on the eighth floor of the east tower. The fire spread to the exterior of the tower and then traveled up to the top of the building within 25 minutes. Eight people were killed, and approximately 350 were injured, including 48 firefighters. Among the victims treated for smoke inhalation was singer Natalie Cole. On June 30, 2014, timeshare developer Westgate Resorts bought the LVH from Goldman and Gramercy for a price between $150 and $170 million. PHENOMENA: It’s been said the ghost of “The King”, Elvis Presley still haunts the Westgate with a number of witnesses claiming they have sensed his presence or even seen him in his former suite, walking the hallways, in the basement or actually parking his famous Cadillac out front.  TRIVIA:  In 1969, Barbra Streisand opened in the showroom, along with Peggy Lee performing in the hotel's lounge. Immediately following Streisand's engagement, Elvis Presley performed the first show of what would become a seven-year run at the hotel, encompassing 636 consecutive sold-out shows. YELLOW JACKET MINE (SILVER CITY) BACKGROUND: The Comstock Lode is a lode of silver ore located under the eastern slope of Mount Davidson, a peak in the Virginia Range in Nevada (then western Utah Territory). It was the first major discovery of silver ore in the United States, and named after American miner Henry Comstock. Six major bonanzas marked the first five years of the Comstock Lode. The Yellow Jacket shared the Gold Hill bonanza on its north, and shared a second bonanza with Crown Point and Kentuck to the south, discovered in 1864. On the morning of April 7, 1869, a fire spread at the 800-foot level in the Yellow Jacket Mine. Firefighters entered the mine but the smoke and flames pushed them back. As the fire burned, wood timbers collapsed and poisonous gases expanded into the adjacent Kentucky and Crown Point mines. The fires persisted and mine sections were sealed off and remained hot for several years. At least 35 miners died, and some bodies were never retrieved. The Yellow Jacket Mine fire was the worst mining accident in Nevada history up to that time. PHENOMENA: For some years past, paranormal phenomena has been observed by the miners working in the old upper levels of the Yellow Jacket Mine. A former Superintendent there reported hearing footsteps on planks above him full well knowing he was alone in the mine at the time. When he called out, two shovels he was carrying under his arm were shoved forward and landed more than 10 feet away from him. There have also been shrieks and cries of agony and horror, perhaps imprinted by those who were killed in the fire and whose bodies were never recovered. One former worker reported a set of shoes walking toward him with no one in them. Visitors have claimed to see glowing blue and white orbs at the entrance to the main shaft. There are also reports of the apparitions of former miners walking around the outside of the mine. TRIVIA: The TV show Ghost Adventures featured the site on one of its episodes. BACK TO TO PARANORMAL DATABASE
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