THE PARANORMAL WORLD DATABASE       NEW MEXICO   BANDELIER NATIONAL MONUMENT (LOS ALAMOS) BACKGROUND: Human presence in the area has been dated to over 10,000 years before present. Permanent settlements by ancestors of the Puebloan peoples have been dated to 1150 CE; these settlers had moved closer to the Rio Grande by 1550.  The Pueblo Jose Montoya brought Adolph Bandelier to visit the area in 1880. Looking over the cliff dwellings, Bandelier said, "It is the grandest thing I ever saw." Based on documentation and research by Bandelier, there was support for preserving the area and President Woodrow Wilson signed the legislation creating the monument in 1916. Supporting infrastructure, including a lodge, was built during the 1920s and 1930s. The structures at the monument built during the Great Depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps constitute the largest assembly of CCC-built structures in a National Park area that has not been altered by new structures in the district. During World War II the monument area was closed to the public for several years, since the lodge was being used to house personnel working on the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos to develop an atom bomb. In 2019, Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), announced plans to introduce legislation to re-designate Bandelier National Monument as a national park and preserve. PHENOMENA: Visitors report strange mists and lights that appear along with the eerie sounds of wailing and moaning at night. Motorists claim to see anomalous orbs and the feeling of dizziness so profound that some have the need to pull off the road to recover. There are also reports of eyes staring out of the cave dwelling openings CHACO CANYON (NAGEEZI) BACKGROUND: Between AD 900 and 1150, Chaco Canyon was a major center of culture for the Ancient Pueblo Peoples. Chacoans quarried sandstone blocks and hauled timber from great distances, assembling fifteen major complexes that remained the largest buildings ever built in North America until the 19th century. Evidence of archaeoastronomy at Chaco has been proposed, with the "Sun Dagger" petroglyph at Fajada Butte a popular example. Many Chacoan buildings may have been aligned to capture the solar and lunar cycles, requiring generations of astronomical observations and centuries of skillfully coordinated construction. Climate change is thought to have led to the emigration of Chacoans and the eventual abandonment of the canyon, beginning with a fifty-year drought commencing in 1130. Chaco Culture National Historical Park is managed by the National Park Service and neighboring federal lands hosting Chacoan roads are controlled by the Bureau of Land Management. PHENOMENA: The canyon is said to be haunted by a “naked spirit” Within the canyon visitors and employees have seen the apparition of a strange “naked spirit.” A very tall figure who emerges from the sipapu, which are the sacred holes in the ground at Chaco. It’s said by the Hopi that he is a “genius loci” who feeds off Earth’s energy and comes from “the other side” bathed in glowing blue light and dripping wet. One ranger attempted to arrest this naked individual walking the area until he vanished into thin air when the officer approached him. It’s also thought that the spirits of the Anasazi people are present here as well. CHAVES COUNTY COURTHOUSE (ROSWELL) BACKGROUND: The courthouse was built in 1911 after Roswell's citizens learned that New Mexico would become a state the next year. Isaac Hamilton Rapp, of the Colorado firm I.H. and W.M. Rapp, designed the courthouse in the "monumental civic" adaptation of the Beaux-Arts style. A cupola with green tiles tops the courthouse. The Territorial Legislature of 1889 carved Chaves County out of existing Lincoln County, which took up the entire southeast corner of New Mexico. The ranching town of Roswell, the largest community in the region with a population of 343, was the most logical place for the new county seat. Lea convinced the legislature to name the county after his close friend, Colonel Jose Francisco Chaves, a Bernalillo native and descendant of a prominent Spanish family. Carefully restored in 2005, the courthouse still contains the judicial court functions of Chaves County. PHENOMENA: It’s said ghostly cries of spectral children can be heard inside the old building, particularly in the basement. The ghost of a woman named Alice haunts the magistrate’s area. She was given that name after the last woman to be imprisoned there who eventually hanged herself in her cell. A clerk reported seeing her apparition in the records room one day. Workmen doing the renovation construction of the new building ran from the courthouse after hearing a piercing and terrifying scream one night. DE VARGAS STREET HOUSE (SANTA FE) BACKGROUND: One of the Oldest buildings in America. The Oldest House rests on part of the foundation of an ancient Indian Pueblo dating from around 1200 AD. This pueblo was once inhabited by a tribe from the Tano speaking tribes of the northern part of the territory. Sometime around 1435 AD, this tribe abandoned their village, moving on to other sites farther south in search of water, better fields or hunting grounds. In 1598, Don Juan de Onate led a party of Spanish settlers into the area in search of a suitable place to establish a permanent settlement. Accompanying Onate were Tlaxcalen Indian warrior auxiliaries. The small band seems to have gravitated to their own ward, or barrio, soon known as El Barrio de Analco at the same time La Villa Real de Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asisi was founded in 1608. During the Great Pueblo Rebellion, the Indians of the Barrio de Analco suffered greatly. Their homes were sacked and burned with a heavy loss of life. The survivors retreated across the river and joined the Spaniards in a spirited but unsuccessful defense of the Villa. By the late 1800s, genizaros or acculturated plains Indians such as the Apaches and Navajos, as well as the families of Spanish soldiers were living in the Barrio. Up until the 1920s the Oldest House was continually occupied by people representing all the cultures of Santa Fe. PHENOMENA: The location is said to contain multiple spirits and some are described as malevolent in nature. The spirits of two witches are said to manifest in the form of only their heads seen floating or rolling down the street. It’s claimed they were sisters who were put to death by locals after a very unfair trial took place. Cold spots are felt throughout the house by visitors and strange knocking sounds are heard inside. There is also a prevailing feeling of being watched by unseen eyes. Some guests have reported the feeling of icy hands touching them on their arms and legs. Legend has it a young soldier sought out the witches in search of a love potion but when it failed to produce the desired result, the witches disarmed him of his sword and beheaded him. His headless ghost is said to remain on the premises. The apparitions of the witches have also been seen in the form of wispy dark mists with pale white faces peeking out at them over the roof. DONA ANA COUNTY COURTHOUSE (LAS CRUCES) BACKGROUND: The building, which was partially funded by the Works Progress Administration, was the sixth county courthouse to be utilized in Doña Ana County and was built in 1937.  Sadly, the building, which has been "under renovation" since its closing in 2008, doesn't look too great these days and is not used for judicial matters anymore. The building itself is said to be in solid shape, but the area is already showing major signs of neglect. PHENOMENA: In the 1950s, a waitress named Mary Waters was found near the Amador Hotel and assumed to be drunk, brought to the jail. Once inside a cell she began screaming and was found dead just m0oments later with look of terror frozen on her face. The autopsy claimed she died of a ruptured kidney (which was later amended to include alcohol poisoning), and it’s said her ghost remains at the jail. There are sounds of footsteps heard thro0ughout the building. The voice of a little girl has been heard and blood has been found on the floor along with a single footprint that a police investigator submitted to belong to a little girl. Doors will open and close and a the spirit of a former judge is sometimes seen looking out the windows. A regular visitor to the site claims he has been scratched by an invisible entity and witnessed a jail cell door closing on its own. TRIVIA: The courthouse has been investigated by Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures. EL RANCHO HOTEL (GALLUP) BACKGROUND:  Built by the brother of film director D.W. Griffith. It became the temporary home for many Hollywood movie stars. It opened in 1937 as a base for movie productions. Employees were trained by the Fred Harvey Company. During its glory years, the El Rancho was the definition of luxury and included many amenities that were lacking in other typical tourist hotels of the day. By 1964, however, the lure of the western hero was fading, and brilliant Technicolor vistas were replacing dramatic, stark images in black and white. The mysterious West was no longer mysterious but readily available by automobile along Route 66 and the almost completed Interstate-40.  PHENOMENA: Doors opening and closing by themselves, objects moving around and unexplained cold spots are common claims here. Late at night, laughter, disembodied footsteps, and odd tapping on the walls are reported happening by guests in many rooms and hallways. The most coveted (and expensive) room is the bridal suite which is also said to be the most haunted. A housekeeper reported entering one day to clean the suite while the guests were away for the day and came face to face with the scene of clothes left on the bed begin to take the shape of a person that was actually wearing them. Extreme cold spots, the bathroom door opening and closing itself and the mattress being pushed have also been reported. TRIVIA: Famous guests included: Ronald Reagan, Jane Wyman, John Wayne, Alan Ladd, Jackie Cooper, Katherine Hepburn, Kirk Douglas and Spencer Tracy. FORT CRAIG (SOCORRO) BACKGROUND: The 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo called for the construction of a series of forts along the new boundaries between Mexico and the United States. Apaches and other Native American groups were reportedly harassing settlers and travelers on both sides of the border. The attacks by the tribes from U.S. territory into Mexico was a problem the U.S. government was obligated to address under the treaty. n 1853, the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment began constructing a new fort on a bluff nine miles downriver from Fort Conrad. The new fort was named in honor of Captain Louis S. Craig, an officer in the Mexican–American War who had been murdered by deserters in California in 1852. The new fort was garrisoned in 1854 with troops transferred from Fort Conrad. Life at remote Fort Craig was uncomfortable and lonely at best and deadly at worst. The buildings were a constant source of misery to the soldiers, and records reveal litanies of complaints about leaky roofs, crumbling walls and chimneys, crowded conditions and filth from crumbling dirt roofs and muddy floors. Between 1863 and 1865, Fort Craig was headquarters for U.S. Army campaigns against the Gila and Mimbres Apaches. Fort Craig was permanently abandoned in 1885. PHENOMENA: Visitors claim to hear disembodied whispers and voices along with the sound of heavy footsteps. The spirit of a Civil War-era soldier has been seen patrolling through the various rooms at night. FOSTER’S HOTEL (CHAMA) BACKGROUND: Foster's Hotel is the oldest commercial structure in Chama. It was constructed in 1881 to accommodate travelers in Chama who were riding the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. The railroad passed through the northern New Mexico Territory enroute from Denver to Silverton or Santa Fe, which opened this area to trade and commerce for the first time. Foster's Hotel stands as the only commercial structure in Chama dating directly to the construction era of the railroad and the settlement of this area. The Hotel underwent continuous improvements and expansions until 1932, when the last of the additions were constructed. Foster's Hotel managed to escape a series of disastrous fires that ultimately destroyed the original core of Chama. The original portion of the Hotel has been a landmark for over 120 years. (http://www.fosters1881.com/) PHENOMENA: Staff and guests report hearing the cries, gasps and choking sounds of a woman, who’s said to be a judge who was poisoned because the men in the town didn’t want a woman in her position. There are also claims of the cries of a young girl who died of illness there and a man dressed in cowboy attire who walks the halls. What’s described as a dark figure haunts room 25. JEMEZ HISTORIC SITE (JEMEZ SPRINGS) BACKGROUND: The Gíusewa Pueblo was probably established in the second half of the 15th century, and was first described by Spanish explorers in 1581. A small mission was apparently established next to the pueblo in 1598, but the present surviving structures were begun in 1621. The church was completed in 1623, but damaged by fire not long after, and was again worked on in 1625-26. There was apparently no settled priest, with Franciscan friars making repeated attempts to convert the Puebloans until about 1639. The Jemez people continued to occupy the pueblo, and even built a square kiva in one part of the mission compound. The pueblo was abandoned in 1680, when the Jemez participated in the Pueblo Rebellion which evicted the Spanish from the region until 1692. Over time, the forces of nature took their toll on the buildings, resulting in the collapse of the church roof, and the partial collapse of its walls. The site first underwent major excavation in 1910 and 1922, at which time stabilization of some of its features began. The state also acquired the land at that time, and it was designated a state monument in 1935. PHENOMENA: Visitors report disembodied footsteps. strange lights over the site and a dizzy sensation that washes over them quickly. There have been sightings of a ghostly Native American raiding party and a ethereal priest that haunts the ruins. KIMO THEATER (ALBEQUERQUE) BACKGROUND: The KiMo was conceived by entrepreneur Oreste Bachechi and his wife, Maria Franceschi Bachechi. It was Mrs. Bachechi's desire to give a tribute to the Native Americans who had embraced the Bachechi family as part of their own. After much travel and meetings with various architects in both NM and California, the design was accepted from Carl Boller of the Boller Brothers architecture firm, who conducted an extensive investigation into the cultures and building styles of the Southwest before submitting his design. The name "KiMo" (literally translated as "mountain lion" in Tewa, and sometimes loosely translated as "king of the beasts") was suggested to Mrs. Bachechi by her dear friend, Isleta Pueblo Governor Pablo Abeita. By 1977, the theater had fallen into disrepair due to a fire. The City of Albuquerque offered to purchase the building at a fraction of its value or condemn it and then demolish it. The family decided that it was best to preserve the theater for future generations and sold the theater to the City of Albuquerque. It has undergone several phases of continuing restoration to return it to its former glory and is once again open to the public for performances. PHENOMENA: Urban legend alert >> According to local legend, the KiMo Theatre is haunted by the ghost of Robbie Darnall, a six-year-old boy killed in 1951 when a water heater in the theater's lobby exploded. The tale alleges that a theatrical performance of A Christmas Carol in 1974 was disrupted by the ghost, who was supposedly angry that the staff was ordered to remove donuts they'd hung on backstage pipes to appease him. While investigating the legend, writer Benjamin Radford discovered that A Christmas Carol was not performed at the theater until 1986, and no disruptions were reported. According to Radford, "all the evidence points to an inescapable conclusion: the ruination of the play - the very genesis of the KiMo Theater ghost story - simply did not occur; it is but folklore and fiction". Radford also contacted Robbie Darnall's siblings, who told him they felt "exploited by the story" and did not appreciate "claims that their beloved brother is continuing to eat stale doughnuts and ruin performances at the KiMo Theater". Not only is the old theater home to poor Bobby Darnell, who died in the 1951 explosion, but also to a mysterious lady who is seen walking along the hallways. This unknown woman, wearing a bonnet, has often been reported walking down the halls of the theater, appearing to be just going about her business. Nothing more is known of this ghostly presence, but seemingly she doesn’t disturb anyone, she just likes strolling about the old theater. (www.legendsofamerica.com/nm-kimotheatre/) LA FONDA HOTEL (SANTA FE) BACKGROUND: The site of the current La Fonda has been the location of various inns since 1609. An earlier construction of the hotel, called the United States Hotel but nicknamed La Fonda Americana by locals, burned down in 1912. In 1920, the Santa Fe Builders Corporations issue shares of stock to raise funds to build a new hotel. After its auspicious launch, the hotel closed temporarily in the 1920s, until it was purchased in 1925 by the Santa Fe Railway. The new owners commissioned local muralists to paint the interior walls, beginning La Fonda's longstanding support of local visual arts. PHENOMENA: A guest complained one night about footsteps pacing back and forth in the hallway and disturbed by them, he phones the lobby to register a complaint, a staff member went to the floor and there he saw a man in a long black coat walk into a stairwell and vanish from sight. It’s thought this could be the ghost of Judge John P. Slough, a judge who was killed during an argument in the hotel’s lobby in 1867 and typically dressed in a coat of the same type. He has been seen by others on many occasions in hallways and the lobby. In La Plazuela restaurant, the ghost of a businessman - who took his life after experiencing financial ruin by gambling away his savings - by diving into a well when that area was the courtyard has been seen walking to the center of the restaurant and vanishing on the exact spot where the well was once located. The ghost of a young bride who was murdered by an ex-lover has been seen in room 510 which is the wedding suite as well as the lobby, an elevator, and the basement. There is a ghostly man dressed as a cowboy that haunts the bar area and a spirit who was frightened a housekeeper when she saw a human outline under some bed covers only to see no one there when she pulled back the covers. LA LLORONA BACKGROUND: The legend is said that in a rural village there lived a young woman named Maria. She came from a poor family but was known around her village for her beauty. One day, an extremely wealthy nobleman traveled through her village. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Maria. Maria was charmed by him and he was taken by her beauty, so when he proposed to her, she immediately accepted. Maria's family was thrilled that she was marrying into a wealthy family, but the nobleman's father was extremely disappointed that his son was marrying into poverty. Maria and her new husband built a house in the village to be away from his disapproving father. Eventually, she gave birth to two sons. Her husband was always traveling and began to stop spending time with his family. When he came home, he only paid attention to the sons and as time passed Maria could tell that her husband was falling out of love with her. One day, he returned to the village with a younger woman, and told his sons farewell, ignoring Maria. Maria, angry and hurt, took her children to a river and drowned them in a blind rage. She realized what she had done and searched for them, but the river had already carried them away. Days later, she was found dead on the river bank. Challenged at the gates of heaven for the whereabouts of her children, she was not permitted to enter the afterlife until she finds them. Stuck between the land of the living and the dead, she spends eternity looking for her lost children. She is always heard weeping for her children, earning her the name "La Llorona." It is said that if you hear her crying, you are to run the opposite way. If you hear her cries, they could bring misfortune or even death. Many parents in Latin America use this story to scare their children from staying out too late.  La Llorona kidnaps wandering children at night, mistaking them for her own. She begs the heavens for forgiveness, and drowns the children she kidnaps. People who claim to have seen her say she appears at night or in the late evening by rivers or lakes, wearing a white or black gown with a veil. PHENOMENA: According to Legends of America, In Santa Fe, New Mexico, the tall wailing spirit has been seen repeatedly in the PERA Building (Public Employees Retirement Association), which is built on land that was once an old Spanish-Indian graveyard, and is near the Santa Fe River. Many people who have been employed there tell of hearing cries resounding through the halls and feeling unseen hands pushing them while on the stairways. TRIVIA: In April 2019, James Wan, Gary Dauberman and Emilie Gladstone produced a film titled The Curse of La Llorona. The film is the sixth installment in The Conjuring Universe. LA POSADA (SANTA FE) BACKGROUND: The story really begins with Fred Harvey, who “civilized the west” by introducing linen, silverware, china, crystal, and impeccable service to railroad travel. (He was so legendary that MGM made a movie called The Harvey Girls starring Judy Garland.) Harvey developed and ran all the hotels and restaurants of the Santa Fe Railway, eventually controlling a hospitality empire that spanned the continent.In the 1920s, Harvey decided to build a major hotel in the center of northern Arizona. “La Posada”—the Resting Place—was to be the finest in the Southwest. Construction costs alone exceeded $1 million in 1929.  La Posada opened May 15, 1930, just after the stock market crash of 1929, and remained open for just 27 years. In 1957, the hotel closed to the public. The museum-quality furnishings were auctioned off in 1959. In the early 1960s, much of the building was gutted and transformed into offices for the Santa Fe Railway. Several times over the ensuing 40 years, the building was nearly demolished, as recently as 1994 when the railway announced its plans to move out for good. Allan Affeldt purchased it from the Santa Fe Railway after learning that the property was in danger. He visited the hotel in 1994 and decided to help local preservationists save it. PHENOMENA: Julia Staab, a German Jewish bride brought from the old country by her husband, Abraham, in the late 19th century is believed to haunt the La Posada de Santa Fe Resort. It’s said she gave birth to six children, but when the seventh died in infancy, she experienced post-partum depression and became a recluse, harboring herself in her room where she eventually went insane. She’s said to appear on the staircase in the hotel’s main building and wake up guests who stay in her former bedroom. The also haunts the bar area where glasses are thrown to the floor and the gas fireplace turns on and off by itself. The room temperature there is said to have a 10 degree difference than the hallway just outside. TRIVIA: Former guests have included; Albert Einstein, Amelia Earhart, Bob Hope, Clark Gable, Howard Hughes, John Wayne, Franklin Roosevelt, Jimmy Cagney, Harry Truman, Carole Lombard, Betty Grable and many more stars and dignitaries. LAS CRUCES RAILROAD MUSEUM (LAS CRUCES) BACKGROUND: In 1881, after residents of the then-bustling county seat of Mesilla opposed the Santa Fe Railroad’s plans to run a line through town, the company re-routed to nearby Las Cruces. A year later, Las Cruces became the county seat. The railroad built a depot there, replacing it, in 1910, with the Santa Fe Railroad depot now housing the Las Cruces Railroad Museum. The railroad ceased operations in 1958. The museum interprets the railroad history of Las Cruces and the impact of the railroad on Southern New Mexico. PHENOMENA: Some say it is haunted by four ghosts: two men, a woman, and a little boy. Reports are they are peaceful spirits who sometimes move things from place to place. Staff reports disembodied voices, the sights and sounds of workers going about their business and large crowds when the building is empty. Extreme cold spots are also felt on exceeding hot days. Apparitions of passengers waiting to board a train and a group of women chatting have been reported. When approached by curious onlookers, they vanish into thin air. Shadowy figures have been spotted and at times the unmistakable sound of a train whistle can be heard. LUNA MANSION RESTAURANT (LOS LUNAS) BACKGROUND: According to “Legends of America”, In 1692 Domingo de Luna was granted land by the King of Spain in what would later become Los Lunas, New Mexico. A few years later, Don Pedro Otero arrived under similar circumstances. Over the years, the two families added to their fortunes through livestock and additional land acquisitions. Both families became extremely powerful and were involved in politics. The marriages of Solomon Luna to Adelaida Otero, and Manuel A. Otero to Eloisa Luna in the late 1800’s united these two families into what became known as the Luna-Otero Dynasty. When the Santa Fe Railroad wanted a right-of-way through the Luna property in 1880, the proposed railroad tracks were planned directly through the Luna hacienda. In order to gain their right-of-way, the railroad agreed to build a new home for Antonio Jose Luna and his family according to their specifications. Before long, a southern colonial style mansion, built with adobe materials of the southwest was completed for the family. However, Antonio Jose died in 1881, the same year that the house was completed. As a result, his oldest son, Tranquilino and his family were the first to live in the luxurious home. When Tranquilino died in 1892, his younger brother Solomon took the reins of the empire and moved into the spacious mansion. PHENOMENA: During renovations into a restaurant in the 1970s, the ghost of Josefita began to appear. She has been described as wearing clothing from the 1920s and as a solid figure. Her preferred area of haunting are two former bedrooms on the second floor, an attic storeroom, and the top of the stairs leading to the second-floor bar. She has also been seen sitting in a rocking chair situated at the top of these stairs and at one point when a staff member approached her, she stood and simply vanished. She also has a tendency to walk up and down those stairs, an action that at this point has ceased to faze employees there. There are said to be other spirits who reside here, the most prominent of which is a former groundskeeper known only as “Cruz” who is seen on the man level and is friendly to women and children and something of a practical joker. One story has him sitting on a sofa as if waiting to be seated and when a waitress asked another why he had not been attended to, he had simply vanished when they both turned to look at him. NEW MEXICO STATE PENITENTIARY (SANTA FE) BACKGROUND: Opened in 1885, the New Mexico Penitentiary had been authorized by Congress since 1853. The design of the original facility on Cerrillos Road was based on the same plans used for Sing Sing and Joliet. The first prison industry produced bricks. Beginning in 1903, New Mexico became the first western state to employ prisoners in building highways. On 19 July 1922, prisoners at the penitentiary rioted against overcrowding, the poor food, and the use of excessive force by the prison authorities. When the inmates refused to return to their cells, the tower guards opened fire, killing one inmate and injuring five others. In the report following the riot, the prison authorities were blamed for lack of experience, and failure to understand how to control a prison population. The second riot was 15 June 1953. Inmates protesting the use of excessive force seized Deputy Warden Ralph Tahash and twelve guards and held them hostage. In the resulting melee, guards killed two inmates and wounded a number of others. In 1980, Cell Block 4, at the far northern end from the Control Center, was the scene of one of the most violent prison riots in the correctional history of the United States. Over two days 33 inmates were killed and 12 officers were held hostage by prisoners who had escaped from crowded dormitories located at the southern end from the Control Center. Men were brutally butchered, dismembered, and decapitated and hung up on the cells and burned alive. This section of the prison was closed in 1998 and is now referred to as the "Old Main." PHENOMENA: The most infamous report is that of a shadow figures with human form. The sightings are said to have begun in 1981 and continue today. Witnesses include prison guards, staff, visitors and even members of the National Guard. The sounds of cell doors slamming shut are a common phenomena. One actress filming a movie there claims to have been pushed into a cell with the door subsequently being locked shut. Ghostly voices and footsteps are often heard. Many of the crews that filmed movies at this location reported odd phenomena, such as doors randomly closing and loud shrieking sounds. The penitentiary is haunted by an evil energy that was invoked there, before and during the riots. The areas of the prison where the most unusual phenomena is reported are Cell Blocks 3, 4, the tool room and the laundry room TRIVIA: The prison was used as the primary filming location for the mid-2000's Adam Sandler football comedy The Longest Yard, and has also been used to film All the Pretty Horses and The Hunt for Bin Laden, where it acted as a stand-in for Pakistan. OLD BERNALILLO COUNTY COURTHOUSE (ALBEQUERQUE) BACKGROUND: The first constructed courthouse was built in 1886 at a cost of $62,053.81. The three story building was constructed of gray stone with a peaked shingled roof and an exterior tower. The courthouse stood at the current San Felipe de Neri School site in Albuquerque’s Old Town Plaza.  Beneath the street level sits several jail cells and a former control room. It’s where prisoners were kept while waiting to go to court. The county built its current courthouse in 2001 and the old courthouse became an annex. The courtrooms are still there as are the holding cells, and they are often used by the film industry. Some workers reported seeing a little girl with blond braids standing in one of the dark hallways. Other visitors have described cold spots, lights turning and off and on, and one time a low book that flew down the hallway. A sheriff died of a heart attack while at his desk in the basement. PHENOMENA: Some workers reported seeing a little girl with blond braids standing in one of the dark hallways. Other visitors have described cold spots, lights turning and off and on, and one time a low book that flew down the hallway. Taped boxes have been found open with their contents scattered. A sheriff died of a heart attack while at his desk in the basement.     PALACE OF THE GOVERNORS (SANTA FE) BACKGROUND: In 1610, Pedro de Peralta, the newly appointed governor of the Spanish territory covering most of the American Southwest, began construction on the Palace of the Governors, although recent historical research has suggested that construction began in 1618. In the following years, the Palace changed hands as the territory of New Mexico did, seeing the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, the Spanish reconquest from 1693 to 1694, Mexican independence in 1821, and finally American possession in 1848. The Palace originally served as the seat of government of the Spanish colony of Nuevo Mexico, which at one time comprised the present-day states of Texas, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Nevada, California, and New Mexico. After the Mexican War of Independence, the Mexican province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México was administered from the Palace of the Governors. When New Mexico was annexed as a U.S. territory, the Palace became New Mexico's first territorial capitol. Between 1909, when the New Mexico territorial legislature established the Museum of New Mexico, and Summer 2009 the Palace of the Governors served as the site of the state history museum. In 2009 the New Mexico History Museum was opened adjacent to the Palace, which is now one of eight museums overseen by the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. PHENOMENA: The sounds of soldiers crying or screaming out in pain is a common occurrence and ghostly men in military garb have been mistaken for actual people in period costumes. Security guards claim to have seen an empty dress flying down the hallway one night. disembodied footsteps through the rooms and halls have been reported by staff and guests and disembodied voices and whispers are often hear. There are tales of a ghostly candle that floats through the hallways at night. People have long said they have the feeling of being closely watched by shadowy figures bot in daytime and at night. TRIVIA: Lew Wallace wrote the final parts of his book Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ in this building while serving as territorial governor in the late 1870s. He remembered later in life that it was at night, during a severe thunderstorm in the spring of 1879, after returning from a tense meeting with Billy the Kid in Lincoln County, when he wrote the climactic Crucifixion scenes of the novel. PLAZA HOTEL (LAS VEGAS) BACKGROUND: In 1883 Charles Ilfeld opened his Great Emporium, a three-story department store, next door to the hotel. The plaza was the commercial center of the region for the next thirty years. In 1885 the former outlaw Dick Liddil (1852–1901) sold his saloon in West Las Vegas and leased the Plaza Hotel's bar and billiard room. Byron T. Mills was a prominent Las Vegas attorney who came to town in 1882 at the time the Plaza Hotel was being built. In 1918, he became the owner and operated the hotel quite successfully for many decades, and to all appearances, led a happy life. The Plaza was the leading hotel in Las Vegas until the late 1890s, when Santa Fe Railroad built the luxurious La Castañeda, which was operated by Fred Harvey as part of the Harvey House chain. By the end of the 1890s Las Vegas rivaled Denver, El Paso and Tucson in importance. The dry climate of Las Vegas began to attract invalids suffering from pulmonary ailments, particularly tuberculosis, for which no other cure was known. By the 1890s many of the guests at the Plaza were convalescent victims of tuberculosis. The One Lung Club was organized at the hotel in the 1890s to provide social activities for the invalids that did not require exertion. For reasons unknown, it was reported that Mills sold off the furnishings of the Plaza Hotel in 1945 and was about to demolish the building. Mills had said, "I almost feel guilty (about the demolition), it certainly is an old landmark." However, Mills did not demolish the building, and died of natural causes not long after in 1947. PHENOMENA: The hotel is said to be haunted by the spirit of former owner Byron T. Mills. He has been known to move things around, sit on the bed and even sometimes smoke a cigar in his former room , 310. Staff members say the ghost has been known to open and close drawers or sit on the beds of female guests and a mysterious indentation in the mattress and pillow is often found by staff on the left side of the bed. Another spirit is said to “reside” in a tunneled area under the main ballroom. TRIVIA: Several scenes of the 2007 film No Country for Old Men feature the Plaza Hotel. The hotel was investigated in 2015 by Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures. RIO GRANDE (LAS CRUCES) ST. JAMES HOTEL (CIMARRON) THE LODGE (CLOUDCROFT) BACK TO TO PARANORMAL DATABASE
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