Ghost Hunt - Jerome, Arizona

We were staying at the Grand Hotel in Jerome, Arizona and learned about their Ghost Hunt package for an additonal $20 per person. Having watched several episodes of Paranormal State, we jumped at the chance to be involved in a real life ghost hunt.

The package included the use of a Electromagnetic Field Meter (EMF), Infrared (IR) thermometer and a digital camera. Ghost hunters receive a CD the next morning that includes all photos from each camera and can be tracked by the number of your camera. We were number 6.

The tour started at 5pm with our very small group of four, the two of us and another couple. Our guide, Chris, nephew to the owner, took us through the boiler room. We took photos of the elevator shaft where in 1935 a hospital maintenance man, Claude Harvey, was found dead with his head pinned beneath the elevator. He is said to haunt the hotel and guests and staff have reported seeing lights in the elevator shaft as well as sounds of the elevator running when the power was turned off. Excitedly, we all madly took flash photos whenever we heard the beeping sound of our EMF meters registering ghostly activity, which seemed to be quite often.

The tour continued through the hotel lobby which earlier was the hospital emergency entrance. We took photos of the second and third floors. Our hunting companions were staying in room 32 on the third floor which had been the room of a parapalegic man who flung himself, wheelchair and all, over the balcony. Again, we snapped pictures like crazy, pointing our EMF and IR meters everywhich way in the hopes of registering the presence of a soul in limbo.

At the end of the tour, Chris let us use the meters for the rest of the night. He invited us to roam the hotel since we were the only guests and to check out the fourth floor, which was dark and most definitely a challenge. We said goodnight to our companions and headed for the stairwell. I held my camera and my girlfriend held the meters as we climbed the stairs, slowly but surely freaking ourselves out when we reached the fourth floor which was pitch black. We hurriedly scurried down both ends of the hall, snapping more pictures and sped back down the stairs to our room, breathing heavily and giggling.

Suffice it to say, we did capture at least two ghostly orbs so our ghost hunt was a success. We didn't hear or see anything strange the rest of the night and emerged the next morning refreshed.