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Hotel Congress - Tucson, AZ December 30th, 2008
When Joe and I stopped at the Hotel Congress in the heart of downtown Tucson we were not on a Ghost Hunting quest...we were on an afternoon Bloody Mary quest. The day was warm and after a morning of sight-seeing nothing sounded better than to make a pit stop for a cold drink. There was no better place than a reputed Haunted Hotel. While we were not able to stay and Ghost Hunt like we would have liked we saw this as an information gathering mission to use when we were able to do a full hunt. The hotel dates back to 1919 and is historically known as a hangout of the infamous Dillenger Gang. In fact, in 1934, a fire that started in the basement of the hotel led to the capture of John Dillenger. Of course Joe and I were there to gather information on the reputed ghost hauntings. From the hotel's website: Ghost stories and legends also help keep the past alive at Hotel Congress. A gentleman in an old-fashioned gray suit named T.S. has been seen peering out the windows of the 2nd floor. He may have been the victim of a gunfight over a card game. A female ghost wearing Victorian clothing and smelling of roses enjoys the limelight of the stairwell and lobby. Then there is the hotel’s beloved Vince, who was a permanent resident for 36 years until his passing in 2001. Hotel staff members have been finding butter knives from the Cup Cafe, like the one he used for a screwdriver, in various locations around the 2nd floor. The first place we stopped was the hotel bar, which itself was fairly average, with two entrances - one from the hotel and one from the street. It was a narrow space with a few booths on one side of the room and long, dark, wooden bar on the other. It opened into a large room where bands and musicians frequent. The bartender, Mr. Tiger, was anything but average. He was a distinguished, yet quietly flamboyant, looking older gentleman with a penchant for turquoise jewelry. At first glance he seemed rather reserved but was quick to strike up a conversation with us once he was done talking to the regulars. Mr. Tiger amused us with his stories - talking about whatever popped into his head - his topics changing subjects as quickly as the temperature drops at night in Tucson during the winter - a thwarted robbery, his proudness of the hotel being a stomping ground of the Dillenger's and the numerous mentions both he and the hotel had in national magazines and newspapers. We found out that he had tended bar at the Congress Hotel for 50 years and was not shy to talk about the ghosts that roamed the hotel. He told one story of the staff seeing a child in the hallways of the hotel and him trying to find his or her Mother as well as an apparition that appears on the stairs in the main lobby of a woman who smells of roses.
After he took us to a hallway that was filled with pictures and newspaper articles on the hotel we decided to go to the front desk and see if we could ask some more questions.
We were told that in the beginning days of the hotel, when it was built to serve the customers of the Southern Pacific Line railway, those who could not afford to pay for a room were allowed to stay in the basement at no charge. Some activity has been reported down there and may be believed that some of the poor customers may not have left the basement at all... Plains Paranormal does have plans to stay at the hotel to do a full investigation but no date has as of yet been set.
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Comments on the web site?Email webmaster Rachael at plainsparanormal@hotmail.com |
