Back in the 1950’s, Jerome was indeed an abandoned ghost town, built precariously on the side of a 30-degree slope not too far from Sedona, one of the prettiest sights in Arizona. Ahh, but back to Jerome, it was there to support the miners that took out gold, silver and a whole lot of copper. Around the turn of the century there was some 15,000 people living there. That declined as the mines played out. They ceased operation in 1953 with only a handful of people still around. Later on, the hippies found Jerome as a haven to get away from civilization, buying property for pennies on the dollar. Jerome is not on the way to anywhere, it is a destination. In the 1970’s there were a few more people finding refuge there and a few stores and restaurants reopened among the rubble of other buildings mainly to accommodate the straggling tourists. The hospital high on the hill sat eerily empty. As time went on, the State decided to redo the mining president’s house into a museum; soon some artists settled down and opened shops. More tourists followed and the town began to live again. Eventually the hospital was renovated into a hotel, as was the old residence of a town madam. It is said that if you spend the night, you can hear the moans of the former patients and be visited by the unfortunate chap that was crushed beneath the hospital elevator. Spirits of ladies of the evening wonder about in the other hotel and nearby streets and even one mineshaft has a “Headless Harry” to contend with. There have been so many incidents of ghost sightings at the community center that it’s referred to as Spook Hall. Residents say that Jerome remains a ghost town, only now in a different sense. Here the legend is only supported if you believe in ghosts, but there are so many of them that they are hard to ignore. Step back in time; see for yourself.
The only difference is that I get a free newspaper every week. 
