Nevada has quite a haunted history and is one of the most haunted states in the entire United States. Among the most terrifying ghost stories occurred in the former mining town of Goldfield that has amassed quite a reputation for its haunted hotel: the aptly named Goldfield Hotel. This ghost story is, indeed, a chilling tale of murder and the afterlife.
Goldfield, Nevada sits in and is the county seat of Esmeralda County. It is located about 250 miles southeast of Carson City.
The Goldfield Hotel opened in 1908 and was designed by Architect George E. Holesworth. It was built on the same site as the previous Nevada Hotel that was destroyed in a fire in 1905.
Shortly after its construction, mining magnate George Wingfield purchased the hotel and owned it until 1923 when it was sold to Newton Crumley. Crumley dug two mine shafts below the hotel, hoping to strike gold; however, these shafts were dry.
Wingfield was rather enamored with a local prostitute named Elizabeth. Rumor has it that when she came to the hotel and announced she was pregnant, Wingfield (afraid of a scandal) chained her to the radiator in Room 109 where she remained until the child was born. Whereas some say Elizabeth died in childbirth, others claim that Wingfield murdered her and then threw the baby down an old mine shaft.
Many claim that Elizabeth didn't die until 1930 and that her newborn was thrown down one of the mine shafts below the hotel, thus suggesting that it was Crumley, not Wingfield, who was likely her lover, father of her child, and murderer. Regardless of who, exactly, killed Elizabeth, her ghost story is one of the most famous in Nevada.
Regardless of who murdered her, Elizabeth's ghost haunts the hotel. Her apparition has been seen by many guests in Room 109, a room that has been described as "intensely cold." Elizabeth is reported as having long flowing hair while wearing white gown. Those who have seen her say she appears to be very sad and paces the halls calling out for her child. Numerous visitors also report that their cameras do not work in Room 109.
Additional ghosts haunt the hotel. Two of them reportedly committed suicide in third-floor rooms. While their identities remain largely unknown, it is believed one is a man who jumped to his death and the other is a woman who hanged herself. Additionally, the main dining room is haunted by a malevolent ghost nicknamed "The Stabber" who randomly attacks visitors with a large kitchen knife before disappearing. Whereas nobody has been injured or killed, numerous guests have been rather frightened by the experience. Finally, three small ghosts believed to be children are said to haunt the main lobby staircase. These spirits enjoy sneaking up behind visitors, tapping their backs, and then running away, laughing.
The Goldfield Hotel and its ghost story has been featured on FOX's World’s Scariest Places; on Ghost Adventures in 2004, 2011 and 2013, and on Ghost Hunters in 2008.
Have you visited Goldfield and the infamous Goldfield Hotel? Do you have any paranormal experiences to share? I would love to hear them. Please comment below.
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