I was really not sure what to expect staying in a schoolhouse in a mining town in the desert, although it definitely intrigued me. Although it has a reputation for some playful spirit activity, I was more intrigued by staying in a classroom for a night (given that as a kid just seven hours of it had me antsy to leave).
My lovable friends and ghost hunters were quite pleasantly shocked when we pulled up to the Noftsger Hill Inn retired schoolhouse on the hill. The winds were blowing, the weather was pleasant (much better than Phoenix!) and the yard was filled with fruit trees, a kitty cat, an old school bus, with a welcoming feel. All of a sudden, I was missing my old Green Acres Elementary School in Fairfax, Virginia.
Rosalie, the charming innkeeper greeted us so friendly and warm. I felt like we were old chums right away. This woman is truly following her purpose in life. Her talents are well used in this endeavor and it shows. The inside of the inn sports a wide open airy hall with lots of authentic period furnishings and decorations with hints of the schoolhouse it once such as old school desks, class photos and chalkboards.
She guided us to our room which was enormous! There were two queen beds and a twin bed, a sofa, fireplace, beautiful furnishings, wood floors that creaked pleasantly underfoot, a row of tall windows and a very high ceiling, table and rocking chairs and a clawfoot tub in the bathroom! We were in happy heaven!
There is a beautiful open group room upstairs and a solarium with sunlight and plants and kitty cats wandering the floors as if they own the place. We even had a wonderful ghost hunt in our room that evening resulting in me waking up twice during the night to a little girl near my bed saying a full sentence both times, although the words were no clear. She was most definitely between my bed and the bathroom. The second time she said it, I just murmured “it’s okay, I’m here.” I was half asleep, but even in that state, my mommy tendencies wanted to comfort her.
All in all, it was a fantastic find, amazingly great prices, and Rosalie also makes you a fantastic breakfast in the morning in her fancy dining room. I felt utterly pampered and one of the family. We were exchanging hugs on the way out. I highly recommend it if you are in Arizona and want to drive through the Globe area where there are tons of antique shops and amazing mining works. The abandoned Gila County Jail there is also the place where I saw my first full-body apparition.
Oh, and you're probably wondering what my findings are of the inn. I would say that, yes, there is a haunting there. It could very well be residual from the school days played out endlessly atop of the rich mineral soils and building's construction all making it a wonderful conduit. The overall feeling is one of playfulness, shyness, and curiosity. It's a wonderful combination for such an enchanting place!
That sounds like such a fun place--even if it weren't haunted. But the little girl thing...spooky!
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's funny but voices never bother me in haunted places, but dark shapes do. I just laid there listening to her as if she were talking to a childhood chum. I definitely got the feeling that it was residual. We made a lot of efforts to communicate without success so I'm thinking since the building has the right conditions it's just residual of the same events being played day after day for so many years. A few people have seen a little girl actually walk across the room to that spot before, so perhaps that was a moment in time recorded for history...
ReplyDeletewow, that's amazing! i think hearing that voice would have freaked me out a bit. did you try evps?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you reminded me about that. I did run my digital recorder. I need to plug it into my computer and see what I got. I had to go back to work today, so I'll probably do that this afternoon. I wish I had set the recorder on voice activation during the night, but we had this guy walking upstairs really loudly on the creaky floors and I know it would have recorded that all night. In fact, around midnight, Julie and I snuck up there to see what was up with this pacing dude. The light was out in the room (transom overhead was dark) and when she put her ear to the door, Julie heard nothing inside. Creepy, huh???
ReplyDeleteI like the picture - it looks like a pretty cool building.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I took it at sunset and it just looked really eerie. Has an amazing feel to it between the solid construction and being on a hillside in mining geology that's mineral-rich. I love B&Bs made from places that weren't necessarily places to sleep like schools and churches and such. This was on my big fav's list and it's just over an hour from Phoenix with a gorgeous magical drive so it's a dream getaway.
ReplyDeleteWonderful! I can't believe you actually woke up to a little girl. I know where I am taking my next vacation.
ReplyDeleteJessica;
ReplyDeleteI think you'd totally love it. The town's abandoned jail "Gila County Jail" is where I saw the full body apparition and it's open usually on the weekends for tours. The B&B is up on a hillside overlooking the mining town and there's tons of antique shops with a lot of mining and old west type things in them. It just has a great feel. I love the place. My new favorite getaway. The drive from Phoenix is spectacular--like no desert drive I've ever been on! I'm totally sold on it. I just reviewed my EVP very casually on the computer and caught one definite EVP and I need to listen to the whole thing later on a more advanced sound program to find out what it was. I will report on the blog when I find out...
Very well written. Rosalie was such a sweet lady and makes a delish veggie quiche. Had a fun time and enjoyed watching how you ladies ghost hunt...sweet!
ReplyDeleteThe Noftsger B & B is one of my favorite places to investigate. Lots of soothing energy--there are still several children "attending class" and "facing detention" after school hours.
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