Off the northeast corner of Prescott’s courthouse square, at Gurley and Marina Streets, sits the Hassayampa Inn. It was built on the site of the former Hotel Congress, which succumbed to fire, and opened in 1927. It has anchored downtown ever since: old western world on the outside, boutique chic within, with a hand-painted lobby ceiling and the original elevator still running. It is restful, lovely, and, by most local accounts, among the most haunted buildings in old downtown Prescott. The Inn really does have it all.
What have investigators found at the Hassayampa?
Paranormal teams have investigated the Inn for decades, and their reports cluster around the same things: shadow figures, electrical phenomena like lights and televisions flicking on and off, and recorded sounds with no visible source. Overnight guests add footsteps in the hallway at night and lobby apparitions that vanish when noticed.
The book Haunted Prescott, by Parker Anderson and Darlene Wilson, and the best book we have found on old Prescott, tells of a night watchman who appears in one specific chair before dissipating into air. Staff accounts vary in the way staff accounts always do. One employee: there is something every night that is off. Another: I do not believe in that stuff, so I do not see it.
The story of Room 426
The ghost story most associated with the Hassayampa belongs to Faith Summers. The legend says she arrived as a newlywed on her honeymoon, her husband stepped out for a pack of cigarettes that evening, and he never returned. Faith roamed the hotel for days, bereft. One version of the story has her hanging herself from the flagpole outside the balcony of Room 426.
Guests in 426 have reported weeping, the sensation of someone sitting on the bed at night, knocking inside the walls, and occasionally a full apparition. Staff have felt her presence for generations. The complete story, and why the details vary with the teller, is in the eternal guest.
Who else has checked in?
The guest book runs deep. The Beach Boys, Alec Baldwin, Tom Selleck, Georgia O’Keefe, and George Bush are all said to have stayed at the Hassayampa over the years. It is pet friendly too, so bring your pup and your EMF meter and enjoy one of Prescott’s most eclectic venues.
And the Inn is only the beginning of the neighborhood’s strangeness. The Palace, the Hotel Vendome, and the Granite Street garage all keep their own stories; the roundup is in just how haunted is Prescott.
Questions people ask
Is the Hassayampa Inn haunted?
It is the most consistently reported building in downtown Prescott. Investigators, guests, and some staff describe activity going back decades, centered on Room 426 and the lobby. Whether you credit the reports is up to you, but their volume and consistency are unusual.
Can you visit without staying the night?
Yes. The lobby, with its hand-painted ceiling and original 1927 elevator, is worth seeing on its own, and the hotel sits a short walk from everything else on the square.
Walk this story
The Hassayampa is a fixture of the Prescott Ghost Tour, which runs nightly at 7 PM for $29 and threads the Inn’s story together with The Palace, Whiskey Row, and the Plaza. Hear Faith’s story on the sidewalk outside, then decide whether you are brave enough to book the room.
