Oliver House

Today, the Oliver House in Bisbee, Arizona serves as a bed and breakfast to guests of all kinds. In 1909, it was built to accommodate Calumet & Arizona Mining Company executives. Mining tycoon Henry Oliver's wife Edith Ann Oliver oversaw the construction of the 12 room red brick structure in 1908. Since then, it has been a residence, boarding house, and business office. The building may have a pleasant appearance but also a violent past. There have been allegedly 27 deaths (mostly murders) on the property. The actual number can not be verified due to fires destroying historical records.

One known murder is that of a miner named Nathan Anderson. On February 22, 1920, Nathan attended a social affair, walked a woman home and had a light supper prior to returning to his room in the Oliver House. Approaching the door of Room 13, an unknown assailant shot Nathan three times and fled the scene. Some believed a theft a day prior to the murder may have been connected. However, most believe his murder was more personal. The story circulating say Anderson was having an affair with the wife of a man he owed money to. That man discovered the affair and decided to confront Anderson and settle things with a pistol. His murder remains unsolved.

Alleged cheating and murder seems to be a theme at the Oliver House. It is believed a mass murder may have taken place on the property as well. Supposedly, in 1932, the wife of a police officer chose the formerly known "The Blue Room" at the Oliver House as the place to have an affair. One night, her husband tracked her down. He killed his wife and her lover in the bed they shared. There is a bit of a dispute as to what happened next. Some say the policeman killed a lot of people out of panic, trying to get out of the building. Then, committed suicide once he was out of town. Others say the policeman went on a rampage. Killed his wife, lover and anyone else he could find before committing suicide.

Another reported death wasn't considered violent at all. An older woman passed away of natural causes in what is known as "The Grandma Room". When Dennis Schranz bought the Oliver House in 1986, he removed a rocking chair and a coo coo clock from this room. Why? This woman is believed to haunt the room. She loved to make the rocking chair rock and a broken coo coo clock chime at 2 am. People who have spotted her ghost have reported she smiles and winks before disappearing. All sounds rather benevolent, right? After her two favorite items were removed, she became a bit violent, hitting a little boy who was sleeping in her room.

This is by far not the only reported paranormal activity at the Oliver House. A shadow figure is often seen around Room 13 where Nathan Anderson was murdered. People have described hearing the sound of firecrackers followed by footsteps, running down the hall. Doors and shutters open and close by themselves. Witnesses have heard voices, running water as well as work being done on pipes that no longer exist, furniture moves on their own, feelings of being watched, cold spots, sounds of parties on the second floor when no one was there.

The Oliver House was up for sale last year. Not certain if anyone purchased it or not, but their Tumblr page has plenty of photos of the property.

Sources:

Haunt Spot

4 Girls and a Ghost

Legends of America

Comments

Jadewik said…
Hey, thanks for the link back to my blog article over at The Witching Hour (4girlsandaghost). I love to see where my writing travels.

I didn't know the place was for sale. Interesting since they seem to do well as far as guests go. Bisbee is quite the hangout.

Great article. I enjoyed reading your thoughts on the Oliver House. =)
Bella said…
Simple but very precise info
Daiyu said…
It was definitely informative
Brock said…
Your site is very useful. thanks
Lucas said…
Way cool, some valid points!

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