FriendBurst Blog

When I was asked to begin writing about some of the ghost adventures I’ve had in the past, I was honestly not sure where to begin. My experience with ghost hunting is far from anything you’ve seen on Ghost Hunters, or any of the incantations that can be found on most cable stations. But while I might not have the latest technology, I still have a blast and have experienced some amazing things.

I’ve decided to begin my ghost adventures with one of the areas I used to go to all the time. Not because I have had a lot of supernatural encounters, but because it gives you more of a background in my interest in ghost hunting and the supernatural.

Jerome has played an important role in my family’s history for many years. My grandparents were active in the community up there during the mining years, owned a grocery store and my grandmother even worked in the United Verde Hospital, which is now the Jerome Grand. Growing up, I heard many strange tales of what would occur in that hospital and of strange deaths. Some of those I will share in a future post as I feel you will find them fascinating.

In this small town, up near the curve of the old Mingus Union High School is the old Pioneer Cemetery. When I was a teen, I would often leave my home on the Hogback and head down to the cemetery to enjoy the peaceful, serene area.

I’d tell my mother I would be going for a walk and would head on down to sit among the graves and write for a few hours, always making sure I was back home before sunset because I didn’t want to be there in the dark. You see, graveyards were delightful to me in the daytime, but I wasn’t a fan of them at night. This didn’t work at the time for ghost hunting, but my ghost adventures would be influenced by this location.

Monsoon season is a period during the summer when the rain can roll up on you all at once and there usually isn’t much notice. It was on a late July afternoon that I happened to be in the graveyard and I remember getting this sudden chill coming over me like there was someone else there. However, I always sat facing the gates. I remember the clouds at the time where starting to roll in and the smell of rain was in the air and knew it was time to go. Standing up, I started walking toward the gates and intended to leave the cemetery.

From the north end of the cemetery, I could hear footsteps that seemed to be approaching me. Looking around, there was obviously nothing there, but the sounds continued. I remember trying to rationalize it in my mind, looking for coyotes or other animals that could have been in the general vicinity. But there wasn’t anything there.

With fear getting the better of me, I decided I better hurry out of there and head back home. I briefly mentioned this experience to Dustin Poole, a friend of mine at the time. But never really mentioned it beyond that, but I continued to question what I had witnessed that day. My rational mind strived to determine what it had been, but I couldn’t explain it.

Over the years, my fascination with the paranormal became obsessive. I read books on haunted places and looked for people who had similar experiences like those I had. Ideally, in the books on haunted Arizona, I wanted to find someone who witnessed something like it. That way, I could ask them what they had discovered. It wasn’t until the internet really took off that I have been able to connect with some amazing people who had also experienced similar things in the old Pioneer Cemetery.

Today, I am still very interested in ghost hunting and still head out on some amazing ghost adventures. While my experiences are predominantly in Arizona, I have explored other areas in the country.

In the coming weeks and months, we’ll explore those experiences. For some, I have EVPs, photographs and other pieces of evidence that I look forward to sharing with you. I am also an open book to you about all my experiences and encourage you to take a few moments to sound off in the comment section below. I’ll do my best to respond to everyone who posts a question.

What I will do is give you guys the chance to decide what my future posts will be on. That way, this remains an interactive experience that you can keep checking back on. I also will answer questions about haunted places across the US that I have studied from afar, if you want to know more. I’ve been fortunate enough to make some great connections that will help me to provide you with quick, reliable information.

For my next post would you guys prefer post about:

A. Jerome, AZ
B. Tombstone, AZ
C. Prescott, AZ
D. Pittsburgh, PA

I have experiences at all of them, majority rules.