Tombstone Silver Image

Boothill Ghosts


Introduction

There are hundreds of stories about unusual sights and sounds at Boothill Graveyard. Many people report hearing voices while they walk around in the Graveyard during the day. There are regular reports of the sounds of coyotes howling at night in the Graveyard. Guests also commonly report touches. A woman told me once that she had walked past a grave that afternoon and felt like a spider's web had brushed across her face, but no trees or structures could anchor a spider's web in that location. Several people have told me about momentarily seeing a small animal scurrying between the graves, but it disappeared before they could identify it.

Several years ago, one of the guests on my tour shared a rather unusual story with me. She said that she had visited Boothill earlier in the day and felt a "pull" toward the far end of the graveyard. She followed her instinct and ended up at the grave of Johnny Blair, which is by itself out just past the edge of the graveyard. Johnny died of smallpox at a small camp a few miles from Tombstone, and his buddies were not willing to touch his body to bring it for burial. They threw a rope around his feet and dragged him to the graveyard behind a horse. They dug his grave, dragged him into that grave, and then threw the rope in behind him. My guest arrived at his grave and said she felt an overwhelming urge to shout "Whoop!" like a cowboy would have as he came into town. After a single shout, which must have startled her friends, she left the graveyard and had no other incidents. She figured that the spirit of Johnny Blair was making her behave that way.

Photos

The following gallery includes seven Boothill Graveyard photos sent to me by guests over the years. These show all four types of paranormal phenomona and are evidence of the high level of paranormal activity at Boothill.


Location

Boothill Graveyard is located on AZ 80 Highway, just outside town on the way to Benson. The graveyard is open to the public but it is closed after dark. Many of the Boothill photos I have were taken through the fence at night.