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Crystal Palace

Introduction

Historic red brick building with 'Golden Eagle Brewery 1879' sign, featuring a balcony and ground floor entrance labeled 'The Crystal Palace'. Western-style architecture with wooden posts and railings.

The Crystal Palace was initially opened as the Golden Eagle Brewery in 1880, featuring a German-style lunch and cold beer. The original building burned in the 1882 fire, but it was rebuilt as the much larger Crystal Palace. The new bar was quite ornate and included a goldfish pond and fountain. The second floor had room for several offices, including Marshal Virgil Earp and Dr. George Goodfellow. During Prohibition, the building was used as a movie theater. After Prohibition ended, the Crystal Palace was reopened as a saloon and restaurant. In the early 1960s, Tombstone Historic Adventures restored it to how it looked in the 1880s. Today, the Crystal Palace has the same look-and-feel of the days when Tombstone was still a young mining town. Many guests in town stop at "The Crystal" for lunch or to beat the heat with an ice-cold beer. On weekends, the Crystal Palace features live entertainment. It is safe to say that something is always "jumping" at the Crystal Palace.

Ghosts

The Crystal Palace is also a haunted location. The basement of the Crystal Palace used to connect to one of the mines, but that entrance was walled shut many decades ago. It is believed that spirits from the mine still use the basement of the Crystal Palace as a gathering spot before visiting above ground, so there is a good bit of paranormal activity here. One local man told about a ghost hunt conducted in the basement after closing hours several years ago. The group leader adjusted a detector sitting on a table against the mine wall as the event began. Soon, the man heard a voice that quietly whispered, "Get Out." He said that he laughed at that voice, then it repeated the demand but loudly enough for the other people in the room to hear. When he did not move fast enough, he was pushed (or slapped) on his back so hard that it knocked him down. He reported that his wife noticed a huge handprint in the middle of his back when he got home later that night.

Also, bikers tend to like our town, and groups frequently visit. Several years ago, a biker got a bit "fresh" with one of the women working at the Crystal Palace. He later went to the men's room. While he washed his hands, he looked in the mirror above the sink. He noticed a man in an 1880s costume was glaring at him from behind. The biker thought it was a great costume, so he turned around to speak to the gentlemen, but no one was there. The biker thought that was very strange, and he turned back to the sink to rinse his hands. When he did, he noticed that gentleman was now standing just behind him in the mirror. This time, though, the gentleman reached forward, grabbed the biker's shoulder, and spun him around, but no one was there. The biker quickly left the building and did not come back. We know that Virgil Earp used to keep the peace in this place using techniques like this biker experienced; he would physically throw misbehaving cowboys out onto the street and tell them never to come back. While we cannot know if this biker ran across Virgil, something made him leave the bar and not return. Ever.

Location

The Crystal Palace is located at 420 E Allen Street, on the corner of 5th.