The Ghost of Old Main
The Old Main building of the University of Arizona is located
where an ancient Indian village once stood.
There have been many claims of ghosts seen in this building by students
and faculty. One of the spirits reported
seeing could be that of Carlos Maldenado who supervised on the construction for
the Old Main building in the 1800’s.
Carlos moved to Tucson is the summer of 1841 from Sonora Mexico. It was said that he was a professional
gambler as well as a Sonoran businessman.
Carlos kept a close eye on the construction of the building and even
chatted with the local Indians who were curious about the structure being
erected. He was even known to stay in
the building from time to time while it was being built.
One morning the workers saw Carlos’ wagon and horse were
attached to the hitching post outside and figured he either spent the night or
got there early. They searched the first
floor and didn’t see him anywhere. They
went up to the second floor and saw him sitting in a chair and he appeared to
be sleeping. They snuck up behind to
scare him, but noticed that he didn’t move even though they yelled loudly. They walked around the chair and saw a large
buffalo skinners knife sticking in Carlos’ throat. The knife had cut an artery causing a mass
amount of blood to saturate his clothes.
An investigation ensued but the murderer or murderers were never
caught. His death remains a mystery even
today. The building was considered
unsafe and left empty for many years following his death.
In 1941, the Old Main went through restoration. During the renovations many of the workers
reported seeing the apparition of a Mexican man in many of the rooms. This apparition has been seen by many,
standing in doorways, floating in the halls, and hanging out in the
offices. After seeing a picture of
Carlos, the witnesses said that he is the ghost they have seen roaming the
building of Old Main. It looks like Carlos is still keeping an eye on the building that he loved and cared for.
Love these views of history!
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting story! I wouldn't be surprised if Carlos is still hanging around that place. His murder is quite a cold case by now, but it would be cool if it could somehow be solved!
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