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.


Comments

  1. Kateri Von StealJune 11, 2012 at 4:47 AM

    Love these views of history!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Justine’s HalloweenJune 11, 2012 at 1:22 PM

    What 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!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

26 Bar Ranch (John Wayne Ranch)

-
Image
Immersed in the Hereford’s history in Eagar, AZ, sits the 26 Bar Ranch.   It was first known as the Milky Way Ranch in the 1940’s with its big white show barn which housed many Hereford cattle.   The barn is now a local landmark.   In 1964 the ranch became the 26 Bar Ranch or John Wayne’s Ranch, who was one of the owners.   Wayne, along with Ken Reafsnyder and Louis Johnson, his business partners, kept the ranch until John Wayne’s death in 1979 from lung and stomach cancer.   Lately, I have heard rumors that Bigfoot has been seen near the ranch.   I don’t know if that is true or not, but it would be worth checking out.  John Wayne and Louis Johnson
Read more

The Haunted Strip Mall

-
Image
This unassuming strip mall, on 19th Avenue & Northern in Phoenix, has an Albertsons, Starbucks, Einstein’s Bagels and other shops or offices, and would never thought to be haunted, but it is. Many years before the strip mall existed on this site, there used to be several eroded buildings standing there. These structures were murky and eerie and abandoned for many years. There was much speculation that the buildings were haunted and ghosts have been reported wandering around the grounds. Between the deteriorating walls of these dark dwellings, apparitions and other strange occurrences had been seen and heard by eyewitnesses. Young kids and teens would dare each other to investigate the buildings at night using only a flashlight for protection. They would find an open hole in the fence to gain access and slowly, as a group, would enter a building. They never lasted the night claiming to hear crying, and whimpering sounds coming from the long dark passage. Only a few brave souls wou
Read more

Cowboy Mummy Found in Desert

-
Image
  There are many strange stories in the Arizona files. One that is told is about the mummy found in the desert near Gila Bend nicknamed “Sylvester”. Many believe that he once was a 19th century cowboy, a con that loved to play cards. Stories are told that he finally got caught cheating and was shot in the stomach. He made a hasty exit while bleeding profusely from his wound. He got as far as Arizona’s Gila Bend desert when he fell off his horse and died face down in the sweltering heat. Shortly afterwards, he was covered by the blowing sands, which appeared to have dried his body overnight. This apparently preserved his body resulting in the mummified form he was found in. The more believable story was that he was found shortly after death and preserved in a high level of arsenic. Arsenic was used to stop the physical occurrences of a corpse rotting by killing bacteria and insects that invaded it. This custom of using arsenic was found to be poisonous by the 1900’s and never used
Read more