Haunted Hotel Congress

June 9, 10:55 PMArizona Haunted Sites ExaminerDebe Branning

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Hotel Congress was built in 1919 during the height of train travel.  Railroad passengers arrived and departed from the nearby Southern Pacific Railroad depot making the hotel their home away from home.  The Tap Room in the hotel was the perfect hangout for the flapper era during the Roaring Twenties.  

Hotel Congress’s real claim to fame happened in January 1934 when members of the Dillinger Gang checked in for some rest and relaxation and occupied rooms on the 3rd Floor.  Two days later, an oil furnace in the basement near the elevator shaft caught on fire.  Flames shot up the elevator shaft all the way to the then existing 3rd Floor. 

The frightened hotel guests began evacuating the hotel as quick as possible.  That is all except the members of the Dillinger Gang.  They remained in their rooms as long as possible while they carefully pack their guns, ammo and loot into their luggage bags.  Suddenly they found themselves trapped in the burning building.  Firemen had to swing ladders up to their windows to aid their escape to the street.  The anxious members of the gang paid the firemen a generous tip to go back up into the fire and rescue the heavy baggage from their rooms.

A few days later, the firemen were enjoying a short lived break at the firehouse.  One of them was thumbing through a copy of TRUE DETECTIVE.  He recognized one of the men they rescued at Hotel Congress as a member of John Dillinger’s gang.  This tip off to the local authorities led to the capture of John Dillinger and his gang who were still ‘vacationing’ in a nearby neighborhood.  Tucson’s capture of Dillinger was the headline in all the nation’s newspapers.

The Dillinger gang probably left some of their energies in the 90 year old hotel building, but they are not the ghosts most frequently seen by employees and guests during their visits to Hotel Congress.  A man in a gray, pinstriped suit has been seen looking out of the second story windows.  They call him T. S. and believe he may have been the victim of a gunfight over a misdealt card game.

Room 242 is one of the most haunted rooms.  A despondent woman checked into the room and committed suicide by shooting herself.  The bullet hole can still be found in the closet of this room.  People hear voices and crying coming from Room 242 even when there are no guests occupying the quarters.  Guests who have stayed in this room have felt an invisible hand on their arm as if to aid comfort to a sad and lonely person.

Housekeeping claims the vacuum cleaner plug is often pulled out of the socket while they clean Room 214.  Sometimes they turn the radio to 1920’s music to soothe the spirit and the activity will cease. 

Employees and guests have seen a woman in a high button collar blouse and long wool skirt carrying linen down the hallway entering and departing the rooms without opening the door. She has also been seen on the stairwell and lobby.  Her presence is known by the faint smell of roses.  

The hotel’s former permanent resident, Vince, passed away in 2001 but there is evidence he has not moved out of Hotel Congress.  Hotel employees find butter knives from the Cup Café, like the one Vince used to use for a screwdriver, in various locations on the 2nd floor.

The MVD Ghostchasers paranormal team had the opportunity of investigating the old hotel one evening hoping to capture a ghost on film.  The staff gave us the grand tour and pointed out some of the more active areas which all seemed to be in the same hallway.  Feeling a cold spot in the hall, we turned down the lights and took several photos.  We had the keys to all the rooms that were not occupied so we were able to explore quite a bit of territory.  The highlight of the evening was when they took us up to the 3^rd floor.  They never rebuilt an actual 3^rd floor after the fire.  It is now the rooftop!  And, oh what a view!   It’s no wonder the ghosts choose to stay in this grand little piece of Tucson’s bygone era.                                                 

Hotel Congress

311 E Congress Street

Tucson, AZ  85701

520-622-8848

www.hotelcongress.com