Holbrook, Arizona: Creepy 1898 Court House

Very cool museum. Tons of historical pieces. Underfunded -- please donate.

I just stopped in for a quick visit on my way out of town, and ended up staying almost two hours! Randy, the current courthouse expert behind the front desk, is an engaging host, with a ton of stories about the place and its history and hauntings. The courthouse is well kept and the jail cells are terrifying. Really crazy graffiti, some of which is kinda beautiful.

Definitely worth a stop to say hi to Randy and his charges, the ghostly George, Mary and the kids, and nasty Sheriff Frank.

We were encouraged to go here by the good folks that own Joe and Aggies in Holbrook. We first noticed the courthouse the night before, when we were coming in to town. There was a large group of people watching children perform Native American dances in beautiful costumes (a near nightly event in the summer at 6 pm).

The next day, we were surprised and delighted, maybe even a little "freaked out," by the Court House and museum itself. First of all, there is a very spooky old jail left, for the most part, as it was when they stopped using it. I walked into the cell block area and immediately turned and walked out. The atmosphere was so strong I couldn't stand it. After a minute or two, I got up the nerve to go in again and take pictures. The creepy feeling in that area was palpable. The museum and court rooms as well as the old offices and studies upstairs, are also great and give you that strange, feeling like the people just disappeared and everything else remained as it was.

The people working there were very friendly and informative and made the experience very fun and enjoyable.