This site has long been rumoured to be haunted. The old two-story hotel was in business when Mark Twain was a reporter in Virginia City, and it is possible he visited the place in years gone by.
Today, the hotel features a fine dining room and lobby right out of the glory days of the Comstock Lode. The building also houses two well-known ghosts: a man and a woman. Some say the male spirit is that of a con-man who was killed when he was caught cheating at cards. Others say that the ghost is the unhappy shade of William, the original owner of the hotel. Whoever it is, he has manifested as footsteps and the pungent smell of a cigar. The other ghost is the better known of the two. She is called Rosie and is said to have been a lady of the night who plied her trade at the hotel long ago. She was murdered here or took her own life (you take your pick) and now haunts room number 2. She might also be the spirit of a red-haired Irish cleaning woman who once worked here. Whoever she was, she has mostly manifested as the smell of cheap rose perfume.
I spent a long night here, investigating the psychic smell. While bathing in the large claw-footed tub, I smelled the strong rose smell. It wasn’t like a real smell—it was overpowering. I checked the soaps, the windows, everything, and then the aroma vanished instantly in an unnatural way. I believe I was visited by Rosie. This took place about 2 a.m. I made sure no one was about the hall or balcony trying to hoax me with a spray bottle of perfume. I believe the hotel is haunted, but more work will be needed to find out the identity of the ghost.
Written by — Richard Senate Psychic Investigator/Author Carson Valley Ghost Stalkers
GOLD HILL HOTEL
1540 MAIN STREET
VIRGINIA CITY, NEVADA 89440
SEE ALSO:
SOURCE:
Encyclopedia of Haunted Places – Ghostly Locales from around the World – Compiled & Edited by Jeff Belanger – Copyright 2005 by Jeff Belanger