BISBEE — The ghosts who haunt some of this city’s favorite places will be the major attraction during an upcoming weekend of paranormal hunts for the spirits that are part of the old town’s legends and lore.

Starting July 18, guests with a preference for things that go bump in the night will gather in the historic mining town to meet each other and their guides to discuss the adventure that organizer Renee Gardner, guide of Old Bisbee Ghost Tour, wants to turn into an annual event.

“We hope this is the first of many to come,” Gardner said.

The Bisbee Inn and Hotel Lamore were chosen as the accommodations for the weekend, based in part by their own hauntings.

Renee Gardner, dressed in 1800’s style clothing, takes a flight of stairs behind Hotel Lamore to an area that is said to be visited by a ghost called “the Lady in White”. Gardner, the guide for Old Bisbee Ghost Tour, is one of the organizer of Ghost Hunting and Paranormal Weekend in Bisbee to be held July 18-20. (Vera Davis-Herald/Review)

The former has three ghosts who have taken up residency, guests and the owner have claimed. In one room, a wandering spirit apparently dislikes toiletries. They end up on the floor. In another room, a lonely ghost likes to climb into bed with the guests. Proof of that otherwordly existence is seen in the depression that forms in the mattress. Then there’s the handsome miner who appears in his mining gear at the end of a hallway, Gardner noted.

The latter has a cat who apparently likes human company now and then. It purrs and walks across the bed to the delight of some and the chagrin of others. One of Bisbee’s most famous ghosts, the Lady in White, has been seen hovering in the corner of one room and outside at the darkened stairs behind the old hotel, Gardner added. She is a kindly lost soul who is credited with saving the lives of a few youngsters.

For those who join in the full-moon adventure, the International Community for Paranormal Investigation and Research will provide information on how to use scientific equipment to detect ghosts. The members use a variety of technologies from digital and film cameras to infrared cameras to voice recorders.

The Web site for the organization states, “ICPIR formed because of a need to allow more people access to proper training as paranormal researchers. All of our team members are chosen after meeting strict requirements. All investigations are conducted with professionalism and by following all the rules of the law. Our mission is to find proof of the existence of life after death. We intend to accomplish this through means of scientific investigation. This is a growing and evolving community.”

“That evening during the full moon, guests will take the Old Bisbee Ghost Tour,” Gardner explained. “After the Old Bisbee Ghost Tour, they will have the opportunity to ghost hunt with members from the International Center of Paranormal Investigations and Research at the very hotels they are staying at, which are believed to be the most haunted hotels in Bisbee.”

On Saturday, the paranormal adventurers will have the opportunity to enjoy Bisbee’s sunny skies, local shops and attractions. In the afternoon, lunch will be served again and members from the International Community of Paranormal Investigation and Research will continue their lecture on even more of the equipment used in their studies and the evidence they have found during some of their investigations.

“Later on Saturday, the group will then head over to Tombstone to take the Tombstone Ghost Tour and to investigate the world famous Bird Cage Theater, thought by many to be the most haunted building in America,” Gardner emphasized.

Numerous killings by gunslingers happened in the notorious Bird Cage Theater, which served as a theater, saloon, gambling hall and brothel during the heyday of Tombstone in the 1880s.

Sunday will bring an end to the spirited weekend. The members from the International Community for Paranormal Investigations and Research will be on hand to answer any questions guests have regarding the investigations they actively took part in. All the data collected from the weekend will be posted on the organization’s Web site, added Gardner.

‘Paranormal Weekend’

When: July 18, 19 and 20.

Where: Locations in Bisbee and Tombstone including The Bisbee Inn, Hotel Lamore and Bird Cage Theater.

Tickets: Tickets are $150 for adults and $125 for children under. 12.

Contact: 432-3308, oldbisbeeghosttour.com or icpir.org/index2.html.

Herald/Review reporter Shar Porier can be reached at 515-4692 or by e-mail at shar.porier@bisbeereview.net.