Page 16 October 2 0 14 Ghostly visits haunt the historical Hermosa Inn Resort By Mallory Gleich Many words can be used to describe Paradise Valley’s Hermosa Inn Resort: traditional, peaceful, relaxing. One word, at first, is usually not associated with the hotel: haunted. The Hermosa Inn started off as artist Lon Megargee’s home and studio in 1936. A bachelor at the time, Megargee would often host parties where friends would come and stay for long periods. Megargee decided to turn “Casa Hermosa” into a guest ranch and even built secret tunnels so that guests could escape in case of trouble with the sheriff. In 1941, Megargee sold the ranch to new owners who intended on using Casa Hermosa as their private residence. Much to the owners’ surprise, guests continued to show up on the doorstep, intent on staying. Thus, The Hermosa Inn was born. From then until the late 1980s, the Hermosa Inn continued to grow and flourish. Various owners added new additions and the property became a popular destination. In 1987, however, a fire damaged the original buildings, which were Megargee’s home and studio. In the early 1990s, the Inn underwent a complete restoration. The walls of the original building were saved and are still there today. Megargee’s artwork is on display in this area, including one of his most famous works, “Last Drop from His Stetson.” This piece was commissioned by the Stetson Hat Company and is printed on the inside of every Stetson hat. Lon Megargee died in 1960, but it is rumored that his presence is still felt around the Hermosa Inn. There have been reports of lights shutting off and coming back on, candles falling out of their holders and doors closing. According to Kendra Riley, who is the Director of Communications at the Hermosa Inn, room 107 is the most haunted. Riley stated that guests even request to not have that room due to the “ghostly” occurrences that have happened. Visitors have reported that they hear banging on the walls and people talking with no guests in the adjoining room. One guest, a reporter from Germany, claimed he saw a man observing him as he walked around the grounds one night. “The guest told me about a very tall man in a crisp white shirt and slacks who looked like he belonged to the property. He stayed here and he was patrolling like it was his property,” Riley said. He stated that the man walked into room 107 and shut the door. There is no night watchman on the grounds of the Hermosa Inn. Riley also shared that the television show Ghost Hunters did a segment on room 107 and claimed that they saw a smoky vision of a cowboy in the room. They also had a device that turned the energy of the vision into words. The words they heard were priest, bible and affair, but there is no record of a story involving those words. Another story is told of a woman in a pink dress walking across the bridge near the pool area. The dress is said to be floor length and not from this time period. Guests have asked Riley about the woman, saying, “Who is the lady in the pink gown?” However, there are no stories or records connecting the woman to the Hermosa Inn. Employees have also quit their jobs due to the ghostly activity at the Hermosa Inn. One maid resigned after having the doors shut on her multiple times while she was cleaning. Another maid left after seeing an apparition of a cowboy in a mirror. No one else was in the room. An employee that works the night shift has stopped working alone after reportedly seeing children playing in the parking lot around one in the morning. This employee has also seen the woman in the pink dress. Although Lon Megargee has been dead for over 50 years, it certainly seems like his spirit lives on at the place he loved the most, what is known as The Hermosa Inn. The Hermosa Inn (top) was given life as an artist studio by Lon Megargee (bottom). Dead for half a century, some think Megargee still roams the property. Find an Arcadia News rack location near you. Visit arcadiadaily.com click on “Get a Copy” Follow us on

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