Jerome Arizona
Clinkscale Hotel, Bar and Grill
People find themselves being the main entertainment for a grumpy
spirit, a practical joker, and a pampered kitty spirit at Clinkscale Hotel!
A kind Madam of yesteryear has her own decor preferences that get mixed reviews.
DESCRIPTION
”Historical Charm with Modern Amenities”.
The Clinkscale Hotel, Bar and Grill (formerly The Mile High Inn and Grill), is “the place to stay and dine.”
They describe themselves as being an 1899 boutique hotel with a modern American bar and grill.
In their promo introducing themselves, they say: “Built in 1899, this boutique hotel and modern American bar & grill is in the heart of Jerome. Restored in 2020 and furnished to perfection, this concept is as chic as it is unique, featuring six guest rooms. Brunch served 8am-4pm daily.”
The owners surely cater to their guests in every way possible, offering the very best in guest rooms, restaurant dining experience and the cocktail service in their bar.
They have done their best to be and look like a top-notch boutique hotel, bar and grill. Looking at the pictures of the first floor, the renovations of the bar and eating areas are really eye-popping elegant in a modern way, yet the historic booths and decor in the restaurant reflect the western era of Jerome as well.
In the bar area, the upscale, modern drink preparation station is in a rectangular shape with chairs located around this space. The bartenders make their specialty drinks right in front of the patrons. The round tables and chairs are placed along the window and wall spaces.
There are many nice touches blended with the historic restaurant area, giving it a decorative lift, making it all the more inviting. The chef has the highest standards and comes up with delightful choices for people to enjoy, mouth-watering and unique indeed!
The guest rooms’ Victorian western decor has been improved a notch or two. Amenities that add comfort to the lovely rooms that the traveler expects have been added as well. The eight rooms that came with this structure have been cut down to six, as five of them have king-sized beds, and one has two queen-sized beds. They also have updated the private bathrooms and spruced up the small kitchen, used by guests that may have been there during the apartment days.
Former guests leave rave reviews on the Trip Advisor website:
“First off, the management and staff are excellent – well trained and very people focused. They are among the best we have experienced in Arizona.”
“The rooms are in the floor above the restaurant and are pretty quiet and well appointed. The room we stayed in had two queen beds, a smaller bathroom and faced the front of the building looking over the street with the valley in the distance.”
”Comfortable beds, beautiful bathrooms, and don’t forget about the complimentary coffee, water, and tea in a private guest kitchen… the amenities are great.”
“After checking in, go downstairs for a craft cocktail at happy hour before indulging in a decadent dining experience of American fusion cuisine, with just a touch of French flare.“
HISTORY
The 1889 fire in Jerome just about destroyed the town, burning down most of the buildings on Main Street.
Ten years later, this structure was built in 1899 by a Mr. Clinksdale, over the charred foundation of the old building that once stood there. The rebuilt structure was known as the Clinksdale Building. Thanks to this mover and shaker, much of downtown had help in rebuilding.
To avoid destruction by fire, precautions in the designs of all the rebuilt Jerome structures were implemented. The most important preventative measure was using brick instead of wood, a hard lesson learned by many frontier towns who suffered devastating fires.
The Clinkscale Hotel building had an added feature. Legends of America website states: “The new structure had 18 inch thick walls to make it as fire-proof as possible.”
A mercantile business moved into this building and opened its doors once again, bringing needed goods and/or services to the Jerome community.
A few years later, a more profitable but naughty opportunity presented itself to the building owner. The mines were at their peak of production, and men were hungry for intimate female companionship. The business that was located here moved out and a bordello moved in to service lonely men, miners, as well as husbands with a roving eye. Madam Jennie Banters’ Bordello was a very popular place which earned a pretty penny in its day as bordellos in mining towns were a great financial investment, though morally decadent.
A large parlor was created on the first floor, when men could meet the ladies as well as have a game of cards and a drink. Madam Banters also personally had her clients, but probably for a higher price.
It was a pleasant, private set up, with each woman having her own small bedroom to “work,” and live when she had time off. Everyone was happy with this upscale bordello except for the other Jerome citizens who lived and worked around them. It wasn’t long before Jerome’s prostitution businesses were moved off Main Street.
In the early 20th century, towns began to close down their bordellos. Some, like San Diego, outlawed prostitution altogether, which resulted in it moving underground. Others delegated this fallen angel business to areas of the town that decent people wouldn’t visit, like designated red light districts. (Butte, MT * Cripple Creek, CO).
The town of Jerome forced the bordellos to operate in a place called Husband’s Alley, where shacks were built to hold the individual prostitute’s crib. It was quite a fall in working conditions from having a nice bedroom in a secure building, to a drafty shack and an uncomfortable bed, just big enough for two people, with no security.
Madam Jennie Banters suffered an unpleasant end, as she wound up being murdered by one of her clients in her sex shack on Husband’s Alley.
When the ladies of the bordello were forced off the main street of town, the Clinkscale building was used as a hardware store on the bottom floor and the small second floor bedrooms were turned into apartments. Housing was needed for area workers. This building has been in continuous use ever since because its location is central to all town activity. Many businesses operated in this structure throughout the 20th century.
Over the eras, the population of Jerome dwindled because the mines closed and there wasn’t much business to employ people. Was the town of Jerome on the road taken by Bodie, California, destined to become a ghost town?
In 1970, there were about 100 people still living in Jerome, and the future didn’t look too bright. But this state of decline stopped in 1971, when hardy artists (some called them hippies) discovered the life style and beauty of Jerome and decided to stay. They joined the remaining population, setting up various arts and crafts shops. This new commercial element proved to be a tourist attraction, which meant that Jerome as a functioning town wasn’t dead yet!
The visitarizona.com website states: “Artists and craftspeople saved Jerome. The town’s former high school, for example, houses the Jerome Art Center, where more than 30 artists rent studio space. Throughout town, galleries are tucked in former houses and storefronts, showcasing furniture, photography, fine art, jewelry and more.“
Over the next twenty years, Jerome continued to attract tourist dollars, which meant it became profitable to open up other businesses which cater to visitors: B and B’s, hotels, restaurants and bars.
Now that it was part of a viable town, the owners of this building decided to turn it into a hotel and a place to eat a meal or two. The apartments on the second floor were restored back to their original eight larger rooms. As the tourists were looking for a historic place to stay, the owners created a Victorian, western feel in the decor.
The Jerome Inn opened to great success indeed! They had a great run as a successful inn and restaurant until the recession in 2008, when the inn was put back onto the real estate market.
After the Jerome Inn, The Mile High Inn and Grill opened for business in 2009, offering eight guest rooms, designed in their original Victorian style, popular around 1900. It kept the large parlor with a fireplace. The inn’s restaurant, The Jerome Grill, offers registered dietician approved American cuisine and heart-healthy fare. The breakfasts that came with the guests’ stay were highly rated and recommended.
Sometime in 2020, during the Covid Pandemic, the property again became available on the real estate market. It wasn’t for sale very long. The first step the new owners took to start their business, renamed The Clinkscale Hotel, Bar and Grill, was to renovate the first floor, blending historic decor with a new upscale look that would draw wine enthusiasts as well as other tourists looking for an upscale, Victorian western hotel.
They also invested money in sprucing up the rooms upstairs and opened for business in 2021 offering hotel rooms and brunch, to much acclaim!
They must know that they have resident spirits, as they knew that when they bought the property, have hinted giving one of their rooms a spooky name, though they haven’t promoted the resident spirits and haven’t even come out of the paranormal closet just yet.
They describe this room, the Spooks, Ghosts & Goblins Guest Room, on their website: “Where Haunted meets the Old West. Cozy up on the couch in front of the fireplace in our two-room suite. Wake up to another time and place in the caress of a fluffy king-sized bed enveloped in luxurious linens, with spooky characters gracing the walls above. Warm and welcoming with a secluded feel, it’s the perfect place to get away and forget where (and when) you are. The name? Oh, it’s just a name. As far as we know…”
HISTORY OF MANIFESTATIONS
When spirits have suffered an unpleasant end, they often decide to reside in a place where they were happy, such as Clinkscale Hotel, to get their mind off their demise.
Kahler Grand, MN (Helen Vorhees, heiress of the Brach candy-making family, loved this hotel. When she was brutally murdered by the mob, her spirit returned here, looking for some peace and justice).
Kelton House Museum, OH (Oscar Kelton was killed in a Civil War battle and cannot rest in peace because he probably promised his family that he wouldn’t be killed, as he couldn’t imagine this happening to him. His spirit looks for comfort and peace in being in his old family home, with the spirits of other family members to keep him company).
Cornerstone Bed and Breakfast, NE (Charles and Bertha’s second son, Jarvis Jennen Offut, was killed in the line of duty on August 13th, 1918, near Valheureuv, France. His spirit went back to the Offut family forever home, where he felt love, comfort and support growing up. He has chosen to spend his afterlife there, willing to share his home with bed and breakfast visitors).
Clinkscale Hotel, Bar and Grill, AZ (Madam Jennie Banter had a rude life change when forced from her comfy bordello to an unsecure alley to do her entertaining in a rough shack on a bed just big enough for a liaison. One of her clients brutally killed her. To forget about her downfall and awful death, her spirit became active when the Jerome Inn moved into the building and restored some of the rooms on the second floor. Oh Joy!).
Former owners in spectral form sometimes have the mind-set that they still own the business and can set up performance standards and high expectations on how items are organized.
Bullock Hotel, SD (The spirit of Seth Bullock is front and center as the spectral supervising manager and takes an active role, not trusting the living with his hotel after the dolts thought it was a good idea to allow gaming machines to be set up in the lobby!).
Hotel Colorado, CO (The first owner is still front and center, even correcting decor mistakes).
Benson Hotel, OR (The original spectral owner, who was a mover and shaker in life, still doesn’t like drunks and slacker employees and is not afraid to show his displeasure. Standards and expectations must be met).
Clinkscale Hotel, Bar and Grill, AZ (The spirit of the former bordello owner, Madame Jennie Banter, considers herself to be the spectral manager of all, and acts accordingly, like any living person-in-charge would do, letting her opinions clearly be known).
In the afterlife, Spirits have the same dispositions as they had while alive. Death doesn’t give any improved attitudes or changes to personalities. Kind spirits even if restless, are still kind. Crabby spirits are just as unpleasant with the living as they were with others while alive. Jokesters in life still like to joke around as spirits with the living.
Eldridge Hotel, KS (Colonel Shalor Eldridge was an encouraging soul while alive, and is still encouraging with the living staff who work here).
Lucky’s Tavern, FL (The spirit of a gangster who was gunned down just outside this structure during Prohibition, has moved inside and has given himself the job of being spectral manager of the employees. He has a rough way of dealing with people).
Rising Sun Tavern, VA (The last tavern owner, John Frazier, was a jolly, good-natured man with a sense of fun. He likes to playfully tease the living to let them know he is there, keeping them company!)
Clinkscale Hotel, Bar and Grill, AZ (Out of three spirits who are known to the living, one is fun-loving, one is a grump, and one is kind to the employees).
Spectral animals sometimes stay in a place where they were loved or were comfortable, especially if the spirits of their former masters are still present there).
Vendome Inn, AZ (The kitty who starved to death along with his mistress stays in his mistresses’ old room).
Morgan House, MA (Spirit of nine year old Alphie and his spectral dog DoDo are constant companions in the family home).
Lemp Mansion, MO (Though Charles Lemp shot his dog before he killed himself, the spirit of Charles’s dog is still loyal and looks for the spirit of his master).
Clinkscale Hotel, Bar and Grill, AZ (Madame Banter had a pampered cat who is still her spectral pet, as she is still in residence).
MANIFESTATIONS
The paranormal activity listed below was reported during the years of The Mile High Inn and Grill. The same spirits are probably still there, perhaps very happy with the upgrades done by the new owners of Clinkscale Hotel, Bar and Grill.
General Paranormal Activity
Could be any of the ghostly residents staying in the structure.
The upstairs rooms and hallway have cold and hot spots.
Locked doors are opened and closed.
Glasses sitting on tables have been known to slide off by themselves with a crash.
A waitress in the restaurant’s restroom heard a woman singing, followed by a loud bang. No one else outside the bathroom heard this.
Like entities everywhere, the spirits that haunt the restaurant are fascinated with electric devices, especially the answering machine.
After it was turned off after the restaurant had opened, the machine turned itself on three different times, much to the annoyance of the waitress in charge of operating it when she arrived at work.
The Spirit of Madam Jennie Banter
Easily the wealthiest woman in town in her era, she became active in the building probably after it was transformed into an inn, looking much like it did when she lived there.
Her favorite room seems to be the Lariat and Lace Room.
She has rearranged the furniture, likes to play with the ceiling fan, and has been known to move items in the room to places of her choice, much to the annoyance of the maids and to the surprise of the guests.
She shows kindness to the maids by turning on the radio as they tidy up the room for the next guests.
Busy in the Kitchen
Jennie likes to keep an eye on the cook in the kitchen and lets her presence be known.
She has made objects like ice cream scoops fly off their resting place onto the floor, if not put away properly!
She made the cookbooks move by themselves until they fell on the floor. Perhaps she was trying to look up a recipe!
Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty!
A cat from the past still claims the Mile High Inn and Grill as home. It is thought to be Madam Jennie’s pampered pet.
Guests, employees, and the managers of the inn have felt the spirit of the friendly kitty rub up against their legs. It’s plaintive meows have been heard in various areas of the building.
The sound of a cat sharpening its claws has been heard coming from a shelf, located above the doorway as one enters the Mile High Inn and Grill.
This kitty still takes naps on the beds in the guest rooms and rolls up in a tight ball, making an indentation on the bed. He or she leaves imprints of its feet on the bed.
This kitty once appeared in the kitchen when he ran quickly from under the grill, circled once around the startled cook’s feet and scampered away, vanishing into thin air.
Elderly Male Spirit
This spirit may be a former apartment tenant who doesn’t want to leave his home.
A friendly, gentle spirit, with a sense of humor, who has chosen the Mile High Inn and Grill as his eternal retirement home.
Was seen by the manager as she walked down the hall past the guest rooms.
She saw the hazy, grayish colored apparition of an elderly man, standing by the window in the room called Pillow Talk, looking down at the alley below. He was dressed in work clothes from an earlier time and wore a felt hat.
Fun-Loving
The spirit of an elderly man has been known to laugh at the maids and the inn manager, and at some guests as well.
After making the bed and straightening and smoothing the pillows and comforter in the rooms Pillow Talk and Kiss and Tell, the maid would leave for a moment and when she returned, she would find the indentation of a human body on the bed.
She immediately redid the bed, only to find the same indentation when she checked the room again!
The doors to the armoire in the Kiss and Tell Room seem to have a mind of their own and open and close on their own schedule.
The Grumpy Male Spirit
He may be the bouncer of the bordello, or a former apartment tenant, or a business owner who had a shop here.
This entity has some issues. Perhaps he isn’t pleased with the renovations of the building or that this Mile High Inn and Grill Restaurant has moved into the building. There’s always a critic!
He gets his chuckles by startling the living, though he never hurts anyone.
He likes to hang out in the upstairs area. A cold wind blew strongly through one of the guest rooms, removing the blankets off startled guests. The windows were closed at the time and there was no reasonable explanation.
While straightening up in the Victorian Rose Room, a maid saw the shadowy apparition of a man move across the room and go behind the door.
The smell of roses, and sometimes of perfume, moves through the Victorian Rose Room, and the water faucets have been known to turn on and off in the sink at will.
More Grumpy Spirit Antics
In the Jerome Grill, the waitress on the early morning shift was alone in the restaurant, when she heard a man’s footsteps behind her.
Thinking it was the cook, she turned around to talk to him. Instead, standing there was the shadowy apparition seen in the Victorian Room with a bad attitude, staring at her with cold, grumpy disapproval, his head cocked to one side. After she screamed, it disappeared quickly.
Whistling has been heard in the bar area. In the kitchen, the cook was reaching down to pick up something off a lower shelf, when two plastic containers from a high shelf in the preparation area suddenly fell down and hit him in the head. While it didn’t hurt him, it did shake him up a little.
On occasion, this grumpy spirit likes to eavesdrop on conversations in the Grill. When a skeptic verbally expressed to her group that the hauntings were a bunch of nonsense, a metal sign sitting up on a ledge above her suddenly flew down with a bang onto the floor with no help from natural causes.
PARANORMAL FINDINGS
Guests, employees and owners have been aware of the spirits residing in this building, probably from the Jerome Inn days. The spirits may be quiet for now because of the new living people in charge, but won’t be for long.
Psychic Research organizations like the Missouri Ghost Hunter’s Society and Southwest Ghost Hunter’s Association have found that the Mile High Inn and Grill building, now the Clinkscale Hotel, Bar and Grill, is home to several spirits.
STILL HAUNTED?
Most Probably so!
They may be shy at first to announce their presences, but their attachment to this structure is strong, and sooner or later they will feel comfortable and return to their old ways, if they haven’t already.
Most probably, the spirit of Jennie Banter and her spectral kitty are still happily existing in the Clinkscale Hotel, Bar and Grill. She feels happy spending her afterlife in a place where she was successful and comfortable. She probably loves the new look and the upper-class people it attracts.
The spirit of the elderly man when he feels comfortable again, will continue in his playful ways.
The grumpy spirit may either love the new look or find things he doesn’t like, which is in his nature. I bet he will be forthcoming sooner rather than later.
LOCATION
309 Main Street
PO Box 901
Jerome, Arizona 86331
928-634-5094 * 800- 634-5094
SOURCES INCLUDE
- https://www.facebook.com/jeromemilehigh
- https://www.visitarizona.com/places/cities/jerome/
- https://www.legendsofamerica.com/az-jeromehaunting/
Our Haunted Paranormal Stories are Written by Julie Carr
Our Photos by Tom Carr unless otherwise credited in sources
