Old Washoe Club – Haunted Saloon in Virginia City, Nevada

The Old Washoe Club stands as one of Nevada’s most notorious haunted locations. This historic saloon towers over Virginia City’s main street with a dark presence.

Built during the height of the Comstock Lode silver rush, it has witnessed countless deaths. The building’s violent past created layers of paranormal activity that continue today.

Visitors report overwhelming feelings of dread when entering certain rooms. Ghost hunters consider it among America’s most actively haunted buildings.

The upper floors were once a “suicide spiral” for desperate miners. At least 24 documented deaths occurred within these walls over the decades.

Historical Background

The Old Washoe Club opened its doors in 1862 as an exclusive gentlemen’s club. Wealthy mine owners and silver barons gathered here to conduct business and socialize.

The original structure served multiple purposes throughout Virginia City’s boom years. The ground floor operated as an elegant saloon and gaming hall.

The second floor featured private rooms for high-stakes poker games and private meetings. The third floor contained small sleeping quarters for members who drank too much.

In 1873, the building underwent major renovations after a devastating fire. The reconstruction added the iconic bay windows that still overlook C Street today.

During the 1880s, the club’s fortunes declined as silver mines began failing. The upper floors transformed into cheap boarding rooms for desperate, broke miners.

These impoverished men often chose death over facing their financial ruin. The third floor became known as the “suicide spiral” among locals.

At least 13 men hanged themselves from the rafters on the upper floor. Another 11 deaths included shootings, stabbings, and one particularly gruesome poisoning.

The building changed hands multiple times between 1890 and 1950. Various owners operated it as a saloon, brothel, and rooming house.

Prohibition forced the club to close its bar operations in 1920. The building fell into serious disrepair and stood mostly vacant for decades.

Restoration efforts began in the 1990s to preserve Virginia City’s historic structures. The Old Washoe Club reopened as a museum and paranormal tourism destination.

Paranormal Activity Summary

The Old Washoe Club experiences constant paranormal activity throughout all three floors. Visitors rarely leave without experiencing at least one unexplained phenomenon.

The most common occurrence involves sudden temperature drops of 20-30 degrees. These cold spots appear without warning and move throughout the rooms.

Disembodied voices echo through the empty upper floors during daytime hours. Male voices argue loudly, then suddenly fall silent when investigators approach.

Objects move on their own with startling regularity throughout the building. Chairs slide across rooms, doors slam shut, and glasses fly off shelves.

Shadow figures appear in peripheral vision, especially near the stairwells. These dark masses move with purpose and sometimes approach visitors directly.

Physical touches are reported by nearly 70% of overnight investigators. Visitors feel cold hands grabbing their arms, shoulders, or pulling their hair.

The smell of cigar smoke permeates certain areas despite the no-smoking policy. This phantom odor appears strongest in the second-floor card room.

Electronic equipment malfunctions constantly within the building’s walls. Cameras drain completely in minutes, and voice recorders capture unexplained sounds.

Full-bodied apparitions manifest regularly on the upper two floors. These ghosts appear solid enough that witnesses initially mistake them for living people.

Ghost Stories & Reports

The most famous spirit is known only as “Lena the prostitute.” She appears as a woman in a red Victorian-era dress on the second floor.

Lena reportedly worked in the building during the 1860s when it operated as a brothel. She was murdered by a jealous client who stabbed her 13 times.

Witnesses describe her as beautiful with dark hair and sad eyes. She appears most often near the spiral staircase leading to the third floor.

Lena touches male visitors frequently, often stroking their faces or arms. Some men report feeling an overwhelming sense of sadness when she appears.

She vanishes instantly if anyone attempts to photograph her directly. However, she appears in background shots taken by other people in the room.

The “Millionaire’s Room” on the second floor hosts the spirit of an unnamed gambler. He lost his entire fortune in a single poker game in 1876.

This ghost appears as a middle-aged man in an expensive suit. He sits at the antique poker table staring at invisible cards in his hands.

Visitors report hearing him weeping softly before he fades from view. The smell of whiskey accompanies his appearances, though no alcohol is present.

Some witnesses claim he speaks directly to them in a raspy voice. He repeatedly says “All gone, all of it gone” before disappearing.

The third-floor “suicide spiral” contains the most aggressive paranormal activity. At least 13 different spirits haunt this cramped, dark space.

Visitors experience intense feelings of hopelessness and despair when entering this area. Several people have suffered panic attacks and had to leave immediately.

Shadow figures dart between the exposed rafters where men hanged themselves. These entities move with jerky, unnatural movements that unsettle observers.

One spirit appears as a young miner in his twenties with a rope around his neck. He stands motionless near the far window, staring out at the street below.

This apparition is believed to be James Morrison, who hanged himself in 1882. His suicide note mentioned crushing debts and a wife in San Francisco.

Morrison’s ghost interacts with visitors more than other third-floor spirits. He has pushed people toward the stairs and grabbed their wrists with icy hands.

The ghost of an elderly woman haunts the ground floor saloon area. Local historians believe she is Helen Newhouse, the club’s housekeeper from 1868-1881.

Helen died of pneumonia in a back room at age 67. She refused to leave the club even when seriously ill because she had nowhere else to go.

Her spirit appears as a transparent figure carrying linens and cleaning supplies. She seems unaware of living people and continues her eternal housekeeping duties.

Some visitors report smelling lavender soap when Helen appears nearby. This matches historical accounts of her preferred cleaning products from the 1870s.

Most Haunted Spot

The third floor “suicide spiral” is unquestionably the most terrifying location in the building. This cramped space beneath the rafters radiates negative energy that affects everyone who enters.

The ceiling hangs low with exposed beams that once supported hanging ropes. Visitors must duck to avoid hitting their heads on the ancient wood.

Temperature readings consistently show this area 15-20 degrees colder than other floors. The cold penetrates winter clothing and chills people to their bones.

More physical attacks occur here than anywhere else in the building. Spirits push, grab, and scratch visitors with alarming frequency and intensity.

Most paranormal investigators refuse to spend more than 10 minutes alone here. The psychological weight of the space becomes unbearable for sensitive individuals.

Can You Visit?

Yes, the Old Washoe Club is open to the public year-round. The building operates as both a museum and paranormal investigation site.

Daytime admission costs $5 per person for self-guided tours of all three floors. Museum hours run from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM daily except Tuesdays.

Guided historical tours are available at noon and 3:00 PM for $10 per person. These 45-minute tours include detailed accounts of the building’s history and hauntings.

Paranormal investigation tours run Friday and Saturday nights from 8:00 PM to midnight. These experiences cost $75 per person and include ghost hunting equipment.

Private overnight investigations can be arranged for groups of 6-12 people. These exclusive sessions run from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM and cost $150 per person.

Photography is encouraged throughout the building during all tours and investigations. Many visitors capture unexplained anomalies, orbs, and even full apparitions on camera.

Video recording is also permitted with advance permission from tour guides. The club requests that visitors share any paranormal evidence captured during their visit.

Best Time to Visit

Paranormal activity occurs constantly at the Old Washoe Club regardless of season or time. However, late night hours between midnight and 3:00 AM produce the most dramatic encounters.

October through December sees increased supernatural activity according to investigation logs. The anniversary of several documented suicides falls during these autumn months.

Full moon periods correlate with more aggressive spirit behavior and physical manifestations. Investigators track lunar cycles and plan their most serious investigations accordingly.

Friday and Saturday nights experience the highest levels of documented paranormal phenomena. Multiple spirits seem more willing to interact when larger groups visit the building.

First-Hand Accounts & Eyewitness Reports

Sarah Mitchell from Sacramento visited in October 2019 with her paranormal investigation team. She reported being physically pushed down three stairs by an unseen force on the third floor.

Her team captured electronic voice phenomena recordings of a male voice saying “Get out now.” Security camera footage shows Sarah falling forward with no one near her.

Local historian Robert Chen documented his 2018 encounter with Lena the prostitute. He was alone on the second floor when he felt a hand touch his shoulder.

Turning around, he saw a woman in red standing three feet away smiling at him. She vanished within seconds, but his camera captured a red blur in the frame.

Professional medium Jennifer Walsh conducted a séance here in March 2020. She claims 17 different spirits communicated with her during the 90-minute session.

Walsh reported one spirit identifying himself as Thomas Granger, a miner from Cornwall, England. Historical records confirm a Thomas Granger died in the building in 1879.

Tour guide Michael Rodriguez has worked at the club since 2015. He experiences paranormal activity during nearly every shift he works in the building.

His most frightening encounter involved seeing a full apparition on the third floor in 2017. A transparent man with a rope around his neck appeared for nearly 30 seconds.

Rodriguez watched as the figure pointed toward the window before fading completely. He later identified the ghost as matching descriptions of James Morrison from historical photographs.

Paranormal Investigations & Findings

Ghost Adventures featured the Old Washoe Club in Season 4, Episode 13 in 2010. Zak Bagans and his crew experienced intense paranormal activity throughout their overnight investigation.

Bagans was physically scratched on the third floor, with three long marks appearing on his back. The incident was captured on camera and remains one of the show’s most dramatic moments.

The crew recorded numerous EVP sessions with clear responses to their questions. One recording captured a voice saying “We’re still here” when asked about the suicides.

The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) investigated the location in 2012 for a documentary. They documented temperature anomalies and captured video of objects moving without explanation.

Their thermal imaging cameras recorded a human-shaped cold spot moving through the second floor. The figure appeared to walk through a solid wall into an adjacent room.

Local paranormal research group Nevada Spirit Seekers conducts monthly investigations at the club. Their database contains over 300 documented encounters spanning eight years of research.

They’ve collected thousands of EVP recordings, hundreds of photographs with anomalies, and dozens of video clips. Their evidence suggests at least 20 distinct spirits regularly manifest in the building.

Renowned psychic Chip Coffey visited the Old Washoe Club during a 2016 tour. He reported feeling “overwhelmed” by the number of spirits present simultaneously.

Coffey identified specific spirits by name and provided details about their deaths. Historical researchers later verified much of the information he provided through period newspaper articles.

Safety Warnings & Legal Restrictions

The third floor presents genuine physical dangers beyond paranormal threats. The floor creaks dangerously, and certain boards are marked off-limits due to structural concerns.

Visitors must sign liability waivers before participating in overnight paranormal investigations. The Old Washoe Club management assumes no responsibility for injuries or psychological distress.

People with heart conditions should avoid the third floor entirely due to intense experiences. Several visitors have required medical attention after panic attacks in the suicide spiral.

Pregnant women are discouraged from participating in overnight investigations by building management. The negative energy on upper floors may cause extreme emotional and physical reactions.

The building locks at 6:00 PM except during scheduled paranormal investigation events. Trespassing outside of business hours results in immediate arrest by Virginia City police.

All visitors must remain in designated public areas during self-guided daytime tours. Private rooms and storage areas are strictly off-limits without staff escort.