Many of Tucson's buildings have stories to tell.
Tucson Ghost Company shares the haunted histories during its Downtown Tucson tours, which run through Friday, Nov. 22.
The company also hosts ghost hunts in Tombstone at Hotel Tombstone through Friday, Dec. 13, and the Undertakers Espresso Bar through Saturday, Dec. 14.
Becky McKiddy-Gydesen owns the company, which has been in operation since 2013. It started offering tours in Downtown Tucson and expanded into paranormal investigations.
McKiddy-Gydesen took over the company from the Bisbee-based original owner and changed the routes and stories.
In the past, the company has done ghost hunts at the Mescal Movie Set in Benson, the Arizona History Museum in Tucson and Tubac Presidio State Historic Park.
The Downtown Tucson tours visit sites such as Old Town Artisans shops, the Pima County Historic Courthouse, the Fox Tucson Theatre and Hotel Congress.
The tours usually have between 10 to 15 people.
McKiddy-Gydesen said she and her team emphasize the importance of respecting the spirits.
“They were human beings like us. They’re just in a different form now, and you need to treat them like it,” McKiddy-Gydesen said.
McKiddy-Gydesen said Tucson Ghost Company just adopted a new route, which often attracts visitors from out of town or state.
“It’s a shorter walk for people, but it still has the same number of buildings and the same amount of stories. We just took away some buildings and added some buildings,” McKiddy-Gydesen said.
“I was thinking more of the customer because a lot of people can’t do a lot of the walking…. A lot of people cannot take the heat for so long. We wanted to get it where you still get your 90 minutes. You still get all of the stories, but it’s a slower pace, and it’s not as much walking.”
Tour guides take guests around Tucson by lantern and share information about electronic voice phenomena (EVP) and electromagnetic fields (EMFs).
McKiddy-Gydesen said her team, especially their paranormal historian, works hard to find out about the history of the buildings on their tour. They also incorporate personal stories that others have shared with them.
She works with two tour guides.
“What I always tell my ‘ghost hosts’ — the people who lead the tour — to make sure they do half and half. As much history as you tell, make sure that you tell that many ghost stories… They pick and choose different stories, because there’s just so much history and so many stories that we can tell because otherwise we would be doing a three-hour tour,” McKiddy-Gydesen said.
Tour participants can also share stories of their own haunted experiences.
“Sometimes, we’re lucky enough to get a guest that worked in a building. They’ll tell their stories. Even if it’s not someone from Tucson, sometimes they have paranormal experiences from somewhere else,” McKiddy-Gydesen said.
McKiddy-Gydesen has had paranormal experiences in Downtown buildings such as the Fox Tucson Theatre. She experienced having her shirt tugged on while she was alone in the theater in the dark. Her team has also seen shadows in the building.
“It’s not only just our team that has had experiences there but employees. They’ve even said that they’ve had some artists that have had experiences,” McKiddy-Gydesen said.
The ghost hunts offer a chance for participants to spend more time inside buildings such as the espresso bar in Tombstone.
McKiddy-Gydesen leads these ghost hunts.
McKiddy-Gydesen said that the espresso bar is a very active site for paranormal experiences.
“We’ve seen flashes of light. We’ve seen shadows. We’ve had equipment go crazy. I’ve been scratched there. We’ve been touched. We’ve heard cowboy boots walking on the floors because they’re the old, wooden floors,” McKiddy-Gydesen said.
During the ghost hunts, groups go into the buildings in darkness and try to communicate with spirits.
“The ghost tours are more like what you see on TV, when you’re watching shows like ‘Ghost Hunters’ and ‘Ghost Adventures,’” McKiddy-Gydesen said.
During the tours, participants have a chance to try equipment such Radiating Electromagnetic (REM) pods, spirit boxes, laser grids and K2 EMF meters.
“We have the equipment set out. They get to watch it, interact and see if they can get it to go off,” McKiddy-Gydesen said.
Downtown Tucson Ghost Tours
WHEN: Various times through Friday, Nov. 22
WHERE: Tours begin at the Monsoon Room, 201 N. Court Avenue, Tucson.
COST:$25
INFO: tucsonghostcompany.com
Ghost Hunts
WHEN: Various times through Friday, Dec. 13
WHERE: Hotel Tombstone, 530 E. Allen Street, Tucson
WHEN: Various times through Saturday, Dec. 14
WHERE: Undertakers Espresso Bar, 521 E. Allen Street, Tombstone
COST: $30
INFO: tucsonghostcompany.com
