The Bank of America at 902 North Stone Avenue in Tucson is closed today due to the 4th of July holiday.

That doesn’t mean that there is no activity at the bank. Ghosts don’t work bankers’ hours and they don’t take holidays. The branch is bustling with paranormal activity.

The strange goings on at this location have been reported for several years.

This particular location was established in 1948 as The Bank of Douglas. By 1960, the bank operated under the name Arizona Bank. In the 1990′s, bank mergers and acquisitions brought the names of banking giants like Bank of America and Wells Fargo to town. Banking customers at First Interstate and Arizona Bank underwent the painful process of bank account conversions. Perhaps that is what stirred up the ghost at 902 North Stone Avenue. The ghostly activity at the bank was rumored to have accelerated around that time.

Employees saw apparitions. Doors swung open. Doors slammed shut.

One dreaded door, the door to the furnace room, was avoided as much as possible. Employees considered that room to be the source of activity and simply steered clear of it. In 1997, Alan D. Fischer of the Arizona Daily Star paid a visit to investigate the rumored haunting. He witnessed the furnace door swing open for no apparent reason. He investigated the area and found no prankster around. He examined the door, which was too heavy to simply swing open by itself. He concluded: “I don’t have an answer, but I do have a strong belief that there is something going on there.”

One has to wonder whether there is something going on there today. The next thing to ponder would be whose spirit feels compelled to haunt the bank and why they would haunt it. No one knows the answers yet. It could be someone associated with the bank, or someone associated with the property prior to 1948.

While future dreaded mergers and acquisitions could change the name of the place, the activity of a nameless ghost may remain unchanged.

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Area malls are bustling with holiday shoppers in the Old Pueblo. I prefer to keep my holiday shopping excursions outside those scary and crowded malls. Instead, my holiday shopping will be conducted at smaller establishments.

I offer my top three favorite shopping haunts to those who share my fear of the structure called the mall.

Oh, and yes, they are all haunted.

Each location offers unique holiday gifts, with prices that fit nicely within everyone’s budget. All locations also have a wide variety of gift ideas for everyone on your shopping lists.

22nd Street Antique Mall, 5302 East 22nd Street.

Who doesn’t love antiques and collectibles? Previously-owned items generally possess an interesting history. On this note, I’m reminded of the scene in the movie, The Sixth Sense, when Anna Crowe shows the antique sapphire ring to a young couple in her store. She says, “A lot of the pieces in this store give me feelings. I think maybe when people own things and then they pass away, a part of themselves gets printed on those things – like fingerprints.” The 22nd Street Antiques Mall is full of such fingerprints. The owners and employees openly discuss their paranormal experiences at the store.

It is not known who haunts this store. Some people theorize that it’s the ghost of a former property owner, while others think that the ghost could be attached to an item brought into the store.

Strange things happen at the 22nd Street Antiques Mall. Furniture on display has been known to rearrange overnight when the store is empty. Admirers of pieces of jewelry stored in a case have been brushed against, when no one else is in the immediate vicinity.

Many people I know like to collect things, and you just might find a special addition for a loved one’s collection at this mega antique store. Or, you might find that item that has a loved one’s name written all over it.

Whether a spirit is attached to an item you take away from the store is anyone’s guess. I don’t know anyone who has been disappointed after receiving an item from this store.

Cost Plus World Market, 5975 E Broadway Boulevard.

This popular chain touts “Unique, Authentic and Always Affordable” items. They live up to that promise.  This specialty retailer offers quality imported items. The selection is massive, and prices are affordable. Gifts for everyone in your life, from pets to parents, they say, can be found at this store.

It wasn’t until recently that I discovered that this particular location on Broadway has a ghost.

A friend of mine is moonlighting there as a seasonal employee. A couple of weeks ago, after closing time, the bathroom door locked mysteriously from the inside. After several unsuccessful attempts to open the door, it finally opened on its own. That’s when it was revealed to my friend that the ghost of a little girl haunts this store. The ghost had long ago became acquainted with full time staff. I’m looking forward to learning more about her and sharing my research with you in a future post.

Factory 2-U, 902 W. Valencia Road.

This location was the subject of one of my first blog entries on Paranormal Old Pueblo. You can read that post here about a comforter-set-flinging-poltergeist. Though the current employees haven’t experienced any paranormal activity in recent years, this store remains a favorite for inexpensive and useful items.

Bargain hunters can appreciate this store for last minute gift ideas or stocking stuffers.

Do you have any favorite “haunts” that you enjoy? If you know about any store that offers both gifts and ghosts to holiday shoppers, share them with us in the comment section below.

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There is yet another potential paranormal reality television series in the works. The keyword here is “potential”, mind you. The show, if it comes together, will be comprised of a ghost hunting team of horror movie professionals. The project is called Hollywood Ghost Hunters.

Kane Hodder and Rick McCallum head up the all-male investigative team. You may not know who these men are, unless you are true slasher film enthusiast. Hodder is a stuntman who was one of the many men behind the hockey mask that “Jason” wore in four of the Friday the 13th films. McCallum, also a stuntman, took on the role of the title character in the film Darkwolf, as well as the portrayal of the monster in Deep Dark Six. The two stuntmen discovered their common interest in ghost hunting while filming a movie at the haunted Mansfield Prison in Ohio. Both men state that they each possess many years of ghost hunting experience.

“We are thrilled with the renewed national interest in the paranormal and we would love to be able to find some new and undiscovered locations to visit and ghost hunt,” – Kane Hodder, Hollywood Ghost Hunters

It isn’t a shocker that the team is comprised of a total of 13 men, who are all connected through their various individual contributions to the horror film genre and their common interest in the paranormal. Some of the men on the team are skeptics, but they would love to find evidence to perhaps change their beliefs.

Hodder, McCallum and company are currently accepting submissions from owners of haunted locales, preferably in Southern California. However, the team is willing to consider locations outside that area. Team member Louis Horowitz has two Arizona paranormal investigations under his belt, including one in the “paranormal” Old Pueblo. If a Tucson case is interesting enough, it isn’t that far from Southern Cal.

The team claims to be the most qualified group to investigate the paranormal. Director/producer/team member Richard Friedman supports this claim by stating: “…who better to delve into the truth and reality of ghosts, than people who create the illusion of the supernatural for a living,”

Their Hollywood Ghost Hunter’s website presents video evidence gathered at an investigation in June, at the David Oman house in Beverly Hills. For those who don’t recognize the location, this is a home constructed a few doors down from the scene of the 1969 Manson family massacre of Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Voytek Frykowski and Steven Parent.

David Oman, the home’s owner, is the creator/writer/producer of a film called House at End of the Drive, a slasher/ghost story loosely based on the 1969 murders. Oman claims that his home is haunted by its proximity to the murder scene. SyFy’s Ghost Hunters investigated the Oman home in 2007. Parapsychologist Dr. Barry Taff also investigated the home. When discussing the case with George Noory on Coast to Coast AM in 2005, Taff said he was uncertain if the home was haunted or if there was a geophysical explanation for the unusual activity in the home, similar to the Oregon Vortex.

It’s not surprising that the horror movie professionals investigated the home of another horror movie professional. The team does feature additional investigations outside of Southern California on their website, including the Sloss Furnace in Alabama and the South Pittsburg Hospital in Tennessee.

The team is currently accepting submissions of “new and undiscovered locations” via their website.

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