The Gadsden

Arizona · United States · Hotel

A boy plays pranks on the mezzanine, a headless figure walks the tunnels in the basement, and Sara keeps to the third floor.

The Gadsden Hotel at Douglas, Arizona has several, and the staff distinguish clearly between them.

A Native boy plays pranks on the mezzanine. An elderly guest called Sara keeps to the third floor. In the basement, a luminous figure of a man moves across the wall, and the basement is where most of it happens.

The headless figure in the tunnels is said locally to be Pancho Villa, which is the sort of claim a border town makes and should be treated as such.

The hotel itself is genuine and extraordinary. It opened in 1907, has a marble staircase and a Tiffany stained glass mural, and it is the grandest building for a very long way in any direction. Douglas sits directly on the Mexican border, and the revolution happened within sight of it.

The hotel is open.

FAQ

Where is The Gadsden located?

The Gadsden is in Arizona, United States.

Image: Chad Johnson from Lake Linden, MI, USA / cc by 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons