Before heading back from Reno after the Chalk Festival, I spent a day in Virginia City with two awesome artists (Lori Antoinette and Mri Scott ). And guess what? It’s HAUNTED! We had so much fun exploring the history and ghost hunting. If you love visiting haunted locations, this city is not to be missed.
Up on the hill is the Silver Terrace Cemetery. One of the spirits reportedly seen here is an old groundskeeper.
Built in 1860, the Mackay Mansion was originally the offices of the Gould and Curry Mining Company, as well as housing for the mine superintendent. Johnny Depp stayed in the mansion for a week while filming “Dead Man” and had a ghostly encounter with a little ghost girl on the second floor. The mansion has also been featured on Ghost Adventures and Dead Files.
The Old Washoe Club originally opened for business four months before the Great Fire that destroyed most of the town. The Saloon was rebuilt and opened a second time in 1876, and aside from being a bar, the Washoe Club was designed to be the meeting grounds for the Virginia City elite. Paranormal investigators from all over the globe are drawn to The Washoe Club, reporting this is the most haunted place in Virginia City, if not the entire state.
The Silver Queen Hotel was built in 1876 and is the oldest hotel in Virginia city. The hotel is believed to house a ghost named Rosie, who was a prostitute who killed herself in Room 11.
The hotel is also known for the painting “Silver Queen”. It’s a 15-foot tall full-body portrait of a woman embedded with 3,261 morgan silver dollars, as attributed to the depth of the deepest mine in Virginia City.
A close-up view of the silver dollars. Her belt is made of 28 $20 gold coins, while her bracelet and necklace are made of silver quarters.