Today Goldfield is a small former mining town between Las Vegas and Reno that has a population of 500. In contrast, in the early 1900s Goldfield’s population swelled to over 30,000 after the local residents found gold.
During the town’s boom years the stately 150-room Goldfield Hotel opened in 1908. The hotel was built atop an old gold mine. The Goldfield had the first electric elevator west of the Rocky Mountains and imported the finest chiefs from Europe.
One young man, George Winfield cashed in on this gold rush and bought most of the town’s assets–he quickly became Nevada’s richest man.
When the gold boom ended the Goldfield Hotel remained open. By the 1920s George Winfield was the state’s most powerful politician.
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| Goldfield Hotel in its’ heyday. |
In the 1930s Winfield started an affair with a pretty young prostitute by the name of Elizabeth. Within a short time Elizabeth found herself unwed and pregnant.
She told George he was the father of her child. George fearful for his reputation paid Elizabeth to remain quiet. But when she began to show he became worried the locals would start asking questions.
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| Elizabeth’s Room |
He then arranged to hide Elizabeth from prying eyes. He had her chained to the radiator in room 109 of the hotel. She was brought food and water but when she cried out for help her pleas were ignored.
It is a mystery exactly what happened next. Some stories claim that Elizabeth died during childbirth. Others state that George actually murdered her.
Regardless, Elizabeth and her child were never seen again.
Legend states George Winfield dumped Elizabeth’s body along with her newborn down the old mineshaft below the hotel’s basement.
The Ghosts
Not long after Elizabeth’s “disappearance” her ghost was seen at various locations in the Goldfield Hotel. She is described as being beautiful with long flowing hair. It is said she wears a white nightgown.
The Goldfield Hotel was closed down in 1945.
Over the years, people who have visited the abandoned building have heard Elizabeth crying out for her baby. Others have heard a baby crying in the hotel’s basement.
Another hot spot is room 109. This room where Elizabeth was chained is always unnaturally cold and investigator’s electrical equipment often malfunctions in this area.
The hotel is said to have several other ghosts. In the 1930’s two guests staying at the Goldfield committed suicide.
A male guest jumped from his room’s window and a woman hanged herself in her room. The apparitions of these two guests have been seen ever since.
The “Gold Room” the hotel’s dining room has an active spirit. This ghost is that of an old man who likes to throw things around this room. He has been dubbed, “The Stabber” because he is seen lurching at people with a knife.
However, he has never harmed anyone. Witnesses to this event state before his knife makes contact with his unsuspecting victim he just disappears. Some speculate that this maniacal ghost is George Winfield.
Two other ghosts are children. They are both heard laughing and seen playing around the hotel’s staircase.
The following video is considered one of the scariest encounters the Ghost Adventure team has experienced. They were investigating the Goldfield’s basement. It is the clip where a brick was thrown.
At the end of this video, a local news channel highlights a visit they made with the Constantino’s a year and a half later–they picked up two interesting EVPs.
