My experience in Jerome
About 45 minutes from Sedona is a historically successful mining town, Jerome, Arizona. Today, the mine is no longer in operation and Jerome is most popular for its tourism and ghost tours. Jerome’s preserved history makes for an interesting visit.
Before I visited Jerome I found out my great-grandparents once lived & met in Jerome. Although I never met them, this made visiting the town a bit more personal. My great-grandpa worked for the mines & great-grandma played the organ at the theater.
About Jerome:
Miner’s work was challenging, dangerous, and dirty and the town’s Main Street was full of saloons and brothels. Today the old saloons and brothels have been turned into gift shops.
One of my favorite shops was the old Auto Shop. It had an old car inside, old service reports, and other things to buy and see on display:
We walked through the town and spotted a 1928 Springfield Rolls-Royce Phantom I through a window:
The town theater, Liberty Theater, is where my great-grandma played the organ during the silent movie era. You can still walk through the theater and see old movie equipment & film on display.
When my great-grandparents met, my great-grandpa would walk to the theater to see my great-grandma play the organ. He would sit with her as she played and walk her home after her shift. So sweet.
As I walked through Jerome, I saw shuttle bus signs. I called the number on the sign and the driver answered right away. He asked which shuttle stop I was waiting at and responded, “I think I see you look to your right!” There was a white van driving by and the driver poked his head out the window and yelled “I have to take a family down the street, I’ll be back to pick you up in 5 minutes!” A few minutes later, the driver showed up accompanied by a few other families taking the shuttle.
I got on the shuttle and told the driver I was going to the mine museum. On our drive, he passionately shared stories about Jerome. He wrote some of the ghost tour scripts and seemed to casually spark conversations with people as we drove through the town with the windows down. Jerome is a small town now, with a population of about 500, and it seemed like everyone knew the shuttle driver. He was full of excitement for Jerome and passionately shared stories.
The outdoor museum was full of old buildings, an old dentist shop, a laundry house, cars, machines, and equipment. In the middle of the museum was a mine shaft, with a handwritten sign: “The actual gold mine 1270 feet deep – closed in 1914.” A blacksmith on site mentioned that 1270 feet is about as tall as the Empire State Building. When we were finished visiting the mine museum in Jerome, we called the shuttle driver who took us back into town for lunch.
The empire state building & the mine shaft in Jerome are just about the same length.
I was in New York shortly after and walked by The Empire State building to admire how tall it was. I couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to go down a mine shaft as long as the building.
Jerome lunch recommendation: Clinksdale.
I had been traveling for a month prior to Jerome and the Clinksdale restaurant was one of my favorite meals during my traveling. I had a delicious grilled cheese & salad.
While visiting Jerome I learned of the book, Empty Mansions. It’s a true story based on the fortune William Clark made from the mine. When he died, his inheritance was traced to his daughter Huguette who partially lived in one of the mansions but spent her late years living in a hospital. The book mentions Clark’s fortune could be more than Rockefeller’s and Clark could have been the richest man at that time. Empty Mansions tells a unique story about a family’s generational wealth in American history. The book is interesting, mysterious, well-researched, and written.
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