09/17/2025
HAUNTED TOMBSTONE, THE GHOSTS OF ALLEN STREET. NOT ALL GHOSTS ARE INSIDE!
Be advised: This isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
There are ghosts in Tombstone. It’s not everyone’s thing, but today we will look at the ghosts of Allen Street! While Discover Tombstone doesn’t officially claim that ghosts are real, there are many residents, businesses, and tourists that would answer that question with a resounding YES!
Likely the most famous ghost of Allen Street is supposed to be a figure in period appropriate garb that is seen walking between the Oriental Saloon (Now called Wyatt Earp’s Oriental Saloon and Theatre) across 5th Street towards the Crystal Palace but never actually making it to the other side. The supposition is that it is a “residual haunt”, always appearing in the same place, doing the same thing then disappearing. Virgil Earp ever walking the trek he took the night of December 28, 1881, in which would be assassins gunned him down, causing him to lose the use of his left arm but not killing him.
The figure has been reportedly seen hundreds of times. I spoke to a former law enforcement official who told me that he had seen the figure one night while walking through town quite late. He said the figure didn't look ghostly and people in Tombstone do dress in period attire so it’s certainly not unusual to see. But because of the very late (even early) hour of the sighting, when he got to the corner, he looked up 5th Street to make sure it wasn’t someone drunk causing mischief. There was no one there. According to him there was no way someone would have been out of site that fast, and he did turn up 5th to find the individual but was unable to locate him.
The Bird Cage Theatre has a “woman in white” which we will cover in detail when we talk about the Bird Cage. But she has also reportedly been seen numerous times along the boardwalks of Allen Street. She seems to always be in white, in a dress or nightgown, and has shocked many people over the years walking down Allen Street.
Billy Clanton is the most popular spirit at Boothill, said to rise from his grave each night. Apparently meandering from Boothill to Fremont then Allen Street then back to Boothill in Tombstone, a man in period dress packing his pistol. I must admit to wondering just how people would know if a spirit was Billy Clanton or not, but that’s the claim.
Another Boothill ghost seen in other areas is assertedly “The Woman in Red”, or as some think, China Mary. This apparition has been seen at Boothill, Schieffelin Hall, and near her former residence in “Hop Town” on Allen Street.
Here’s a tale from the streets: “The store fronts all open to a wooden planked sidewalk, and as we were walking down one of them, we stopped in front of a store called "Smoke Signals."
Suddenly, the ghost of a dead man walked right through the left side of me! I felt cold and realized he had taken warmth from my body! My left arm and side had all suddenly gone cold. and I felt as if I had the wind knocked out of me! I told Dan what happened and asked him to feel my left arm. He confirmed that it was very cold, unlike my right arm. We also noticed that I had goosebumps on my left arm.”
If you love the paranormal, or are even open to the idea, Tombstone is “The Town Too Tough To Die” where apparently some say a number of the dead never leave. Many think that Tombstone is literally the most haunted town in the country!
Have YOU ever had an experience on Allen Street or anywhere else in town? Let us know in the comments!
PLAN YOUR TRIP NOW! For EVERYTHING Tombstone including lodging, events, activities, shops, restaurants, saloons and more visit:
DiscoverTombstone.com
For EVERYTHING Boothill Graveyard including some cool history articles, awesome vintage photographs, and awesome Boothill and Tombstone swag from their eCommerce store visit:
DiscoverBoothill.com
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Image Credit: Tim Fattig
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