Est. 1899 · Clinksdale Building — Jerome Mining Era · Madam Jennie Bauters — Bordello History · Fire-Resistant Construction in Jerome
Jerome's position on Cleopatra Hill made fire a constant threat. Previous buildings on and near Main Street had burned, and when the Clinksdale Building went up in 1899 its 18-inch thick masonry walls were a deliberate engineering response — designed to contain fire rather than fuel it. The fireproof core proved durable enough to survive Jerome's full arc from copper boomtown to near-ghost-town and back.
At some point during Jerome's mining heyday, Madam Jennie Bauters established a bordello in the building. Bauters was a known figure in Jerome's commercial demimonde — prosperous enough to become a target of local gossip and, ultimately, violence. In 1906, she was killed by her lover, identified in accounts as Clement, near the community of Gold Road. The exact circumstances varied by account but the killing's basic facts — a jealousy dispute and a fatal outcome — are corroborated across multiple sources.
A staff member, Maggie Shults, was separately murdered in the building by a rejected suitor, according to local historical sources. The details of this incident are recorded primarily in frontier-era local accounts rather than formal newspaper archives.
The building transitioned through Jerome's collapse period — when the population fell from roughly 15,000 to under 100 as the mines closed — and eventually became the Mile High Inn, offering eight guest rooms in the original Clinksdale structure. It operates today under the innatjerome.com domain and retains its reputation as one of Jerome's most documented haunted accommodations.
Sources
- https://www.legendsofamerica.com/az-jeromehaunting/
- https://jeromelocal.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-jerome-arizona-ghost-tours/
- https://thecreativeadventurer.com/a-self-guided-walking-tour-of-the-haunted-streets-of-jerome-az-once-the-wildest-town-in-the-west/
ApparitionsObjects movingPhantom cat with paw printsCold drafts in closed roomsPictures rearranged
The paranormal accounts at the Mile High Inn center on Madam Jennie Bauters, whose connection to the building ended with her violent death in 1906. Staff and guests consistently describe her presence in the kitchen — where she reportedly grows irritable when objects are left out of order and makes that displeasure physical, throwing or displacing items. The Lariat and Lace Room is named for her and generates the highest concentration of guest reports.
A phantom cat, attributed to Bauters as her pet during the bordello years, is among the more unusual accounts. Guests report finding paw prints pressed into the surfaces of freshly made beds when no animal is present in the inn. The cat itself has reportedly been glimpsed in corridors and vanishes when approached.
Two additional male presences appear in accounts independent of Bauters. An older gentleman in vintage clothing is described as benign and confined primarily to the bedrooms, occasionally rearranging framed pictures. A younger male entity has no visual form in the reports — it manifests as cold winds that move through closed rooms without explanation, described by multiple guests as distinctly unfriendly in character.
The inn's status as a destination for paranormal enthusiasts is well established in Jerome's tourism circuit. It appears in Legends of America's documented survey of Jerome's haunted sites and features in local ghost tour literature as a bookable overnight option.
Notable Entities
Madam Jennie Bauters (kitchen and Lariat and Lace Room)Phantom cat (attributed to Bauters)Elderly gentleman (bedrooms)Unfriendly younger male presence (cold drafts)
