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| The Arizona Paranormal Research Society |
| The Museum Club (The Zoo) 3404 east Route 66 Flagstaff, Arizona 86004 Phone# 928-526-9434 e-mail: museumclub@hotmail.com website: www.museumclub.com Case #: B-212 Date: 08/31/08 Time of arrival: 2:30am Investigators: Frank Madrid, Lori Marshall, Gino Madrid, Randy Arbogast, Angie Smith, mary-Anne Yanez, Linda Chase, Lisa McCoy and Scott McCoy. Reason for investigation: Validation of reported Paranormal Activity in Arizona's historical premiere roadhouse and dance club. Weather conditions: Clear and calm. Outside Temperature: 58 degrees f. Humidity: 23% Wind: 2-4mph Geomagnetic storm activity: Quiet Moon: waxing gibbous Average EMF baseline readings: 1.2 EMF Spikes: to 4.7 |
T.Az.P.S. / T.Az.P.R.S. team in front of The Museum Club
Frank Madrid, Linda Chase
Lori Marshall, Lisa McCoy
Mary-Anne Yanez, Angie Smith, Gino Madrid, Scott McCoy, Randy Arbogast
Frank Madrid, Linda Chase
Lori Marshall, Lisa McCoy
Mary-Anne Yanez, Angie Smith, Gino Madrid, Scott McCoy, Randy Arbogast
| The Investigation Team |
| general impressions: What a great place! The Museum Club, aka "The Zoo", is by far THE place to go to in Northern Arizona. The beauty of the rustic wooden log and tree exterior and interior will stop you in your tracks with awe at the sights worth beholding throughout the building. As you proceed through the bar you notice the many animals subjected to taxidermy everywhere and wonder just how old they are. As you walk passed the "hanging tree", you notice the craftsmanship of the beautiful 1880's mahogany back bar that is truly a sight to behold. Antiques hanging about are a plenty. Patrons come from all over Arizona to dance to live music and socialize in the huge log cabin affectionately dubbed "The Zoo". It is a fantastic place to be in during business hours.... but after hours, when the building is empty, it maintains an eeriness that absolutely cannot be ignored. You don't feel alone at all. In fact, there seems to be more there that meets the eye. |
| history of the site: The Museum Club began its life as the boyhood dream of taxidermist Dean Eldredge in 1931. Mr. Eldredge began his taxidermy business in 1918. In the early 1930s Eldredge purchased a piece of federal land, three miles east of Flagstaff on Route 66. Soon after, he hired unemployed lumberjacks to cut trees, haul them to his property and built what he claimed as “the biggest log cabin in Arizona.” He finally had a showplace for his lifetime collection of stuffed animals, six-legged sheep, Winchester rifles, Indian artifacts, two-headed calves, and more than 30,000 other items. Operating as a museum, taxidermist shop, and a trading post, scores of Route 66'rs stopped in to visit Dean and his collection during the five years that he operated the museum. Before long, locals dubbed the museum “The Zoo,” a name that has stuck with the building to this day. Unfortunately, when Eldredge died of cancer, most of his collection was sold and the building was purchased by a Flagstaff saddle maker named Doc Williams. In 1936, Williams, profiting from the many travelers of the Mother Road and the end of Prohibition, opened a night club that was an immediate success. Over the years, the building passed through several owners and survived as a nightclub, recording studio and roadhouse. By the 1950s, the club had deteriorated to a rough and tumble roadhouse patronized by a crowd that often times preferred a little blood with its beer. In 1963, Don Scott, a steel guitarist who’d spent time with Bob Wills’ Texas Playboys, bought the club and moved to Flagstaff along with his wife Thorna. Scott wasted no time turning the club into a country music dance hall and began to book old friends like Wills, and new ones, like Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. “Pappy”, as Scott was called by his friends, had many contacts in the music industry and before long he put the club “on the map” in the western swing circuit. Wynn Stewart, Wanda Jackson and the Texas Playboys were just a few of the acts which appeared at The Museum Club. Many aspiring recording stars, making the pilgrimage from Nashville to Las Vegas, would book into The Museum Club. Some, like Barbara Mandrell, simply showed up, grabbed a guitar and played impromptu. |
| Living in an upstairs apartment in the building, both Don and Thorna Scott were active in running the successful club until 1973, when a tragedy ended Thorna’s life. After a long night, the couple had closed the club and Thorna headed up the stairs to retire for the evening, leaving Don behind on the first floor to finish up. However, before she reached the apartment she apparently tripped and fell from near the top of the stairs. Breaking her neck, Thorna lapsed into a coma and a few weeks later she died. Don Scott became terribly despondent after her death, suffering from constant memories of the event and loneliness. Unable to endure the pain any longer, Don took his own life in 1975 by killing himself with a rifle in front of the fireplace. In 1978 Martin and Stacie Zanzucchi bought the club, began extensive restorations, and added taxidermy mounts, antlers and period pieces to the club. Today, "The Zoo" continues to host the rising stars of country music and the new sounds of Nashville. Recent concert performers have included Asleep at the Wheel, Marty Brown, and the Clinton Category. Popular groups such as Mogollon, and Rednecks-The Band, play regularly at The Museum Club. Interestingly, the club not only hosts its many country western musicians and fans, but also the ghosts of former owners Don and Thorna Scott. Signs that Don and Thorna never left are evident to employees as well as guests. Footsteps and creaks are often heard coming from the upstairs floor where they once lived, lights have a habit of flickering on and off, chairs rock back and forth on their own, and fires have been lit in the hearth when no one is around. Thorna apparently makes her appearance at all hours of the day, often seen on the back stairway and the back bar where confused patrons sometimes mistake her for a bartender. She's also been seen in dark corner booths too. Occasionally customers will buy her a drink only to find she has vanished when they return. One man, who lived in the upstairs apartment for a time, says he was pinned to the floor by a friendly female ghost. Evidently, Thorna has a sense of humor in her life beyond the living, as she stated to the man, while sitting on his chest, "You only need to fear the living." Then the apparition disappeared. Wasting no time, the tenant broke through the upstairs window, ran across the roof and disappeared, never to return. One bartender, just starting her shift, was surprised to see the bar shelf disarrayed. Beer bottles were switched around, drink mixes were at the wrong end, and some liquor bottles had been knocked over. Because the bar area had been straightened up the night before, she had no choice but to blame it on the Scotts. Many guests of the establishment have taken pictures and videos where they report ghost like images appearing on the film. Recently, one employee of the Museum Club reports that though the power in the upstairs floor has been shut off, the lights have been coming on more and more often. Others have reported also seeing the lights from the street while driving by late at night. Once located on the outskirts of town, this old highway watering hole is a Route 66 throwback now surrounded by present day Flagstaff. Today, the Museum Club is a popular roadhouse and dance club, offering the best in live country western and after hours entertainment. Information Source: Legends of America-Arizona Legends |
| the investigation: |
| We arrived at The Museum Club after closing at approximately 2:30am. We brought all of our equipment in and determined where our DVR base camp would be. We decided that we would utilize the small open room by the front door. After taking about an hour to set up all IR DVR cameras and testing monitor equipment, we split into three groups. EMF and temperature readings were obtained and it was determined that electrical conduit running on the walls, ceiling and under the floors would be giving us various readings which would have to be checked continuously during EVP sessions. EVP sessions were conducted at the back bar, front bar, fire place and the booth near the back bar that Don and Thorna Scott frequented while they were alive. |
| Some investigators had personal experiences before, during and after EVP sessions were conducted. A presence was felt behind two investigators by the back bar. Voices were heard coming from the back bar area and upstairs storage room. During an EVP session, spirits were asked to bring the temperature down. In a short amount of time, the temp dropped from 74F to 57F and held for 45 seconds. It then rose back to 74F being witnessed by investigators. Some investigators felt uncomfortable at times feeling anxious or uneasy. Others just felt creeped out at various times throughout the night. The night soon became dawn and before we knew it, daylight crept into the Museum Club giving the |
| interior a different look and feel altogether. It was time to pack up the equipment and head home to rest. For the little amount of time we spent there, we really enjoyed the opportunity to investigate this historical landmark of Arizona. |
| digital still pictures: |
| A transparent full bodied apparition caught sitting at the front bar in The Museum Club in Flagstaff Arizona. Photo by Lori Marshall. |
| This transparent full bodied apparition closeup shows this may be an apparition of a young woman. Inset is the negative. |
| figure to the right of investigator Angie. |
| Water experiment results. May be inconclusive, but interesting. |
| Ghost face behind front bar. |
| EVP evidence : |
| "come on" |
| "hey, look out" |
| "in here" |
| "he's present" |
| "i mean it, get out" |
| "i have to go" |
| "fuck you" |
| "i'm not answering you" |
| "it was" |
| "he's within the water" |
| "kill" |
| "yes" |
| "no, don't, no" |
| "your mine" |
| "don't stop the flow" |
| "brent the joker" |
| "they knew better" |
| "i could care what's in here" |
| "no" |
| "mabey i'll talk to em" |
| "hit me" |
| "no" |
| "please don't try it, we don't like it, please don't turn it on." |
| bottles clinking in empty building |
| "you better right now" |
| "play some drums" |
| "liar...wanna bet" |
| "water" |
| "no, we all gotta see the light" |
| behind voices "right there" |
| "wow...yeah" before chirp |
| "do you" |
| "whew...man" |
| "i cant" |
| "i'm in" |
| "let us not bastard" |
| "yeah" |
| behind voices "right" |
| "they should know" |
| "i shot someone" |
| "danger" |
| video evidence: |
| This is footage taken from the DVR. It seems to show someone moving between the camera and the hanging picture, moving off to the right, then dissapating. Obviously, nobody was anywhere near this camera or area. Unexplainable. |
| Conclusion: The evidence you see here is what was captured on digital still pictures, EVP recordings and video. Personal experiences were many as the haunted reputation of The Museum Club stands tall without a shadow of a doubt. I would like to thank J.R. and all Museum Club staff for their hospitality and kindness before, during and after our investigation. This gracious opportunity that was given to us was deeply appreciated and will not be forgotten. The Museum Club is a wonderful establishment that deserves it's icon status here in Arizona. If you are going through Flagstaff, be sure to stop on by. I guarantee you will very much enjoy what this historical land mark has to offer. I would also like to thank Lisa and Scot McCoy for their hospitality and personal contributions to the arrangement of this investigation. --Frank Madrid-- |
| "The Arizona Paranormal Society" (T.Az.P.S.) and/or "The Arizona Paranormal Research Society" (T.Az.P.R.S.) name and all things contained within this site are the property of "The Arizona Paranormal Society". Reproduction or unauthorized use of any material without expressed written consent is a violation of the copyright laws and is strictly prohibited. © 2006-2010 "The Arizona Paranormal Society" |
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| In the Gila County Courthouse |