'Ghost Adventures' films at area haunted landmarks

LAS CRUCES — The cast and crew of the Travel Channel’s “Ghost Adventures” returned this week to film in the Borderland, following the taping of an episode last July at El Paso’s De Soto Hotel and Concordia Cemetery. That episode originally aired on Oct. 29 as part of a two-hour Halloween special.

Standing in front of the Double Eagle Restaurant in Mesilla around sundown on Tuesday, Zak Bagans, one of the show’s hosts and ghost hunters, spoke into the camera.

“We’re in Mesilla, New Mexico,” Bagans said. “This is a place I’ve wanted to come for a very, very long time.”

The crew filmed at two Las Cruces-area locations — the Double Eagle and the now-abandoned Doña Ana County Courthouse and jail on Amador Avenue.

Double Eagle

Despite having worked at the restaurant for more than 21 years, General Manager Jerry Harrell said Tuesday he has never encountered a ghost.

“I know it’s odd, but I’ve never really experienced anything myself. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Do they like me? Or do they not like me?” Harrell said with a laugh.

Harrell frequently hears stories from customers and employees, however, who claim to have experienced ghosts in the restaurant. According to local lore, the building is haunted by star-crossed lovers Armando and Inez, who were killed by Armando’s mother in the Carlotta Room.

Two overstuffed master and mistress chairs sit in the corner of room. The rarely used chairs, newly reupholstered to match the décor, show signs of wear. The cut velvet fabric on the chairs is worn in the shape of two human bodies, one larger than the other.

Harrell said lights occasionally turn off or on by themselves. Employees have reported hearing their name called from adjacent rooms. When they respond, they find there’s no one there.

“We installed a fake window on the wall in the Carlotta Room,” Harrell said. “It’s just for show. We hung draperies there. I was once called into the room by some customers. They asked if I could close the window, because they were getting cold. I explained to them that it was a fake window on a solid wall, and they said, ‘But we saw the drapes blowing, and the wind was very cold.’”

Harrell said he has frequently worked to accommodate paranormal investigators in the past.

“We have three groups in the area who have come in and spent the night in the restaurant,” he said. “They have all of the equipment you see on the TV shows. They turn out all the lights and walk around wearing infrared goggles. They record infrared video, and they have energy-level monitors and sound monitors — just an amazing array of equipment.”

Producers of “Ghost Adventures” contacted Harrell last week, asking if they could investigate the restaurant and tape an episode. Harrell told them they were welcome any time. They suggested this week, Harrell said.

"Ghost Adventures" is the first show of its kind to film at the restaurant.

Fans of the show

Word spread quickly Tuesday among fans of the show. By 4:30 p.m., a crowd of about 40 gathered on the Mesilla plaza as the cast and crew began filming outside the Double Eagle.

“We’re big fans of ‘Ghost Adventures’ and have been watching it for years,” said Roger Warner of Las Cruces. “It’s fun learning about what kind of spirits are out there, seeing what kinds of ghosts they can catch (on video), what kind of phenomena happens. They do a good job.”

Daniel Niño, 8, is a third-grader at MacArthur Elementary. He said he wants to be a ghost hunter when he grows up, and that his favorite cast member is Aaron Goodwin.

“I’m a really big fan and I’m really excited,” Daniel said. “Aaron is my favorite because he mostly goes into places that everyone else is afraid to go — like attics and basements.”

Evan Hiles, 8, is a third-grader at Fairacres Elementary.

“I like the show because it’s interesting, and it makes you wonder if there’s ghosts,” Evan said. “Zac is my favorite. He encourages me to be brave.”

Evan’s dad, Matt Hiles, said they have been watching the show for about two years.

“That’s when we decided it was probably OK for him to watch it,” he said.

Leslie Garcia and her 12-year-old daughter, Ranae, describe themselves as “Ghost Adventures” super-fans. They said no one is allowed to talk while the show is on.

“They find things that other shows wouldn’t find, and debunk some things that other shows don’t,” Leslie said. Leslie and Ranae said they believe the Double Eagle is haunted.

The old courthouse

Late Tuesday night, the crew rolled into the east parking lot of the vacant Doña Ana County Courthouse, across from the Amador Hotel. They were greeted by Ramiro Galvan and Billy Avalos of the El Paso-based Paranormal Research Investigations and Patrick Olona, the founder of the Las Cruces-based Southwest Paranormal Investigations.

Both groups have conducted numerous investigations at the courthouse, the Double Eagle, and other historic downtown buildings in the past several years.

“In 2011, we came in to do an investigation in here,” Galvan said. “During a Saturday-morning walk-through, we were on the first floor, recording audio and I said, ‘It’s like a maze in here.’ Right after I said that, in the audio clip, you hear what sounds like a woman’s scream.”

No one present heard it at the time.

Galvan said his research led him to the story of a waitress named Mary Waters.

“In 1951, there was a waitress found not too far from here — right around the corner from the Amador Hotel,” Galvan said. “A patrolman found her unconscious. Assuming she was drunk, they brought her here (the jail was connected to the courthouse) and put her in a cell. Moments after they put her in the cell, they heard her scream. They walked into the cell and found her dead with a horrified look on her face.”

The coroner first said she died of a ruptured kidney, according to Galvan. The document was later modified to include alcohol poisoning, he said. Galvan remains skeptical about what actually killed Waters, but believes her spirit lingers in the old jail.

Another paranormal investigator in their crew was once scratched while taunting a spirit, Galvan said. The episode was captured on video. The crew has also captured video of the jail’s heavy, iron doors silently sliding shut — unbeknownst to the five investigators in the room. The building had no electricity at the time, so the mechanical doors had to be hand-cranked open and shut.

This comes as no surprise to Naomi Vega, who used to clean the old building about 13 years ago. Vega was interviewed Tuesday by the television crew, and shared some of her stories with the Sun-News.

“It was operational at the time,” she said. “We used the basement as storage for cleaning supplies. I would see the jail doors in the basement open and close. I tried to convince myself it was just a breeze but, obviously, there was no breeze down there,” she laughed.

“A lot of times, when I was mopping or cleaning, I felt like someone behind me was watching me,” she said. “I would turn around, no one was there. It seemed to follow me from room to room. It was constant.”

The crew told Galvan that they don’t yet know when the episode filmed in Las Cruces will air, but that it could “be up to two months.”

To see more videos of PRI investigations across the Borderland, click here.

To learn more about Southwest Paranormal Investigations, visit SouthwestParanormalInvestigations.com.

Damien Willis may be reached at 575-541-5468,dawillis@lcsun-news.com or@damienwillis on Twitter.