The 10-block area around El Dorado's courthouse is surely the most haunted downtown in the mid-South.
The 1840s hanging tree and the gallows, located on Cedar Street where Oil Heritage Park is now, and the adjacent alleyway connecting Washington Avenue and Jefferson Street where numerous men were robbed and murdered, are the sources of these spirits. The 1922 New Year's Day newspaper reported: "On New Year's Eve the sport of the night was shooting at church bells; 12 men were killed."
There is also the 1920s-era desecration of the Black slave cemetery behind the Presbyterian Cemetery on south Washington Avenue, which may contribute to the number of otherworldly wanderers.
I interviewed Boyd Alderson, a witness to the removal of graves from the slave cemetery to allow a freight depot to be constructed. He vividly described caskets and bodies being hauled off and dumped in the Ouachita River. It seems that the disturbed spirits of hundreds of men and women have remained to haunt downtown El Dorado.
In the fall of 2022, after Murphy Art District's Phase Two is completed, an interactive ghost tour will start.
The following narrative is what you can expect to hear as you board an old black trolley with dark curtains. Ghostly music plays as an undertaker solemnly steps forward.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard. My name is Boris. Since you have expressed an interest in the supernatural, I will stop at several locations to allow you to experience the spirits that are so numerous in El Dorado. On this ride, you will encounter some of the paranormal witnesses who have given this downtown its haunted reputation.
"Our first stop is on south Washington Avenue across from the Presbyterian Cemetery where the Crystal Hotel was during the oil boom, when the street was called Hamburger Row. Look, there is Madam Betty Fortenberry, the lady in charge of the ... uh ... hotel. Let's see if she has any supernatural experiences to report."
Betty, holding a drink in one hand, a cigarette in the other, and dressed as a 1920s showgirl, boards the trolley.
"Welcome to the Crystal Hotel, home of the most gorgeous girls south of Hot Springs. Come on upstairs and meet my girls .... "
"Betty, we don't have time. These folks are interested in the supernatural occurrences you and your guests have seen or heard."
"Yes, we have several spirits here. One is a young girl about 8 years old. Several customers have seen her sitting on my desk, then she disappears. And Blondie, a former top girl who died a few years back, shows up walking down the hallway. Also, one of our murdered madams is often spotted leaning on our red piano."
"Well, Betty, that is remarkable, but we need to keep moving ..."
"Come back any time."
"Our next stop is the Presbyterian Cemetery across the street. Look! There's an old Black man who seems to be looking for something."
A elderly gentleman dressed in work clothes boards the trolley.
"Sir, can we help you?"
"I am looking for my body! They took it away, and I don't know where they put it."
"Folks, many visitors have reported ghostly occurrences in this cemetery. There are graves of early El Dorado settlers and Confederate soldiers, and the back of the cemetery once held the graves of Black slaves, but they were removed and destroyed.
"Sir, I hope you can find your body."
"I will find it ... someday."
"Our next stop is the Rialto Theater on Cedar Street. There's Mr. Robb, the theater manager. He will tell us about some of the ghosts reported to be in the theater."
Mr. Robb, dressed in a vintage 1920s suit with a stubby cigar in his mouth, boards the trolley.
"Hello, Mr. Robb. How are you today?"
"I'm fine ... but don't put your feet on the seat in front of you."
"No, we won't, but we have heard about the many ghosts of the Rialto. Could you tell us about some of the sightings?"
"Sure. Some folks say they have seen me on stairway landings, and many people have smelled my cigar. Several have heard me walking on the catwalk above the stage, and one, after smelling my cigar, heard me laugh."
"Have there been other sightings?"
"I've had a couple of cleanup people quit because of strange balls of lights they saw floating across the stage, and a world-famous psychic reported seven spirits are present in the Rialto."
"Thank you, Mr. Robb. We are going across the street to Oil Heritage Park. This is where horse thieves were hanged and the alleyway behind those buildings was the hangout of hijackers during the oil boom. They cut the throats of their victims as they robbed them.
"It seems the ghosts of these murdered men are everywhere around the park, because dozens of supernatural occurrences and strange sightings have been reported in every nearby building."
Next stop is on Jefferson Street in front of the courthouse. "We're being pulled over by Marshal Guy B. Tucker."
Marshal Tucker, dressed appropriately, with his arm in a sling, boards the trolley.
"Marshal, did you have an accident?"
"Weren't no accident. A danged Parnell [with whom Tucker was feuding] nearly killed me."
"That's too bad, Marshal. But what about all the strange noises and paranormal activity in the courthouse and the buildings around it?"
"There have been plenty of reports. 'Course, I think it's the ghosts of the three men killed in the 1902 gunfight downtown [which started the feud, leading to an estimated 30-40 deaths over three years].
"Ghosts seem to be everywhere. In the courthouse, we have heard strange noises and screams from the empty jail on the top floor. The Guest Quarters on the west side of the square, the Elm Street Bakery, and across Main Street at Perfects have all reported strange happenings. At Main Street Antique Mall, employees have recounted numerous experiences where footsteps are heard when no one is there, along with areas where it is common to feel the presence of the unknown."
The last stop is the Granite Club at 510 East Faulkner, a 1920s oil-boom mansion. "I believe that's Mr. McKinney, who built the house."
Mr. McKinney, a well-dressed banker, boards the trolley.
"Welcome aboard, Mr. McKinney. We're heard about some strange happening in the house. Do you know anything about them?"
"Well, yes, I do. Painters have watched door knobs turn when no one is around, and mysterious footprints suddenly appear in the dust of the locked attic. Sounds of music come from the empty former music room."
"Is that you, Mr. McKinney?"
"Maybe."
"Ladies and gentlemen, our tour ends with a visit to the mansion. Refreshments will be served in the music room and the parlor."
No doubt there are spirits there as well.
Email Richard Mason at richard@gibraltarenergy.com.