Jerome, AZ: See why this Ghost Town has so many visitors!

March 2024: We visited the very small town of Jerome, AZ (pop.464*) after leaving Clarkdale, and were amazed by all the visitors! The large number of shops and restaurants enjoyed by so many people brought a very fun vibe to the town – especially when compared to our last visit was during the early 1990s which truly felt like a ghost town. Keep reading to see how the town accomplished this impressive evolution!

Jerome is located in the Black Hills of Yavapai County at more than 5000 ft above sea level.

Jerome – A Brief History

The town owes its existence mainly to two ore bodies that formed about 1.75 billion years ago along a ring fault in the caldera of an undersea volcano. Various geologic processes eventually exposed the tip of one of the ore bodies and pushed the other close to the surface, both near present day Jerome.

Mining Era builds wealth

 In the late 19th century, the United Verde Mine, developed by William A. Clark, extracted ore bearing copper, gold, silver, and other metals from the larger of the two ore deposits. The United Verde Extension UVX Mine, owned by James Douglas Jr., profited from the second huge deposit. In total, the copper deposits discovered in the vicinity were among the richest that have ever found.

• 1876 – First copper mining claims filed in the area to become Jerome
• 1880 – The mining claims were sold to Frederick Tritle (Governor of AZ Territory) and Frederick Thomas (mining engineer from San Francisco)
• 1883 – the United Verde Copper Company was created; a local post office was opened
• 1884 – A schoolhouse was added to the community
• 1887 – William A Clark bought the United Verde mine and started construction of a railway to serve his mine.
• 1889 – A public library opened in town
• 1894 to 1898 – 4 major fires destroyed much of the business district and half of the community’s homes.
• 1899 – Jerome incorporated into a town, which enabled it to collect taxes to build a formal firefighting system
• 1900 – the United Verde Mine became the leading copper producer in the AZ Territory, employing about 800 men.

The Decline of Mining and the creation of a Ghost Town

• 1914 – a separate company, the United Verde Extension Mining Company (UVX) discovered a second ore body that became spectacularly profitable. It eventually produced more than $125M worth of ore.
• 1914 – WWI began, greatly increasing the demand for copper. The workers unionized and challenged working conditions.
• 1920-29 – United Verde mine and UVX mines operated at near capacity and the town of Jerome prospered
• 1930 – the price of copper fell to 14 cents per pound and the mining companies began to reduce their workforce. The price fell even further in the subsequent years of depression
• 1930-50 – In the following decade, the United Verde Mine was sold and UVX went out of business. The downtown building experienced vertical sinking, due to both natural geological causes and mining.
• 1953 – United Verde Mine and related operations shut down for good. Jerome’s population fell below 100. The remaining residents organized the Jerome Historical Society and opened a museum and gift shop in an attempt to attract visitors and remain viable as a town.

Jerome leans into a Mining Ghost Town themed Tourism Economy

The following decades saw their economy develop mainly based on recreation and tourism.

• 1962 – The heirs of James Douglas (owner of the UVX Mine) donated the Douglas mansion, above the UVX mine site, to the State of Arizona, which used it to create Jerome State Historic Park
• 1967 – Jerome was granted National Historic Landmark status
• 2017 – the Jerome Historical Society acquired the former jail, now known as the Sliding Jail. Rendered unusable but not completely destroyed by earth movements since the 1930s, the structure is about 200 feet (60 m) downhill from where it was originally built. It has become a popular tourist attraction!

Today you will see formerly vacant buildings that now house boutiques, gift shops, antique and craft shops. The town also has five art galleries, a library, three parks and two museums, including the Mine Museum run by the Historical Society. A former church building houses the society’s offices and archives.  Gulch Radio KZRJ broadcasts from town at 100.5 FM and streams online. The town publishes a bimonthly newsletter, Point of View.

5 unique ways that Jerome leans into its Mining Ghost Town brand!

1.Historically spooky and beautifully crafted Art… and lots of galleries!

We love public art and local art! While walking around this unique downtown, we found plenty of both. We learned online that Jerome supports its community’s artists in a variety of ways

• Jerome Artists Co-Op – Google Maps
  • Jerome Artists Coop Gallery website – Beautiful art in a lovely restored historic building
• Pura Vida Gallery – Google Maps
• Jerome Art Center – Google Maps – old school renovated into an art center and artist lofts!

2.Haunted themed restaurants and cleverly decorated Wine Tasting Rooms

We enjoyed experiencing the cleverly named and decorated food and restaurant businesses in Jerome. Situated in the heart of Verde Valey wine region, we were also impressed to see wine tasting rooms lean into the Ghost Town Theme!

• The Bordello of Jerome – Google Maps
• The Flatiron – Google Maps – Coffee Shop!
• Vaqueros Grill & Cantina – Google Maps
• Haunted Hamburger – Google Maps
• Spirit Room – Google Maps
• Wicked City Pub – Google Maps
• The Original Jerome Winery – Google Maps – we tasted here; super cool ghost themed interior! oh, and good wine 🙂
• Caduceus Cellars and Merkin Vineyards Tasting Room – Google Maps
• Four Eight Wineworks – Google Maps
• Prickly Pear Espresso + Co. – Google Maps – Coffee Shop!
• Coppertown Coffee and Gelato – Google Maps – Coffee Shop!

3.Ghostly Gift Shops

There is no lack of fun shopping opportunities! Each business seemed to be named and/or decorated in a unique way that plays into Jerome’s Ghost Town and Mining vibe!

• House of Joy – Google Maps
• Ghostflower Jerome – Google Maps
• Rickeldoris Candy & Popcorn Co – Google Maps
• The Miner’s Pick Rock Shop – Google Maps
• Jerome Heritage Shop – Google Maps

4.Historic Ghost Walks

We spent much of the afternoon walking around the historic downtown. Later we learned that we could have done a history and/or Ghost walk tour… we would have loved that!

• Jerome Ghost Walk! – First weekend in October; sponsored by the Historical Society
• Jerome Ghost Tours – Google Maps
  • Jerome Ghost Tours Website
• Tours of Jerome – Home – offers historic, haunted and wine tours!

5. A large selection of Museums and nearby parks

It was fascinating to learn through online research that the town of Jerome was well on its way of becoming a “ghost” town with very low population after the final mine closing. However, through the efforts of a few dedicated locals, the Jerome Historical Society was created and then able to lean into the area’s history, artistic nature and the regional agricultural industry to slowly evolve their dying town into a popular tourist destination. Below are several cool examples of turning history into tourism gold!

• Jerome’s Sliding Jail – Google Maps
• Jerome Bible Art Museum – Google Maps
• Jerome Mining Museum – Google Maps
• Jerome Historical Society Inc – Google Maps
• Jerome State Historic Park – Google Maps
• Gold King Mine & Ghost Town – Google Maps

More to Explore!

Exploring online, it is apparent that significant efforts by locals and town officials to evolve Jerome into the tourist destination it is today. See several examples below:

• Jerome Chamber of Commerce
  • Jerome Art & Wine Walk – Jerome Chamber of Commerce – First Saturday of every month from 5-8pm
  • Art in the Park – Jerome Chamber of Commerce
  • Events – Jerome Chamber of Commerce
• Jerome Historical Society
  • Mine Museum – Admission $2 for adults and children under 12 are free… what? Bargain!
  • Ghost Walk! -efforts underway to bring back this popular October event
  • Spook Hall Venue
• Jerome Arts Center – “The school was in operation from 1924 – 1951. Closed in 1960, it was reopened in the fall of the same year as Mingus Union High School. The last graduating class was in 1975. With an influx of creative people to the town in the 1970’s and 1980’s, the facility became a favored workplace of local artists and musicians because of its creative atmosphere and spacious rooms.”
  • First Saturday Art Walk – “Join us this evening for the July First Saturday Art Walk from 5 – 8 p.m. We are located at the top of the first hill on the left-hand side of the road. A free shuttle service is available from our parking lot to Uptown. Meet our local artists and support our community. See you there!”
• Community Art Workshop – sponsored by the Library!
• List of historic properties in Jerome, Arizona – Being named a National Historic Landmark takes a lot of work, but the benefits are many!

Annual Events

• May – home tour (“Paso de Casas”)
• October – a reunion for former mining families
• December – Festival of Lights

Map of Jerome