Spirits of Utah

McCune Mansion is located on a hill, close to downtown Salt Lake City. From the vantage point of the hill one can see The Utah State Capitol Building and the Mormon Temple. People may arrange to have tours of the mansion.

The mansion has 3 stories and 21 rooms. It was one of the first expensive mansions built in Salt Lake City. On the third floor is a marvelous ballroom with huge mirrors, balconies and alcoves. Hidden inside the grand staircase was a small room where musicians played for parties and special occasions. Guests could hear the music but not see the musicians.

The mansion was built in 1900 by an American entrepreneur who was born in India and came to Utah as a child. Alfred McCune made a fortune in mining and the profitable railroad business. Alfred and his wife, Elizabeth moved into the mansion in 1901. The McCunes had separate bedroom - she preferred to look out toward the Mormon Temple and he toward the Capitol Building. After raising their family in the mansion Alfred and Elizabeth donated it to the Mormon Church in 1920 and moved to Los Angeles.

The Mormon Church established the McCune School of Music, which functioned until 1953. In 1953 the mansion became the new home of the Brigham Young University Salt Lake Center. Then in 1973 it was the Virginia Tanner Modern Dance School when this period ended in the 1990s the mansion was in need of repair. In 1999 Phil McCarthey and his family rescued it by making it a place to hold special events.

At the McCune mansion the earliest manifestation occurred soon after the music school moved in. When no one was present one could hear organ music and drawing room music coming from within. Disembodied voices have been heard and doors open and close by themselves. Interestingly enough doors which were locked are found unlocked and unlocked doors are found locked even if no lock mechanism exists. All around the mansion one can feel cold spots and lights go on and off.

When Phil McCarthey and his family decided to spend Christmas at the mansion an entity was so pleased that the lights of the ballroom kept turning on. Consulting with an electrician the family was informed that there was a light switch two floors down in one of the rooms that the family knew nothing about. When a visitor is alone in a room a male entity in a black cape appears, watches them and then disappears.

There is also the entity of a 10 year old girl. No one is sure who she is but there is a portrait in the mansion that resembles her. The little girl’s apparition is seen walking into and out of a mirror that hangs on the West wall of the mansion on the first floor. In several rooms her footprints have been seen. They start in the middle of each room and end there as well. Her presence has been caught on film in pictures taken at weddings and receptions. As a curious little girl she has also been known to rearrange items set up professionally for a wedding or reception planned for the next day.

Both entities enjoy living at the mansion. The Shilo Inn Suites Hotel is in downtown Salt Lake City. The Shilo Inn Suites Hotel is a popular 12 story hotel and unbelievably it comes with a 13th floor where you can find the boiler room, elevator motors and other items necessary for running a hotel. An external elevator gives guests views of Salt Lake City and the grand Wasatch Range.

A tragedy occurred here in the 1970s. A distraught woman decided to end her life taking her children along with her to the life beyond. First with the help of her eldest daughter they threw the younger children over the balcony. After wards she threw her eldest daughter over the edge and then jumped herself. However one child survived the fall.

The hotel is haunted by the entities of a woman and a little girl. Mostly they enjoy the first floor pool area and the game machines. On the first floor disembodied, echoing female laughter can be heard coming from the pool area. Near the exit leading to the Upper Parking Lot the little girl entity enjoys the pinball machine. People have seen the machine playing with no one around. On the quiet and dark 13th floor the maintenance man has seen that light bulbs have been unscrewed and maintenance tools move about by themselves. The two entities have been enjoying this hotel for over 30 years.