A Story from the Weatherford Archives
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””] Enough time has passed that we now feel comfortable sharing a sensitive and remarkable story from the Weatherford’s past. In April 1997, the Weatherford received a letter from a Dutch woman addressed simply to “The Owner of the Hotel Weatherford Hostel.” In it, she described traveling through Flagstaff in May 1966 and staying […]
J.W. Weatherford’s Participation in the Pleasant Valley War, part 1 of ?
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””] In 1859, John Wesley Weatherford was born in Fort Worth and raised in the neighboring town of Weatherford, Texas, which was named after his father. As a young man, J.W. moved west and spent his early years as a cowboy, lawman, and merchant, settling in Flagstaff in […]
Mysteries of the Weatherford: Henry Rockmark & Teddy Roosevelt
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Download Mysteries of the Weatherford Part 1 to join us in the search for answers to two important questions from the history of the Weatherford: What caused seemingly well-regarded Prescott contractor Henry Rockmark to unleash a spray of bullets in our lobby in 1912? Did President Theodore Roosevelt really ever stay at the Weatherford? Carefully […]
How to Stay in a “Haunted” Room
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] While there have been many well-documented supernatural occurrences in the Weatherford, the consensus is that whatever entities inhabit the hotel are largely benign. Yes, we’ve had plenty of guests check in only to leave minutes or hours later after getting scared, but no one has been injured or psychologically damaged by any ghosts, as […]
The mystery of the downtown Flagstaff “secret underground tunnels” solved?
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]At the risk of debunking the many entertaining myths the surround the often discussed “secret underground tunnel system” that is still partially intact under downtown Flagstaff, it appears that regardless of what nefarious purposes these tunnels may or may not have been used for, they were actually built for a surprisingly boring purpose: housing steam pipes. […]
(Probably) The Oldest Piano in Flagstaff
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”5300″ alignment=”center”][vc_column_text] The historic Weatherford Hotel is not the only priceless artifact under the custodianship of the Green-Taylor Family. Returning to the hotel’s lobby after being refurbished is perhaps the oldest piano in Flagstaff — an 1877 Steinway upright in perfect working condition. The piano was purchased new from Steinway and Sons in New […]
The Weatherford’s Most Interesting Resident
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”5184″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Weatherford Hotel has had its share of famous guests over its 120 plus years, but it’s doubtful it ever hosted anyone who was more of a character than artist Jimmy Swinnerton. In 1951, Arizona Highways magazine wrote the following about the man: “Jimmy Swinnerton, the hard-drinking consumptive who should have died […]
Owning a Piece of Flagstaff History
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”4767″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text] Sam Green came to Flagstaff in 1979 to study art at NAU, but after getting a job as a waitress at Charly’s, her life took an unexpected turn. Thankfully, in working to renovate the Weatherford Hotel over the past 40 years alongside her husband Henry, she’s had plenty of chances to […]
Curating the Exchange Club Playlist
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”4721″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]I hope it’s not controversial to say that restaurant music has a bad reputation. It’s usually either too obtrusive or it fades into the background so much that you wonder why it’s being played at all. However, when it’s done right, carefully curated music can really add to a dining experience. If […]
Our Official Winter Reading List
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”4711″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]The Weatherford Hotel is a fantastic place to read, and winter is the best time of the year to do so. There are cozy nooks all over the hotel that suit this purpose, both public and private, as well as plenty of books that involve the building itself, the personalities who spent […]