The original proprietors of the Shaffer Hotel in Mountainair, New Mexico, Clem (Pop) Shaffer and his second wife Lena (Ma) Shaffer, are rumoured to still be present. Pop used his own interpretation of the Indian theme design to build the hotel in 1908. The hotel is currently listed as a national historic property.
Personal belongings have been moved in rooms, lights have turned on and off, water faucets have turned on by themselves, and there have been reports of shadowy figures lurking in the conference room on the first level and the passageways leading to the second story. Additionally, several people have stated that they felt observed.
The proprietor Joel told us a tale of being followed by a sinister apparition when he and his fiancée were in the corridor outside the Wedding Suite. His cheeks were physically pressed back against his face by this presence, creating a wind tunnel or bobsled effect. He also told us that immediately after his hallway encounter, at least one of the hotel’s ghosts followed him all the way home to Albuquerque.
Last year, when Joel was gracious enough to close the Shaffer to guests so that we could explore the property undisturbed, my party had a number of unique encounters there.
The strong fragrance of cocoa in the accessible room off the conference centre on the first level was one of the first things we noticed. The beds in this room were made without sheets, and it had been vacant all winter. The conference center’s back entrance, which opens to the park and fire pit, was where two of my investigators also felt a presence.
On the second floor, we also recorded some unusual activities. On one of our digital recorders, we captured a ghost in the Abo Suite giving his “last breath.” Before Joel purchased the motel, the previous owner passed away in this room. The second Cowboy Room, which is in the front of the motel, is where we recorded a number of EVPs. In this area, which had been empty for more than an hour, we also caught a metre falling to the floor from an end table on one of our DVR cameras.
Although there were no high power sources in the two guest rooms that were right above the kitchen storage room, we saw significant EMF readings on our Klls and Mels there. These two rooms are connected to the hallway where one of our DVR cameras recorded an intriguing black bat-like shape on the ceiling. Our website, cnmgi.com, has this video available for viewing.
The concrete fence and gate that runs along the side of the motel were built by Pop Shaffer and his son. Even this framework makes me uneasy.
