Walking tours of downtown Las Vegas often include historic locations such as the Mob Museum, El Cortez, and the Las Vegas Academy.
Most visitors admire the architecture or imagine the glory days of Glitter Gulch, but one group searches for the spirits of the dead.
Ghost City Tours woos its customers with the words: “In order to feel the energy that our ghosts radiate, you have to be in the actual places where the spook takes place.”
At the Las Vegas Academy – originally Las Vegas High School – the spirit of the first caretaker of the 90-year-old building, Mr. Petre, can be found.
“I experienced some hauntings there myself during my tour, so that was exciting,” said Renee Dempsey, a guide with Ghost City Tours, who said Mr. Petre was one of at least three appearances on campus. “There are stories that he still cleans the school. So he’s a pretty good ghost to be around. “
Dempsey, who said she had encountered ghosts her entire life, said she had her own inexplicable incident on the Art Deco LVA campus.
“I prepared them all to start the tour and then the fire alarm went off,” she said. “And, as is well known, that happens with ghosts.”
One of the LVA ghosts is “a 16 year old boy who is still hanging out at school. And he’s doing student pranks and his darling pulls the fire alarm and that fire alarm went off during my tour, “said Dempsey, adding that” even the fire department was afraid to go to school when they got there. “
