The Legends and Ghosts of Alamogordo's New York Avenue May Be Alive and Active During Construction

As construction continues on New York Avenue, the work crews continue to find and replace the disintegrating and leaking rusted old iron pipes that are connected to some of the original buildings dating back to the founding decades of the early 1900s. As that work progresses we are reminded of the spirits and legends from a bygone era that originate in that historic district. 

Some of the established business owners suggest as the unearthing of the old continues the spirits or the Ghosts of Alamogordo's historic New York Avenue have become restless.

Stories have been told of the legendary characters that once trapsed New York Avenue's oldest buildings. Ghost investigators have visited the district in the past to discover paranormal phenomena. Ghost and history tours have been hosted and reputable magazines periodicals such as New Mexico Magazine and New Mexico Influence Magazine have run stories in the past on the haunts and legends of New York Avenue.

This next Saturday, December 7th, 2024 Christmas on MainStreet will be alive and well celebrating the Christmas holiday. As visitors to the district shop, dance, dine and enjoy the crafts and offerings feel the spirit of ole times. Look up into the rafters of the historic buildings and consider the history and the stories of a few of the characters that allegedly still haunt the historic buildings on calm cool nights. 

A few of the legendary characters to reflect upon date back to the founding of the New York Avenue District. 

Around 1900 Alamogordo’s main street named, New York Avenue was conceptualized as the commercial zone for the new city. The street was an ambitious project with the First National Bank buildings at 928 New York Avenue (now Roadrunner Galleria) as the launchpad for funding the commercial district. The bank was distinctive with its four safes, one being an art deco styled Mossler Safe that at the time cost $36,000 which would be $1.2 million today.

The bank President was Henry John Anderson who’s descendant roams the stairways and safes of the building as the spirit locals call “Judy.” Store owners over the decades who have resided at 928 New York Avenue have told stories of Judy’s presence. When it was a Halmark Store “she would move the bells around and glass candle holders would mysteriously fall to the floor,” according to local legend.

A Chakra visiting the store in 2022 in the lower level safe she lost her breath and hollered out that she felt a presence. Staff went down to the safe to ensure she was okay. She came back upstairs was seated, grabbed a petrified piece of wood and sage to center herself. Then she proceeded back down the stairs into the safe. This time she said she again felt the “presence but could tell the entity meant no harm to the building owners or occupants.”

The “Ghost Whisper” of New York Avenue, Alamogordo is a beautifully smiling and welcoming lady named Alice Weinman or “Ms. Alice” who owns, Victoria Alamogordo. She has operated a store on the street for nearly 40 years.

Within her store is an “entity” by the name of “Willie.” Willie was a horse rustler that got caught by the local sheriff in 1898 stealing horses and was shot. Willie died and his bones are in the wooden floor basement of Ms. Alice’s store at 913 New York Avenue. Ms. Alice is one that is of strong religious convictions, and never believed in ghost stories, until “Willie” convinced her otherwise. Ms. Alice explained that “visitors to her store, family members and she, would on occasion feel a very cold presence in her store.”

Neighbors told her that the presence was one of the ghosts of New York Avenue. She was skeptical being a strong Christian woman, but things started to point to the legend of spirits roaming New York Avenue. Events occurred that made her more and more inquisitive. Lights she knew she turned off would turn on, things would move around her store and a chill would cross her path. As such, she reached out to a friend that was a medium and connected with the afterlife to investigate. Sure enough, her friend was able to connect with the entity in her building and he told her his story. Willie was a horse rustler that was caught, shot, and died. Because he was caught his parents did not want his body, so they told the sheriff “To throw his bones wherever.”

In 1898 Alice’s building did not exist it was just a dirt lot. So, the sheriff dug a grave and placed him in the ground where Victoria is today. A few years later the storefronts of that side of New York Avenue were built. In 1900 to 1910 they did not do major excavations or research what lay under the ground. So, the building was built and his bones that lay in the basement. He told the medium and Ms. Alice that, “I remember the many occupants of the building and didn’t like it when they tossed boxes on top of my bones.” The basement was used for storage for many decades.

Years later during a remodel they filled in the basement with earth but left “Willies bones to remain.” Willie makes his presence known to Ms. Alice and to those, on occasion, that don’t believe. Ms. Alice has seen herself on more than one occasion when a skeptic speaks out, Willie has been known to appear.

On one occasion he pushed a non-believer down to the floor right in front of Ms. Alice. On other occasions, Ms. Alice has seen his shadow when there should be no shadow cast. 

A break-in occurred to her store several years ago and Willie witnessed the break-in and even described the bandit to Ms. Alice as “a man of dark spirit that was in and out and knew where the cash was.” Willie let Ms. Alice know, “the bandit had dark long hair, a sharpnose and a dark soul. He was closed minded that even, he could not get through to the banditto stop the robbery, no matter how hard he tried.”

Ms. Alice forgave Willie, for allowing the robbery to occur on his watch while she was away, as such Willie is very protective of Ms. Alice today. The robber, got away with it and was never seen again which is probably for the best; because the district attorney was not convinced that “he could get a conviction based on the statement of a ghost.”

There are stories of many other ghost on New York Avenue. The building that is transitioning into the Trisha Roberts Insurance Company at 900 New York Avenue hosts “a rowdy crowd of spirits” according to Ms. Alice and others.

The upper floor, closed off today but still intact was a dance floor for the Fraternal Order of Knights of Pythias. The Order of Knights of Pythias was the first American Order ever chartered by an Act of the Congress of the United States on recommendation of the President -Abraham Lincoln. As such this was a fraternal order of men that believed that any two men, believers in a Supreme Being, meeting in a spirit of good will in an honest effort to understand each other, can live together in peace and harmony. Peace and harmony were the mantra, but their lodge on New York Avenue, Alamogordo, was a wonderous ballroom with private rooms for entertaining with the ladies in the back. The lodge would hosted dances and such, until the wee hours, during the early 1900s and the spirits of those rowdy nights still linger on New York Avenue today.

Alamogordo and its historic New York Avenue cultural district is ripe with mystery and legends; from the woman dressed in old-fashioned clothing making  appearances on the staircase and safes, at Roadrunner Galleria, to Willie who protects Ms. Alice, to the dancing by the Knights of Pythias the legends don't end there. 

There are others, Maggie who died on the surgeons table and is a troubled soul, to those that roam the 1200 Block and are tied to the Holloman’s. According to an article in the Las Cruces Sun dated from 2017, during the investigation, Hidden Haunts Paranormal with an episode that aired on Bravo a crew attempted to communicate with spirits and received responses from the unknown through radio frequencies, flashlight signals and dowsing rods. One of the investigators, Brandt, said she saw "figures in the dark while communicating" and even felt something touch her. Several of the investigators also felt a cold touch that made the hair on their necks stand up. Paranormal investigator Brandt’s conclusion was that the building on Alamogordo's New York Avenue was indeed haunted, and they contacted one female spirit and one male spirit who appeared to be a small child in the photographs they took."

The spirits are strong in there presence on New York Avenue in the historic city center but they are not limited to there. The legends carry out to the White Sands National Park and date back 500 years.

From the White Sands the legend of Pavla Blanca involves a beautiful Spanish Maiden who is said to roam the gypsum dunes at White Sands dating back centuries.

According to White Sands National Park, native Indians of New Mexico believe in the legend of Pavla Blanca, which dates back to 1540.

The legend tells of Mañuela and her fiancé Hernando de Luna, a Spanish conquistador who left Mexico City to embark on an uncharted adventure with explorer Francisco Coronado across present-day Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico.

However, during Luna’s explorations, the conqueror was ambushed by Apache warriors and was killed, and eventually, his body was buried and lost forever under the ever-shifting dunes.

Nearly 500 years later, natives of New Mexico still believe that Pavla Blanca (Mañuela) searches for her love every evening across the Great White Sands. Like La Llorona, the beautiful Spanish maiden roams the dunes dressed in a white wedding gown, searching for her betrothed.

Over the years, witnesses who claim to have seen Pavla Blanca describe “white, wispy shadows” appearing across the dunes, followed by a ghostly figure which usually occurs just after sunset. 

The spirits and legends of the region are what add to the mystery and intrigue of this  beautiful area of Southern New Mexico. As we browse the streets of Alamogordo's New York Avenue this holiday season, or visit the White Sands; pause, listen and feel the energy of the history that pumps through the air and you to may brush up against a ghost. 

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