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For nearly fourteen years - from March 12, 1998 through January 31, 2012 - I worked as a security guard in the 4-story Arizona corporate headquarters for the Cigna HealthCare company, located at 11001 North Black Canyon Highway in Phoenix. In 2009, when I wrote and published the original blog bit, I was very cautious about revealing too much specific information because I was still employed in the building known as The Grove, but which I routinely referred to as "The Grave". Naturally, I did not want my story to interfere with the daily operations of the company that employed me. The last thing I wanted was to draw curious ghost hunters and kooky paranormal looky-loos to the building.
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Also, I was aware that a security guard seeing "ghosts" was jeopardizing his job and, frankly, I LOVED my job at The Grove / "Grave". In fact, I probably loved my security officer job at "The Grave" more than any other that I had during my working years, which is why I stayed there so long. (I likely would have retired from the workforce in my 60s at The Grove, if Cigna hadn't decided to move their Arizona headquarters to a new location that I didn't want to travel to.)
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Also, I was aware that a security guard seeing "ghosts" was jeopardizing his job and, frankly, I LOVED my job at The Grove / "Grave". In fact, I probably loved my security officer job at "The Grave" more than any other that I had during my working years, which is why I stayed there so long. (I likely would have retired from the workforce in my 60s at The Grove, if Cigna hadn't decided to move their Arizona headquarters to a new location that I didn't want to travel to.)
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I wasn't going to risk losing my job by submitting an official Daily Report which truthfully stated that there were "malevolent spirits" in the building:
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However, that was then and this is now (to coin a phrase). It has been fourteen long years since I worked at "The Grave" and since the company that employed me there relocated. Shortly after Cigna HealthCare moved out of that building in January of 2012, I left my security officer job and worked as a courier for a messenger service, transporting legal documents from law offices to various court buildings in downtown Phoenix.
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However, that was then and this is now (to coin a phrase). It has been fourteen long years since I worked at "The Grave" and since the company that employed me there relocated. Shortly after Cigna HealthCare moved out of that building in January of 2012, I left my security officer job and worked as a courier for a messenger service, transporting legal documents from law offices to various court buildings in downtown Phoenix.
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Here are some photos of The Grove / "The Grave" with its strange, pointed little head at the northwest corner:
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Earlier this year (2026), I took a trip back to Phoenix and while there, I decided to visit The Grove / "The Grave" to see if I could determine whether or not weird stuffs were still occurring in that building. I got my answer, and just as I expected, indeed the supernatural woo-woo continues to this very day!
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When I went to visit the building, I discovered that it is secured 24/7 - entrance is restricted to people who know the keypad code - but I had an opportunity to briefly speak outside the building with "Michael", a person who was employed there in some capacity. (As always, real names have been changed to protect the identity of the terrified.) I let Michael know who I was and about my background as it related to the building. I told him that I was simply curious to ascertain whether or not strange oddities were still a common occurrence in "The Grave".
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Quite frankly, Michael seemed rather reticent to talk about the building in detail; everything he said was conveyed to me in rather vague terms and basic generalities. He definitely did NOT seem very comfortable with the subject matter. Nevertheless, Michael assured me that bizarre phenomena was still a regular occurrence inside, and that he also had personally experienced very unnatural, unexplainable activity in the time that he'd been employed there. He didn't seem at all inclined to elaborate on the details of his experiences, nor the experiences of others whom he knew there, so I didn't press him in that direction.
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Michael expounded a bit with his own theory when he told me that he believes that malevolent disembodied spirits can sense the fear in human beings, and that they actually feed off of and are literally nourished in some way by the fearfulness that they are able to arouse in people. He believed that this was the reason unseen entities are harbored in The Grove / "The Grave".
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I have come across similar theories described in the past, in books and articles I have read about the paranormal. And while I suspect there may be some degree of truth in that idea, it doesn't come nearly close to explaining the phenomena in a larger sense.
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For example: If that "feeding on fear" is the primary explanation for this type of odd activity, then shouldn't ALL big buildings where large numbers of (quietly fearful) people gather on a regular basis be as "haunted" as The Grove? Shouldn't this sort of activity be quite common everywhere? Well, it certainly isn't. I'm now in my mid-60s and have been many places and seen many things - and although I am very much aware of numerous places that have been called "haunted" or "possessed", and I have been inside many such places - I have NEVER encountered the amount and degree of weird happenings as have been experienced and described by so many different people as The Grove has provided. Based on my firsthand experiences and knowledge, I still maintain that "The Grave" has to be one of the most "haunted" (for want of a better word) buildings in this country!
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When I published my original post on this subject, I was still wondering about the possibility that it wasn't just The Grove ("Grave") that was experiencing this jaw-dropping amount of paranormal activity. I was still entertaining the possibility that perhaps it was that general area which was being affected, and not just the building at 11001 North Black Canyon Highway.
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It just so happened that during my trip, I stayed at the Hyatt Place Phoenix-North hotel (you can see it in that last aerial view photo that I posted above). The Hyatt Place hotel stands just south of and probably no more than about 70 yards from The Grove / Grave. I can still remember working at The Grove as a security guard and seeing the Hyatt Place hotel as it was being constructed.
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While checking in, I gave the desk clerk a quick briefing on my professional history with that area and I asked him if he or anyone he knew had ever experienced any kind of weird, abnormal or supernatural phenomenon in that hotel. He said that he'd been working there for two years and he'd never noticed anything unusual in the building; furthermore, no coworkers nor any guests had ever reported to him anything weird having happened on the premises. There was another employee sitting next to the front desk clerk during this conversation. I think the lady was perhaps a bookkeeper / accountant and, if I recall correctly, she may have stated that she'd worked at that site for six years. She told me that, likewise, she'd never experienced nor heard of anyone else experiencing any kind of "ghostly" activity in the hotel. And she assured me that if it ever DID happen, she would quit her job instantly and run from the building like a scalded dog! Oh, yes, this nice woman was unquestionably terrified by just the thought of "ghosts", "demons" or whatever you choose to call them.
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So, in my opinion, that obliterates the idea that this is an "area" issue rather than just a "building" problem. It also obliterates the much-too-generalized theory that evil spirits always manifest solely in order to feed on the fear of humans. As of 2026, the Hyatt Place hotel has been in operation for 28 years. Hokey-Smoke!! How many fearful people do you suppose have worked at and checked into that hotel over the last 28 years? And yet, it doesn't have a ghost / demon problem like the building does which stands less than a football field away!
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In my original post about this building back in 2009, I wrote about a {*now it can finally be revealed*} security guard named "Elaine" {not her real name} who quit the job three or four days after a seemingly male "entity" walked right past her at about 5:10 AM - while she knew herself to be completely alone in the building. This male-looking "entity" appeared to float above the floor with his arms stretched out in front of him as he moved down the building's eastern hallway where he suddenly disappeared before Elaine's eyes.
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FUN FACT #1: Lucky for y'all, I actually made a Xerox copy of the security guard's daily report from that night, and I'm about to reveal it to you. R U Ready? Here comes the *authentic* security guard's report from the night that terrified her right out of her job. I have blacked-out all of the names and initials so as to protect the identities of folks who may not want "this world" to know about these real-life experiences which tremendously challenge the common misbeliefs of the masses.
.
When I went to visit the building, I discovered that it is secured 24/7 - entrance is restricted to people who know the keypad code - but I had an opportunity to briefly speak outside the building with "Michael", a person who was employed there in some capacity. (As always, real names have been changed to protect the identity of the terrified.) I let Michael know who I was and about my background as it related to the building. I told him that I was simply curious to ascertain whether or not strange oddities were still a common occurrence in "The Grave".
.
Quite frankly, Michael seemed rather reticent to talk about the building in detail; everything he said was conveyed to me in rather vague terms and basic generalities. He definitely did NOT seem very comfortable with the subject matter. Nevertheless, Michael assured me that bizarre phenomena was still a regular occurrence inside, and that he also had personally experienced very unnatural, unexplainable activity in the time that he'd been employed there. He didn't seem at all inclined to elaborate on the details of his experiences, nor the experiences of others whom he knew there, so I didn't press him in that direction.
.
Michael expounded a bit with his own theory when he told me that he believes that malevolent disembodied spirits can sense the fear in human beings, and that they actually feed off of and are literally nourished in some way by the fearfulness that they are able to arouse in people. He believed that this was the reason unseen entities are harbored in The Grove / "The Grave".
.
I have come across similar theories described in the past, in books and articles I have read about the paranormal. And while I suspect there may be some degree of truth in that idea, it doesn't come nearly close to explaining the phenomena in a larger sense.
.
For example: If that "feeding on fear" is the primary explanation for this type of odd activity, then shouldn't ALL big buildings where large numbers of (quietly fearful) people gather on a regular basis be as "haunted" as The Grove? Shouldn't this sort of activity be quite common everywhere? Well, it certainly isn't. I'm now in my mid-60s and have been many places and seen many things - and although I am very much aware of numerous places that have been called "haunted" or "possessed", and I have been inside many such places - I have NEVER encountered the amount and degree of weird happenings as have been experienced and described by so many different people as The Grove has provided. Based on my firsthand experiences and knowledge, I still maintain that "The Grave" has to be one of the most "haunted" (for want of a better word) buildings in this country!
.
When I published my original post on this subject, I was still wondering about the possibility that it wasn't just The Grove ("Grave") that was experiencing this jaw-dropping amount of paranormal activity. I was still entertaining the possibility that perhaps it was that general area which was being affected, and not just the building at 11001 North Black Canyon Highway.
.
It just so happened that during my trip, I stayed at the Hyatt Place Phoenix-North hotel (you can see it in that last aerial view photo that I posted above). The Hyatt Place hotel stands just south of and probably no more than about 70 yards from The Grove / Grave. I can still remember working at The Grove as a security guard and seeing the Hyatt Place hotel as it was being constructed.
.
While checking in, I gave the desk clerk a quick briefing on my professional history with that area and I asked him if he or anyone he knew had ever experienced any kind of weird, abnormal or supernatural phenomenon in that hotel. He said that he'd been working there for two years and he'd never noticed anything unusual in the building; furthermore, no coworkers nor any guests had ever reported to him anything weird having happened on the premises. There was another employee sitting next to the front desk clerk during this conversation. I think the lady was perhaps a bookkeeper / accountant and, if I recall correctly, she may have stated that she'd worked at that site for six years. She told me that, likewise, she'd never experienced nor heard of anyone else experiencing any kind of "ghostly" activity in the hotel. And she assured me that if it ever DID happen, she would quit her job instantly and run from the building like a scalded dog! Oh, yes, this nice woman was unquestionably terrified by just the thought of "ghosts", "demons" or whatever you choose to call them.
.
So, in my opinion, that obliterates the idea that this is an "area" issue rather than just a "building" problem. It also obliterates the much-too-generalized theory that evil spirits always manifest solely in order to feed on the fear of humans. As of 2026, the Hyatt Place hotel has been in operation for 28 years. Hokey-Smoke!! How many fearful people do you suppose have worked at and checked into that hotel over the last 28 years? And yet, it doesn't have a ghost / demon problem like the building does which stands less than a football field away!
.
In my original post about this building back in 2009, I wrote about a {*now it can finally be revealed*} security guard named "Elaine" {not her real name} who quit the job three or four days after a seemingly male "entity" walked right past her at about 5:10 AM - while she knew herself to be completely alone in the building. This male-looking "entity" appeared to float above the floor with his arms stretched out in front of him as he moved down the building's eastern hallway where he suddenly disappeared before Elaine's eyes.
.
FUN FACT #1: Lucky for y'all, I actually made a Xerox copy of the security guard's daily report from that night, and I'm about to reveal it to you. R U Ready? Here comes the *authentic* security guard's report from the night that terrified her right out of her job. I have blacked-out all of the names and initials so as to protect the identities of folks who may not want "this world" to know about these real-life experiences which tremendously challenge the common misbeliefs of the masses.
G😜L!
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Because "Elaine's" printing isn't very clear at times, below are some of the highlights that I've typed out for y'all:
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0400 - 0500 This building is haunted and if I have to babysit {a} ghost, I want a raise.
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0500 - 0600 {Supervisor's name redacted} I am requesting a meeting with you ASAP.
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0600 - 0700 About 5:10 AM I saw a man walk around the sign-in table. I said Hello and he kept walking down the hall. I yelled Hellow [sic] and he ignored me. I could not see his arms. I blinked and he disappeared.
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P.S. I am requesting a transfer. I can't stay here and die of a heart attack. Maybe you can give someone at the Support Center my shift and trade with me. Thanks.
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As stated in my original blog bit, the supervisor did not transfer "Elaine" to another location, and three or four days after this incident, she quit the company. Yes, she was genuinely frightened right into unemployment!
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As should be quite clear by now, despite all of the stories I'd heard and experiences I myself had, unlike so many other employees, I was never fearful of the malevolent spirit/spirits in the building. Why not? Because I knew that I had Jesus Christ with me at all times. He was and is my Sinless Savior, my Holy King, and my Good Shepherd. The person who accepts God and Christ into their heart is given a Godly Spirit of fearlessness. Read the following two verses from The Ho Bib :
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2nd Timothy 1:7
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1st John 4:18
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In closing, I want to make a very heartfelt plea that all of the readers of this blog bit will find a way to surrender their egos just long enough to open the door of their soul to God, their Creator, and thereby consciously entering into the Heart of God through Jesus Christ, who is the appointed Way leading to the genuine Center of Eternal LOVE - yes, that LOVE which will last FOREVER.
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Please listen to me... God IS Love. God - your true Creator - He doesn't just love you, He IS Love! Can you grasp the tremendous Truth that I am attempting to convey to you here? GOD IS LOVE!!! (read 'The First Epistle Of John, Chapter 4: Verses 8 & 16').
In closing, I want to make a very heartfelt plea that all of the readers of this blog bit will find a way to surrender their egos just long enough to open the door of their soul to God, their Creator, and thereby consciously entering into the Heart of God through Jesus Christ, who is the appointed Way leading to the genuine Center of Eternal LOVE - yes, that LOVE which will last FOREVER.
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Please listen to me... God IS Love. God - your true Creator - He doesn't just love you, He IS Love! Can you grasp the tremendous Truth that I am attempting to convey to you here? GOD IS LOVE!!! (read 'The First Epistle Of John, Chapter 4: Verses 8 & 16').
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Those verses say twice [i.e., "two witnesses", for those who may understand this Spiritually profound symbolism] that God doesn't just love, but He actually IS Love! And guess what! Hang onto your hat here... He -- God (LOVE) -- created you in HIS own Image! Therefore, obviously, you too ARE Love!
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Now, can't we all just get along? Can't we all just begin behaving like we are what we truly ARE?! Can't we finally come to recognize ourselves? Can't we actually SEE and KNOW our true identities?
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This final bit of God-given personal insight which I am about to publicly reveal here for the first time ever will likely seem far too esoteric for many folks to understand. Nevertheless, for those who may have ears to hear, eyes to see, and minds to comprehend the deeper Spiritual Truth implied in the following Fun Fact, I tell you this:
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FUN FACT #2: Many times over the decades, I have closed prayers to God with the following statement: "God, I Love You with the Love that YOU are".
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That's all I have to say about this. If you didn't understand my meaning in that last line above, I urge you to repeatedly pray to God and/or Jesus Christ about it. Ask Them to explain it to you, and if you faithfully & patiently believe that They will reveal to you the meaning of it, They most certainly will. I give you my ironclad, money-back, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious [link> Mary Poppins guarantee on that!
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May You Bless & Be Blessed!!
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This final bit of God-given personal insight which I am about to publicly reveal here for the first time ever will likely seem far too esoteric for many folks to understand. Nevertheless, for those who may have ears to hear, eyes to see, and minds to comprehend the deeper Spiritual Truth implied in the following Fun Fact, I tell you this:
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FUN FACT #2: Many times over the decades, I have closed prayers to God with the following statement: "God, I Love You with the Love that YOU are".
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That's all I have to say about this. If you didn't understand my meaning in that last line above, I urge you to repeatedly pray to God and/or Jesus Christ about it. Ask Them to explain it to you, and if you faithfully & patiently believe that They will reveal to you the meaning of it, They most certainly will. I give you my ironclad, money-back, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious [link> Mary Poppins guarantee on that!
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May You Bless & Be Blessed!!
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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Original 2009 blog post is HERE.
