In an attempt to escape their clutches, George Atherton set sail for Chile with his naval officer cousin. At least hes a ghost who remembers to tip. }, Nightlife. In the 1920s, a ticket booth worker was murdered in a robbery attempt at the Curran. A post shared by Sbastien B (@sebastienbarre) on Aug 6, 2015 at 6:04pm PDT. Police eventually found the killer, an electrician-turned-bandit called Eddie Anderson, who had held up five different businesses before he was arrested. 6. She now haunts the lake on foggy nights, dressed in white from head-to-toe, and has even been known to approach strangers asking if theyve seen her baby. If your idea of Halloween fun is experiencing paranormal activity in person, check out our roundup of 50 of the most haunted places in the Bay Area, from the North Bay down to the south (including half a dozen new spook spots for 2019). Location: 777 Valencia Street, San Francisco, California- 94110, USA. $('#metaslider_57782 .msHtmlOverlay').each(function() { Alcatraz, San Francisco Bay 5. And though one doesnt necessarily need to begrudge anyone who wants to live in a home with over 30 rooms, just in case one does, they can take satisfaction in knowing that the home has been said to be haunted by all sorts of ghosts. window.setTimeout(timer_metaslider_57782, 100) : !jQuery.isReady ? Employees have reported numerous paranormal activities over the yearsbottles exploding, footsteps echoing through the empty building, faucets that turn on and off, votive candles that fly off the manteland several musical guests have reported strange experiences in the green room while waiting to perform. slideshowSpeed:3000, Mysteriously, the next three captains were murdered by the crew. init: function(slider) { That is because the stroller had rolled away and into the lake. 9 Best Casinos In San Francisco Which One Must Definitely Visit And Play A Game Of Poker! 3065-3067 23rd Street. The spooky bit is that this Art Institute was built over an old graveyard. They stopped joking, and everything stayed put. $('#metaslider_57782 .msHtmlOverlay .layer[data-link], #metaslider_57782 .msHtmlOverlay[data-link]').each(function() { Black Diamond Mines, Antioch 4. The first comes from the Lady of the Lake story that many locals are familiar with. A post shared by Castello di Amorosa (@thecastello) on Sep 20, 2019 at 5:53pm PDT. Every since, night guards have claimed to hear the sounds of items breaking, people running, and men screaming. Fort MasonSenator David C. Broderick was an ambitious political climber and an outspoken abolitionist in the Democratic Party. The body was floating in the bay the next day. A post shared by Stately Homes of San Francisco (@statelysf) on Feb 2, 2018 at 6:24am PST. The Bay Areas ultimate horror movie filming locations map. Castello di Amorosa, Napa 2. Decommissioned Planes - Look no further than the Mojave airport to find over 1,000 abandoned commercial airline planes. Until 1949, a streetcar ran directly . Rufe McCain spent three years in a metal box in solitary confinement in cell 14D, also known as the Hole. Her finances were completely entangled with those of her long-time partner Thomas Bell, and when he toppled over a banister in their home and fell to his death in 1892, she lost most of her estate, and his wife ordered her out of the home. The millionaires intentions were good, but the place seemed cursed from day one. Be careful but be gentle, it may be Rufe begging to be set free. Another story says that the woman who roams about the street was a mother who was out on a walk with her baby in a stroller but she lost control of the stroller which went tumbling down the road, with the baby in it. You can't call a place Lone Tree Cemetery without attracting a few ghost stories. Moreover, they were said to be able to host some of the largest warships and passenger streamers of their time. Curran Theatre has a stunning architectural structure and is a historical building which is said to be haunted by the ghost of a ticket checker. Location: Alcatraz, San Francisco, California 94133, USA, Suggested Read: San Francisco Food: 15 Best Delicacies Thatll Titillate Your Taste Buds. Her dog, Doug, began acting strangely, barking in the middle of the night and scratching and gnawing at his fur. Even stranger? By 1859, the US government seized control of the island and used it to imprison 19 Hopi Indians who refused to give into aggressive government tactics to Americanize. In 1912 the US Army built a new prison on the island, and by 1934 the Fed took over and turned it into Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, a prison designed to crush the souls of men. Despite how unlikely it all sounds, the San Francisco Chronicle contends a real tragedy inspired this story when some kids reported a drowned infant in the lake in 1906. Apparently the hotel is packed with at least 22 very friendly ghosts who like to play tricks on the guests, often moving their items around the room and playing with the locks. The sailors stuffed his body into a barrel of rum to preserve it (throwing him overboard wasnt an option since he was so wealthy) and sent it back to the mansion. She is known as the 'White Lady' of Stow Lake. After a particularly nasty storm hit SF in 1971, the pool was damaged beyond repair and closed down soon after. timer_metaslider_57782(); 47 Glamorous Places To Visit In Udaipur In The Year 2023 For A Laidback Holiday! Supposedly, some are still toiling away in the long, dark corridors below deck, and employees of the haunted house attraction stationed there a few years ago told stories of extraahemcast members hanging around. That's the story, anyway. The Squando was taken back to New Brunswick, where it was docked, but no guards would stay on it as they all claimed to see a bloody headless man roam the ship at night. Some kids never want to leave the playground, but what if you were stuck playing forever? Actual horses are presumably a more plausible explanation than ghosts, but its probably easier to say that when youre not hearing the sound for yourself. Come along for the ride! Now it is completely abandoned, covered in graffiti, and more than a little haunted. This faux castle in Napa is only about a decade old, but the materials used to build it are much older and may have come with some hitchiking ghosts. Construction problems plagued the whole territory, and patrons often reported feeling uneasy, like someone was watching them. The Gantner-Maison-Domergue Funeral Home (which would later become the Chapel) would store bodies in the basement, where the incinerator was, below the embalming room. The twist was that the curse could only be kept at bay until the temple was under construction, and the spirits would kill Mrs Winchester as soon as the temple construction was completed. Suggested Read: 9 Best Casinos In San Francisco Which One Must Definitely Visit And Play A Game Of Poker! A lot of visitors and locals still report paranormal activities and ghostly sightings at the Winchester Mystery House. }); $(window).resize(function(){ Next time you go to a show there, look at the mirror in the entryway. Check out the hotels, roads, parks, bridges, and graveyards that local ghosts and goblins prefer. Half an hour later a light paper box whirled down. var timer_metaslider_57782 = function() { Plagued by deadly riots, tragic escape attempts, murders, and suicides, Alcatraz is said to be rife with restless spirits, especially in solitary confinement Cell Block D, where people were sometimes left for weeks without light, sound, or human contact. People claim to see him as an apparition in the lobby mirror now and then. His buddy, California Chief Justice David S. Terry (who was known for getting into fights and shanking people), on the other hand, was a staunch supporter of slavery and advocated for its extension into California. var slider = !window.jQuery ? People claim to have seen white figures in the background of photos and feel the spirits of those who died. An abandoned TB clinic cant help but admit a few ghost stories, including tales of screams in the night and a sinister groundskeeper who haunts around. $(e.target).closest('a').length) { Hotel Emblem (formerly Hotel Rex) 5. $(e.target).closest('a').length) { controlNav:false, On moonless nights, when the fog hovers really low over the bay, you might see an old three-masted ship in the water sailing from point to point to pointalmost as if its lost its heading. San Remo Hotel, 2237 Mason St, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA. minItems:1, Nighttime commuters have sometimes reported a phantom Highway Patrol officer during late crossings, who vanishes after pulling cars over. Well, kind of. The tower of the building is one of the main haunted places of the Institute. She disposed of the child and killed her self in . [] One of the gentlemen closes his statement as follows: What I have seen and heard to-night is the work either of devilish spirits, or of equally devilish man., A post shared by Brock Keeling (@brockkeeling) on Jun 3, 2017 at 5:49pm PDT. The Whistling Sailor is not the only ghost at Cosson Hall, though. layer.css('cursor', 'pointer').on('click', function(e) { Chief Solano, namesake of Solano County (although his actual name was Sem-Yeto), appears beneath the buckeye tree marking his grave in Rockville Park to warn the careless away from trampling the graves of those massacred by the Spanish. These baths were often frequented by the wealthy locals over weekend holidays. Your classic Poltergeist -style "built on an old cemetery" haunting, the SF Art Institute Bell Tower has reportedly long been plagued by flickering lights, slamming doors and phantom footsteps.. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. }); var layer = $(this); He claims he didnt want to shoot anyone, but the gun got stuck between the window rails and went off, killing Hewett and sending his body falling back down a flight of stairs. Everything was fine until she hosted a party and hired astrologists, palm readers, tarot card experts, and crystal ball gazers to entertain her guests. Highways have their ghost stories too. They claimed to hear the shuffling steps of patients walking down halls and voices calling out from behind closed doors. But it wasnt from the flames or even smoke inhalation. It operated as the German Consulate from 1938 to 1941, when it is alleged that it housed German spies. Golden Gate Park is truly one of the insanely haunted places in San Francisco as it has THREE entities waiting to interact with the living. }); }, The longtime head of security told the San Francisco Chronicle years ago that at night the screams of the panicked fire victims can still be heard. There are a whopping 10,000 windows and 2,000 doors. $('#metaslider_57782').metaslider_scale_layers({ downscale_only: false, They claim the daughter of Milton Schmitt, who lived in room 207 . She spent the rest of the day in a panic, asking everyone, Have you seen my baby? but no one had. However, some locals found out about the safehouse and burned it down with its inhabitants still sealed inside, unable to escape through the passageway. window.setTimeout(timer_metaslider_57769, 1) : metaslider_57769(window.jQuery); The original docks were thought to be the largest in the world. When the Sutro Baths first opened to the public in 1896, the west side of San Francisco was a vast region of all-but-unpopulated sand dunes. The Winchester Mystery House is said to be the most haunted house in the world, owing to the apparent curses that were bestowed upon the Winchester family by the spirits of those who were murdered by the rifle tycoon, William Winchester. var slider = !window.jQuery ? Broderick was taken back to the home of his friend Leonidas Haskell, where he languished in pain for three days until he died. San Franciscos famous Valencia Street located in the Mission District was once home to San Franciscos mortuaries. Some workers even reported that they saw faucets being turned on and off with flying votive candles. Not every San Francisco hotel claims to be haunted, but it does seem to be a hoteliers trademark. Financial District Book memorable holidays on TravelTriangle with 650+ verified travel agents for 65+ domestic and international destinations. Back in the 1880s, the Donaldina Cameron House served as a place of refuge for female Chinese immigrants seeking escape from slavery, prostitution, and other unsavory fates. Life was good. 1. If there's any place in America where abandoned buildings have a short shelf life, it's the Bay Area, and San Francisco especially. The hotel staff and hotel guests have reported that they have sensed and felt Barrymores, Arbuckles and Jolsons spirits in the hallways of the hotel. It's the classic American ghost story: A woman dies in a tragic roadside accident, and on foggy nights she still wanders the nearby woods. was the only one who was allowed to play his banjo when he was in the shower and it is his spirit that still plays the banjo in the shower rooms. When she finally realized that might be the case, she walked into the lake herself and was never seen again. Waterdog Lake is a beautiful place for a day hike or a picnic, but thanks to its tragic backstory, it's now considered one of California's most haunted places. Location: Presidio Pet Cemetery, 667 McDowell Ave, San Francisco, CA 94129. }); The history is all realbut we make no guarantees for the ghosts. With a candlelight tour. Today, the house is not only known for its creepy history but also for its massive size. Location: Cosson Hall, 601 Avenue A, San Francisco, CA 94130. We already have this email. directionNav:true, Real travel stories. He was willing to forgive her in exchange for retribution. The supposed ghost of the historic Haskell Housea man in a top hat seen pacing the rooms from time to timemay be Major Leonidas Haskell himself, or it may be Senator David Brock, who died here after being fatally shot in a duel by former California Supreme Court Justice David Terry near Lake Merced in 1859. The fact that there are several more trees these days notwithstanding. }); A post shared by San Francisco Heritage (@sfheritage) on Sep 19, 2017 at 9:26am PDT. A post shared by Bay Area Bucket List (@bayareabucketlist_) on Oct 2, 2018 at 8:08pm PDT. The Ellis Island of the west has its own tragic historyand of course its own ghost stories. (The only cemeteries that remain are the military and pet cemeteries in the Presidio, and the cemetery at Old Mission Dolores.). Not only was it the home of the Naval Radiological Defense laboratory, but the shipyard also served as a launch point for key components used in the making of the first atomic bomb. }); $('#metaslider_57769 .msHtmlOverlay').each(function() { And to this day, many people claim to feel a strange coldness while walking around the area, and some say they catch glimpses of a spirit roaming. directionNav:true, There are still plenty of yellow radioactive warning signs posted around the shipyard. Some of the most notoriously haunted abandoned places in Northern California include: Point Reyes Shipwreck, Chemung Mine, Fannette Island, Marshall Gold Discovery State Park Jailhouse, and Falk. Perhaps no neighborhood in San Francisco is more rife with ghost stories than Chinatown. If exploring abandoned places and learning about some of San Franciscos most notorious historical landmarks sounds like your idea of a good time, you might want to check out our Haunted San Francisco Ghost Tour. The Strawberry Hill is frequently visited by people who come here to hang out and relax or, go boating around the lake. He never made it back. easing:"linear", The story goes that she turned up dead in the mines under suspicious circumstances, and her troubled spirit never left. At midnight they saw a heavy trunk fall with a startling crash, rebounding from the wall to the baluster, deeply indenting both, and striking the floor with such force as to break its iron straps and wrench its top from the hinges. Nisarg Can't Stop Praising His Honeymoon Trip To Maldives. And unlimited fun at Casela. A fun-filled destination for ages indeed! Now its just another abandoned, graffiti-covered spot for us to visit and reminisce about the times gone by! The door soon after opened and they were invited in to see the cause. A few have also reportedly seen ghost images at times. Please do note that this is not an excuse to decline to pull over on Halloween night. Snopes says teenagers sometimes sneak in to set up shop with an Ouija Board (which the store presumably has in stock). A post shared by Linda Harwood (@linda_harwood3) on Aug 6, 2016 at 7:01am PDT. Brentwoods resident spook is a considerate one: Ever since this bars original owner was murdered in a poker game over the sum of 11 cents, subsequent owners and employees claim to have seen him lurking around after hours, and sometimes leaving 11 cents on the bar after closing. You will be redirected to your dashboard shortly. A post shared by Francyne Kunkel (@francyne_kunkel) on Oct 2, 2019 at 6:28pm PDT. }); Lower Pac HeightsIts said that Mary Ellen Pleasant, the Mother of Human Rights in California, first African-American self-made millionaire, and a general badass, haunts the six eucalyptus trees she planted at 1661 Octavia St (the site of a 30-room mansion she built with her business partner, banker Thomas Bell). City Hall, San Francisco 9. The construction workers working on the tower inside the Art Institute had also experienced very close encounters with ghosts. People have reportedly heard sounds of screaming and whistling men, clanging metal doors and loud screams that were heard from within the premises of the prison house. But, experts say, theres probably thousands more still under the museum. There was even a horror movie shot here: The G-String Horror. 7. Named an urban explorers paradise, the Hunters Point Shipyard was built back in the 1870s. However, the history of the Sutro Baths seems to be anything but wholesome. itemMargin:0 Sanzhi UFO Houses, San Zhi, Taiwan. Legend has it that he mourns here to this very day. He attempted to kidnap her, but she managed to escape. Be careful: If the lady comes up to you and asks if youve seen her baby, say yes, and she will continue to haunt you. The tale goes like this: a young mother was walking around the lake, pushing her baby in a stroller when she decided to sit on a bench and rest. She spent a day and a night searching the area and asking passersby, Have you seen my baby? before disappearing into the lake. It wasnt as good for Eddie Anderson, however, who had a girlfriend who wanted to see Show Boat at the Curran, something Eddie couldnt afford. George and his wife, Gertrude Franklin, lived in the mansion where he was alleged to have suffered bouts of cruelty and humiliation at the hands of both women, who were known to be quite domineering. No one died in the fire that destroyed the Sutro Baths, but the area is so remote, atmospheric, and potentially hazardous that it can't help but attract urban myths. The blog Haunted Rooms relates stories about guests spotting a ghost described as "a Chinese man" wandering the upper floor halls--with a meat cleaver in hand, alarmingly enough. Sabyacsachi's Romantic Trip Proves Europe To Be The Mother Of All Vacations, Srishti Talks Of Her Amazing Trip To Singapore With Her Mother & Niece. EmbarcaderoThe captain of Norwegian sailing ship the Squando, which sailed through the Golden Gate in 1890, discovered that his wife was having an affair with the first mate. San Francisco Food: 15 Best Delicacies Thatll Titillate Your Taste Buds, San Francisco In December: An Ultimate Guide To Witness The Snowy Magic & Charm In The City. $(this).css('display', 'block'); San Francisco. Not Adventure Lovers? San Francisco came of age as a fairly lawless city, so its no surprise that, despite its relatively short history, its had its fair share of murders and tragedies. Quick Details All ages Meets near Transamerica Pyramid Duration: 1.5 hours Distance: less than 1 mile walking Max group size: 26 people What's included: EMF meter for Ghost Hunter tickets Collectible pin This included a U.S. Army Hospital serving hundreds of thousands of soldiers suffering from physical and mental trauma. From 1886 until she died in 1922, the construction never ceased on the strange new mansion, which at its peak included 200 rooms, 10,000 windows, 47 fireplaces, and 2,000 doors, trap doors, and spy holes. Shortly after its opening, reports of poltergeist activity happened throughout the building: cold spots moving from room to room, and files flying off shelves. Share Pin it Like this article? This led to the ending of new burials by 1900, and a slow, decades-long process of exhuming all the dead from SFs 30 cemeteries, and sending them to their new resting place in Colma. There are lots of ghost tours in the city that walk you through some of most haunted spots where the spooky stories of mysterious deaths, crimes, murders and spirits haunting famous places, only send chills down your spine. Your email address will not be published. So, explore this area at your own risk! }); Mary is known to tuck in lodgers feet during the night. var metaslider_57769 = function($) { However, it slowly fell into disarray in the years following World War II, as did many other placesat that time. Others claim its the collective energy of so many men and women, controlling the worlds money and desperate for more. USS Hornet, Alameda 3. Talk to our travel experts today. Naturally the Golden Gate Bridge has ghost stories, but probably not in the way you think. The bizarro began when the lady of the house, Sarah Winchester, inherited a vast fortune from her father-in-law, Oliver Winchester, manufacturer of the famous rifle, and she moved from New Haven, Connecticut to San Jose. Location: 1590 Sutter Street, San Francisco, California 94109, USA. It seems more likely this is a prank than a hauntingbut wed be lying if we said this clip didnt creep us right out. Try another? el.before(cloned); One of San Francisco's most persistent ghost myths tells of an unfortunate mother who drowned herself trying to rescue her newborn from Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park, cursing her to wander the lake shore forever in grief. Another story is about a party that was held in suites 1219 and 1221 by Fatty Arbuckle, a silent-movie comedian. Rumor has it that Miss Mary Lake haunts the hotel, roaming the halls and in particular her old office, the Mary Lake Suite, room 410, where she sometimes even tucks guests in at night. A post shared by Sutro (@sutrobaths) on Aug 8, 2015 at 12:29pm PDT. To prevent any mishaps, his wife spent the rest of her life building the temple until she breathed her last. Some say its the German spies. 10 Beautiful Places To Visit In San Francisco That Ought To Be On Your Itinerary, San Francisco Shopping: 10 Places Thatll Help You Pamper Your Heart & Upgrade Your Style. $('#metaslider_57769 .msHtmlOverlay .layer[data-link], #metaslider_57769 .msHtmlOverlay[data-link]').each(function() { For those in search of chills and thrills (beyondcorn mazesandpumpkin patches), here are seven haunted places in the Bay Area for fright night fun. His heirs sold the property in 1938 to the Deutsche Reich, and it became the German Consulate. Location: Curran Theatre, 445 Geary Street, San Francisco, California- 94102, USA. Cosson Hall, located on SFs famous Treasure Island, used to serve as a naval base back in the 1960s. Some have even reported feeling cold spots. A lot of visitors have reportedly seen a woman in a white dress with long lustrous hair and a glowing face, walking around the area. orig_width: 300 She and her 50 cats lived only in the ballroom until she died in 1974. The hotel was the place where the yesteryear actor John Barrymore died in an earthquake that struck San Francisco in the year 1906, as the actor was sleeping in one of the hotel rooms. Russian HillAt the foot of actually-not-the-most-crooked-street-in-San-Francisco (but certainly, the most frequently visited by tourists) sits an ornate home that once belonged to jet-setter, socialite, and revered hostess Pat Montandon. 2411 24th Street. The prison closed in 1963 and shortly after reopened as a US National Park. It is said that if you visit the tunnel area at night and light a candle, a silhouette appears to take the candle away from you to blow off the flame and then throws it in the water. Alcatraz, San Francisco, California The cells reserved for the 'worst' criminals, for example, were positioned just so to expose the inmates to biting winds and offer a tantalizing, torturous . Book a ticket to USA now to visit these places if you dare. Well, well see about that, wont we? Our newsletter hand-delivers the best bits to your inbox. Our favorite is the phantom carriage supposedly sighted on the hill between the Mary Morse and Ethel Moore residence halls. On the scheduled day of the duel, the San Francisco sheriff tried to stop the two politicians but the judge ruled out any law being broken which led the duel to be rescheduled for the next morning where Terry and Broderick appeared with their seconds and with over 80 spectators. Kraft says shes never seen a ghost herself, but sometimes odd noises or strange things do happen around the home, and ghost hunters have reported some weird electrical phenomena in certain rooms. But when the academy closed in 1896, Mary mysteriously disappeared. Lands End The Queen Anne Hotel opened in 1890 as Miss Mary Lake's School for Girls. There are 25 haunted places that we'll be checking out here shortly (each with a small story of why it's haunted and what sort of importance it has on the state and their respected city). }); }); The Bay Areas most famous haunted home, the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, was once the largest private residence in the United States. In the city's history, San Francisco had been involved in some of the most devastating disasters in American history. Location: Near the centre of Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, USA, Suggested Read: San Francisco Shopping: 10 Places Thatll Help You Pamper Your Heart & Upgrade Your Style. One of the most spooky stories is that of a park ranger who reportedly heard banjo music playing from one of the shower rooms but then found nothing when he checked inside. A post shared by Golden Gate Bridge (@golden_gate_bridge) on Oct 9, 2019 at 10:56am PDT. Presidio Pet Cemetery 5. When San Francisco opened the Fleishhacker Pool to the public in 1925, it was thought to be one of the largest in the world. It came in handy after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, . But, throughout the late 1990's, San Francisco's youth would tell tales of breaking into the old abandoned army hospital, now covered in dust, broken glass, and graffiti. Have Questions? A streetcar was driven directly to the Bay Area from Mission Street and then the bodies of the deceased were prepared by the Mission Street station and then taken to the cemetery. As a result, the house once climbed seven stories and had over 500 roomsall to make space for the many ghosts Winchester believed haunted her out of anger that her husbands guns killed them.The 2018 horror film Winchester shot on location was a letdown but did gross more than ten times its budget, so future Hollywood hauntings here may be in the works. Lots of guests and visitors have reported seeing the ghost of a ticket checker who was murdered in the 1920s. Now a private residence, the bulk of unexplained activity happens in the basement and wine cellar, with shadowy figures and hot and cold running chills. The families of these captains have claimed to see shadows move across rooms, lights flashing, and plants tipping over. Location: Winchester Mystery House, 525 S Winchester Boulevard, San Jose, California- 95128, USA. This one is even harder to take seriously than usual, but it gets bonus points for being one of the few Bay Area ghost stories to inspire a feature film, 2009's Hicks Road. This event became known as the Last Duel in California, and Broderick would become a martyr for the anti-slavery movement. According to the sites longtime caretaker, the ghost of a little girl who died in the aftermath of the 1906 earthquake supposedly haunts the niche where shes interred. Mills has more ghosts than humanities majors, and we'd be here all day enumerating its many learned specters. He was not even halfway there when his kidneys failed, and he died. Some say it is Billy who haunts the wine cellar, hoping to get his hands on just one more bottle of wine, and perhaps saddest of all, some say they have seen a shadowy figure who is thought to be the ghost of William Whittier, still waiting for his wife to join him in the house she was never able to call home.