My Town Monday: Haunted House in San Diego, CA
The Whaley House, located in historic Old Town San Diego, is THE most haunted house in California. Quite possibly in the whole USA. In 1964, Regis Philbin and a friend tried to spend the night in the Whaley House. They were so spooked by the ghost of Anna Whaley, who appeared in the form of a ball of light, that they bolted in the dead of night. Granted, Regis doesn't have a huge rep for courage, but even the US Department of Commerce agrees the house is haunted.
The Whaley House is a two-story brick building built in 1857 by Thomas Whaley, a businessman. Before its construction, guess what was located on the grounds? The town gallows. Now, you don't have to be a ghost hunter to guess you're probably going to run into some paranormal problems in this location. Sure enough, Yankee Jim Robinson, hanged from the gallows on the back of a wagon in 1852 for theft, haunts the Whaley House with heavy footsteps.
Other ghosts you might hook up with during your visit include: Thomas Whaley (usually on the upper landing), his wife (in the downstairs room or in the garden), a woman in a long full skirt, a redheaded girl between 9 and 13 years old (in the kitchen), a spotted fox terrier. Plus, there's an overall sense of being watched. And the smells of cigar smoke and lavender perfume. Not to mention the sounds of singing, giggling, a baby crying.
I've been to the Whaley House several times. It's a great little museum. Slightly more expensive to visit in the evening. You can wander through at your leisure and see the various furnished sections of the house, including the courtroom and theatre. I love Old Town in general. So, if you're here and at the Whaley House, give me a shout. We could always meet for Mexican.
Is the Whaley House in I So Don't Do Mysteries? Yes. Because it's the perfect place for Sherry's mother (a ghost) to stay when she comes to San Diego.
And, thanks to Travis Erwin for coming up with Home Town Monday. He has a fun post today on Amarillo, TX.
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Barrie,
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful post. I cannot wait until my grandkids (The oldest is five) are old enough to read about Sherry and her many adventures.
Terrie
Regis Philbin - Daredevil. Who knew?
ReplyDeleteSounds like an interesting place. I've been to San Diego but not this place. Wish i would have known about it though.
This is exactly the kind of cool fun fact that I think makes this fun. Thanks for playing.
How cool is this? It's the West Coast's answer to the Amityville house on Long Island. :-) I would so love to visit the Whaley House, but I'm afraid I'd run from the place before walking through the front door. Bravery and I have nothing in common. Thanks for sharing this story. Way cool.
ReplyDelete~Debbie
I wonder the TAPS guys haven't been there? They go to places that don't seem to really be haunted, but I wonder what they do in that house?
ReplyDeleteI'd like to think I could stay in the house over night, but knowing me, I'd pee my pants before I could even begin to run! LOL
Sounds too strange for me!
ReplyDeleteIn Morocco there are djinns - bad spirits that cause lots of trouble - but I try not to think about them.
A friend there has two angels who live down a covered up well in her basement........
Have a good week.
got the book! thanks so much!
ReplyDeletei would so pay the extra dough to wander this house at night...
Oooh! I want to spend the night there :)
ReplyDeleteI wish the Sci Fi Channel Ghost hunter guys would go there. That'd be so cool.
ReplyDeleteIt must have been one of those nice places to live, since the dead don't want to leave.
Cool! So spooky! :)
ReplyDeleteOh, man!!! My town doesn't have a haunted house. I'm moving.
ReplyDeleteToo bad the Whaley House didn't have a virtual tour but -- then -- you'd probably never experience "whatever it is." ;)
ReplyDeleteI totally have to go! I love ghosts!
ReplyDeleteI'm spooked just reading about this....but when I come back to Canada, I am so getiting your book for my boys :)
ReplyDeleteHeidi
This is so interesting. It looks like a great place for your character's mother to stay. Esp. since she's a ghost!
ReplyDeleteGhost Hunters have been to the Whaley House, but the TAPS team has not. They haven't been to San Diego.
ReplyDeletei loved ghost stories as a kid and hope i never outgrow them!
ReplyDeletelooks like a great place to take my sister-in-law who comes to town this week.
ReplyDeleteOh, now that's cool! I love haunted houses. You didn't say. Did you see a ghost while you were there? :-)
ReplyDeleteWow! Cool! I need to stay in a haunted house for writing research. This would be the place if only I were famous enough they'd let me. :-)
ReplyDeleteJim D
How fun!! I loved haunted houses when I was a kid. Couldn't get enough "true" ghost stories, either. Very cool that you put this particular haunted house in your novel!!
ReplyDeletewait! wait! you left out the most important detail:
ReplyDeletewhen you were there, did you see the ghost?
i lived in a haunted house for three months--the James Thurber House in Columbus, Ohio. i wrote about it, if you're interested. (you could easily search my blog.)
i definitely experienced the ghost.
I believe that the energy of a place can be determined by its past use. I used to live in and then rent out a condo in a complex built over an old landfill. I had never been happy there. Plus, when we had to rent it out because we couldn't sell it, everyone who lived there had awful problems in their lives while living there. Busted up relationships. Bankruptcies. Coincidence? Maybe. BTW, we finally sold it about six years ago.
ReplyDeleteDo we know why these people haunt this house??
ReplyDeleteI lovvvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeee haunted houses!! YOW!!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat information, I have enjoyed reading this!!
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI am not a particular fan of haunted houses.Still I enjoyed reading your post.
Thanks for visiting me. There's a tag waiting for you on my blog.
Dorit
Regis Philbin chased around by a shrieking female demon?
ReplyDeleteSure this wasn't a re-run with Kathie Lee in it.
Alex, has a valid point. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm going to the Stanley Hotel in Colorado with the TAPS crew and Darkness radio. I'll be blogging about it soon with sign up details. I just took a paranormal class in Lafayette, Louisiana with my sister. I love this stuff.
ReplyDelete