Beverly Hills

Falcon's Lair

The host of Rudolph Valentino lingers in his former mansion. He lived there only a year before he died of Peritonitis on August 24, 1926. The thirty
one year old actor's funeral was accompanied by mass hysteria and suicides. As it turned out, even Valentino could not believe he was dead.
Actor Harry Carey was one of several subsequent owners who encountered the silent star's ghost. Millicent Rogers spent only one night in the
house before being chased out by Valentino's specter. His apparition has appeared in darkened corridors, his old bedroom, and in the stables,
where his beloved horse was kept. One stable worker promptly walked out the front gate and never returned after seeing the master's ghost petting
his horse. Passers by have reported Valentinos' dark silhouette looking out over the Los Angeles skyline from his favorite window on the second
floor of the mansion. His ex-wife Natachu Rambova clamed to be in contact with his spirit for many years after his death.

Half Moon Bay

Moss Beach Distillery

The gruesome ghost of a lady in a blue dress soaked in blood haunts this old speakeasy on Half Moon Bay. Waitresses, chefs, managers, and
customers have seen the young woman's phantom standing near the piano, outside the ladies' room, or dancing alone in deserted rooms. Once, a
boy ran screaming from the restroom, insisting that a lady covered in blood touched him. In February 1992, two waitresses saw a stool tip over and
do a somersault. The woman's bloody phantom was even spotted standing in the middle of Highway 1, which runs in front of the restaurant. On
average, her ghost has been sighted one or twice every year for the last fifty years. In August 1992, all the settings in the restaurant's automatic
thermostat system were mysteriously changed. The complicated reprogramming would have taken most people three or four hours to perform.
"The company told me that there was no way it could have been done except manually," owner John Barber related., "but I had the only access
key!" Previous owners say the ghost of the Moss Beach Distillery is the spirit of a young woman stabbed to death by a jealous lover on the beach
in front of this cliff-side restaurant over seventy years ago.

Mount Shasta

Underground City

Legends of an underground city beneath the majestic Mount Shasta go back two thousand years. Hopi legends say the mountain is one of the
thirteen homes of the Lizard People, and California tribes considered isolated fourteen-thousand foot high mountain taboo, the dwelling place of an
invisible race of men. Later accounts describe Mount Shasta as an inlet to the Lemurian world, a fifteen thousand year old civilization was said to
survive in the tunnels of dead volcanoes. Some authors have suggested the mountain is a meeting place for the Lothinian Brotherhood, who use a
strange force called "vis Mortuus" to carve caverns out of solid rock.

In 1904, J.C. Brown, an explorer for a British mining company, reported that he had discovered a caved in hollow in the side of the mountain that
contained a giant skeleton and hieroglyphic writing on the walls. Brown later quit his job and settled in Stockton, where he lived out his life selling
gold trinkets that he had found in the cave. In 1932, Edward Lanser reported that a clan of people dressed in white robes, and possessing a huge
supply of pure gold, was living at Shasta's higher elevations. In 1934, Abraham Mansfield said he encountered a tribe of Lemurians, who had dug
tunnels connecting Mount Shasta and the Bluff Creek area. In 1930, G.W. Ballard had accumulated nearly five thousand devoted followers, most of
whom attended annual meeting at the Quail Hill Amphitheater at Mount Shasta. In 1972, a San Jose man hiking on the southern slope came
across what he called "a reptilian humanoid." Other visitors to the mountain have reported seeing dwarfs, ape-men, and white robed giants.

On August 16, 1987, thousands of New Age enthusiasts gathered at the mountain as part of an international "Harmonic Convergence," designed to
bring peace to the whole world. Mount Shasta was designated one of the seven major planetary charkas of spiritual "tuning forks." Because of its
location at the foot of the mountain, the tiny town of Shasta is now headquarters for a wide variety of New Age groups.

Bibliography: Hauck, Dennis. Haunted Places: Ghost abodes, sacred sites, UFO landings, and other supernatural locations. New York: Penguin
Book, 1994.

Newberry Park

Stagecoach Inn

Inns, hotels, motels, and hostels are all prone to haunting because they often host a number of deaths whil in operation. This is especially true for
such buildings constructed during the 1800s, when life was harsh and disease, bandits, and angry Native Americans could unexpectedly sweep
through an establishment, claiming the lives of all within. California's Stagecoach Inn, built in 1876, is just such a site, attracting tragedy and
sorrow during its time as a hotel. The inn is now a museum, but during its heyday it experienced several mysterious deaths, resulting in the
modern haunting.

The Stagecoach Inn is home to several ghosts, but the most well known is the spirit of Pierre Devon (or Duvon), a burly, bearded mountain man
who died in the hotel. According to psychics, Devon causes small poltergeist disturbances in the room, as well as unnerving cold spots on the
staircase. At one point, medium Sybil Leek actually conversed with Devon, who identified himself and admitted that he had passed away at the
Inn; a month later, a holster and a pair of chaps allegedly belonging to the mountaineer were mysteriously donated to the museum.

Another prominent ghost living within the Stagecoach Inn museum is the spirit of a tall, elegant woman. She is most often glimpsed out of the
corner of the eye before she suddenly vanishes. After the ghost disappears, however, a heavy perfume can be detected drifting through the
building. This particular phantom was encountered numerous times between 1952 and 1965, during a period when the building was being restored
to its former glory. Often, construction on a house can summon ghosts attached to the building; these spirits may be unhappy about the changes
or may simply be attracted by new signs of life. In this case, the phantom woman may have been lured back to the inn once it began to take on its
original appearance again.

The Stagecoach Inn is also home to a wayward child, whose chilling voice can be heard calling throughout the house. Legends hold that the child's
family was staying at the house in the 1890s, but the young boy wandered away from the inn one day and became hopelessly lost in the nearby
hills. He was never found and it is assumed that he died in the wilderness. As with many similar ghost, the little boy is probably unaware that he is
dead and has returned to the inn in search of his family.

San Diego

The Hotel Del Coronado

The haunting of the Hotel del Coronado represents a classic ghost story filled with tragedy and untimely death. Kate Morgan was born in
Dubuque, Iowa, in 1868. By the time she was twenty-four, she had married a disreputable gambler named Tom Morgan. The two migrated to
California, where they set up their home is Visalia. Unfortunately, Tom was not a family man, and when Kate became pregnant, the gambler left
home. A few days later, Kate received a letter from her husband in which he ended their relationship.

Distraught, Kate tracked Tom to the Hotel del Coronado, where she registered under the assumed name of Mrs. Lottie Anderson Barnard and
checked into room 302. On her first night in the upscale hotel, she sped her husband in the card room, engaged in a romantic interlude with
another woman. After a brief argument, Kate stormed from the card room, and was found dead in her room one or two days later, having been killed
on Thanksgiving Day.

Initially, it was reported that Kate left the hotel after her confrontation with Morgan and immediately purchased a gun with intent to murder Tom and
his new lover. This version of the tale concludes that Kate had a change of heart and committed suicide, alone in her room, killing both herself and
her unborn child. However, new evidence uncovered in 1989 suggests that Tom Morgan actually invaded his wife's hotel room, shot her dead, and
staged the scene to appear as a suicide.

Whatever the case, Kate Morgan still haunts the room in which she died. Now known as room 3502, the site is plagued y disembodied footsteps,
mysterious temperature changes, and a persistent gurgling noise. Animals brought into the room have become overwhelmed with terror, and
guests have reported that objects seem to disappear or move on their own. Kate has also been spotted by guests and hotel employees alike as
she wanders the room in a black lace dress. Most dramatic, perhaps, is a report that a study of the room using computers and infrared cameras
detected thirty seven abnormalities in temperature, humidity, electrical output, and magnetic emission.

Kate Morgan's influence, or the presence of other ghosts, has also been sensed in room 3503 and 3312. Spectral apparitions, a host of noises,
and cold spots have been encountered in these rooms as well. The hotel usually does not rent this room unless it is necessary, but you can
request that particular room.

The Whaley House

There are numerous ghostly residents in this home including many from the Whaley family including Thomas Whaley, his wife (Anna Eloise
Lannay), one of their daughters, a son who died at only eighteen months, and the family dog. Another ghost was one of their neighbors named
Annabelle Washburn, "Yankee Jim" Robinson, and a few other unknown ghosts.

The Whaley House was built in 1857 by Thomas Whaley in a section of San Diego known as Old Town. Although the mansion was gorgeous,
Whaley's experiences in the house were far from pleasant. Early on, he rented a portion of the house to the country to serve as a courtroom and
records rooms. Unfortunately, San Diego residents attempting to establish a "New Town" section of the city were upset that the county seat was
perceived as residing in Old Town. While Whaley was out of town one night, several members of the New Town faction stormed his house, stole
hundreds of documents, and threatened the lives of his wife and daughter. Whaley entered an emotionally trying time and made an ultimately vain
effort to receive monetary compensation for the attack, but died without winning his case.

Thomas and Anna Whaley's son passed on at only eighteen months, leaving both despondent. A young neighbor named Annabelle Washburn was
running through the Whaley property when she collided with a clothesline. The impact crushed the girl's trachea and she later died in the Whaley
kitchen. The most horrific death involved "Yankee Jim" Robinson, a thief who was sentenced to death after stealing a boat in 1852. At the time, the
Whaleys did not yet own the property, but a set of gallows had been erected at the site. However, on the day that Yankee Jim was led to the
hangman's noose for the public execution, Thomas Whaley was in the audience. He watched, perhaps as horrified as many others in the crowd,
as the trap door on the gallows sprung open. Unfortunately, the rope did not snap Yankee Jim's neck and he was left dangling, slowly strangling to
death as he kicked and swung helplessly. It took Yankee Jim a full forty-five minutes to die.

These tragedies have resulted in one of the most haunted houses in the United States. Organ music emanates from empty rooms, a black rocking
chair moves on its own, and bolted windows are opened by unseen hands. Thomas Whaley and his wife pace the upstairs rooms, while their dead
son can be heard wailing. Annabelle still races through the house, and a spectral dog believed to have once belonged to the Whaleys can
sometimes be spotted romping through the property. Most disturbing is the ghost of Yankee Jim, who appears dangling from the house's main
doorway.

Other ghosts at the Whaley site remain unidentified. These include a woman wearing a green plaid gingham dress who frequents an upstairs
bedroom and a well-dressed gentleman standing on the staircase. The most common sighted ghost is Annabelle, who can be usually be found in
the kitchen where she died. Yankee Jim is only observed at the mansion entrance, and Mr. and Mrs. Whaley spent their time upstairs.

San Jose

Winchester Mystery House

The Winchester Mystery House in California is unique among haunted houses because it seems to be open to a great many ghosts who can visit
the home freely whenever they wish. These spirits do not actually reside within the building, they come and go as they please.

The Winchester House was built by Sarah Pardee Winchester, who formerly lived in Connecticut with her husband, Oliver Winchester, founder of
the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. When Oliver and the couple's only daughter died within months of one another, Sarah was grief-
stricken. Seeking to speak with her loved ones one last time, she met with a Boston sensitive named Adam Coons, who summoned Oliver's spirit.
According to Coons', Oliver was tormented in death by the spirits of those slain by his weapons. In order to appease these ghosts, Oliver begged
Sarah to build a home for these phantoms.

Driven by this message, Sarah relocated to San Jose California, where she purchased a forty-acre farm. Over the next thirty-eight years, she
continually expanded the original property, ultimately building a house that contained no fewer than seven hundred rooms, nine hundred fifty doors,
forty staircases, ten thousand windows, and forty-seven fireplaces. The house was also a warren of secret passages and hidden hallways. Also
she did not seem to like even numbers, so the house has multiples of 13 everywhere, whether it be 13 candles on a chandelier, 13 panes of glass
in a window, or thirteen coat hangers in the séance room.

While she lived in the house, Sarah invited a host of spirits to share the home with her. Most nights, she held large banquets for up to twelve
phantoms. She also forbade mortals to interfere with the spirits and allowed only Harry Houdini, who was known for his love of ghosts, into the
building. Unfortunately, the home also attracted several evil spirits who tormented Sarah. She was forced to sleep in a different room each night to
confuse these malicious ghosts. To further confound the phantoms, she built dead-end hallways, empty rooms, and stairs that led nowhere.

Sarah finally died in 1922, leaving her niece the estate and the responsibility of caring for the house's many ghostly visitors. Less than a year later,
Sarah's niece opened the house for public tours, which have continued into the present. Today there are still ghosts that visit the home. Many have
experienced ghost lights, unexplained noises, and the voices of phantoms are often reported. Many visitors have also experienced a silent, gray-
haired phantom on the grounds, who may be the spirit of Sarah Winchester.

Bibliography: Blackman, W. Haden. The Field Guide to North American Hauntings. New York: Three Rivers Press, 1998.

California