Tag Archives: Haunted California

Brookdale Lodge, Ep. 252

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Santa Cruz has come up several times on the podcast. The city is a redwood forested wonderland, but it is also a mystical and supernatural dreamland. One of the most well-known locations in Santa Cruz is the Brookdale Lodge, an establishment that has been around for over a hundred years. This was a place for the wealthy and famous to relax and later became a family getaway. Today, it is striving to recover from years of neglect to obtain some sense of its former glory. Some things left over from the past are ghosts. There is reputedly quite a bit of activity here. On this episode, our listener and Executive Producer Sasha Wolfe, interviews the members of Santa Cruz Ghost Hunters to talk about technique, theories and the Brookdale Lodge. Moment in Oddity was suggested by listener Jennifer Durham and features two gravestones on Savannah Airport runway. This Month in History features the Bread Riot in Richmond, Virginia.

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Yosemite National Park, Ep. 240

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In the United States, there are 59 separate natural protected areas known as National Parks. The Department of the Interior oversees these parks under the National Park Service and each area has been dedicated by an act of Congress. The effort to set aside these areas was initiated to prevent the expanding population from destroying distinct natural areas, so they could be preserved for future generations. Yosemite National Park was one of the first parks designated for special protection. The park covers an area of 747,956 acres in the Western Sierra Nevada of Northern California. It was designated as a World Heritage Site in 1984. Known for it’s granite cliffs, waterfalls, giant sequoia groves, lakes, mountains, and glaciers it is the source of not only beauty but of an amazing history and great stories including those of curses, cryptids, and ghosts. Join us as we explore the history and the hauntings of Yosemite National Park. The Moment in Oddity features The White Death Sniper and This Month in History features the Russians surrendering to the Japanese after the Battle of Port Arthur.

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Haunted Calico, Ep. 234

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The Calico Mountains rise out of the Mojave Desert, painted in a variety of colors, which is how they got their name. These mountains are home to Calico, a ghost town that was once a thriving mining town. As was the case with so many other mining towns, once the price of silver dropped, people started leaving. The gunfights, gambling and mining of the past just faded away. Today, it is a tourist attraction that seems to still be home for some of the spirits of its former residents. Join us as we explore the history and hauntings of the town of Calico. The Moment in Oddity features Judge Crater goes missing and This Month in History features Congress creates the Committee of Secret Correspondence. Our location was suggested by listeners Lianna Sapien, Anna Prado-Frias and Laura Rey.

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Preston Castle, Ep. 212

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Perched on a hill above the town of Ione in California is a menacing and haunting castle-like structure that once was a reform school. The Preston Castle was an ambitious plan to get juvenile deliquents to become contributing members of the community. But as was the case with so many of these types of places that were built in the late 1800s and run through the early 1900s, abuse, overcrowding and death were commonplace. The emotional residue of this location seems to have led to haunting experiences. Pam Ennis, Case Manger for Pacific Coast Spirit Watch, joins us to share the history and some of her paranormal experiences at Preston Castle. The Moment in Oddity features the Taos Hum and This Month in History features the birth of Ida B. Wells.

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The Ghost Town Bodie, Ep. 190

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The town of Bodie in California is probably one of the best preserved ghost towns in America and the town describes itself as being in a state of arrested decay. There are over 100 structures still standing today with many of them dating back to the late 1800’s. The town is a State Historic Park maintained by the California State Parks System. In its heyday, it played home to gamblers, miners, gunfighters and prostitutes. It went boom and bust quickly and left abandoned. Some would claim that it is not completely abandoned. The spirits of those who lived during Bodie’s glory years seem to still be around, as if waiting for another rich strike to bring the people flocking to the ramshackle buildings. Join us as we explore the history and hauntings of the ghost town of Bodie! The Moment in Oddity was suggested by listener Kathy Webb-Thomas and features The Cadaver Synod and This Month in History features the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. We also have the 13th installment in the 3rd series of Tim Prasil’s Spectral Edition! Our location was suggested by listener Debbie Miller.

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Rispin Mansion, Ep. 188

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Rispin Mansion is located in Capitola, California in the beautiful and supernaturally infused Santa Cruz area. The history of the mansion is intriguing and just part of that, is the fact that a rich real estate baron built it and then went on to be buried in a pauper’s grave. Everyone from nuns to hippies have called this place home and the once grand estate has become an abandoned eyesore. But it is not completely abandoned. Rumors of hauntings swirl around the property. And legends and hauntings seem to be everywhere one looks in Santa Cruz. We will share some of these strange tales as we explore the history and hauntings of the Rispin Mansion. The Moment in Oddity features Winston Churchill writing about aliens and This Month in History features the birthday of Casimir Pulaski. Our location was suggested by listener Sasha Wolfe.

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Santa Maria Inn, Ep. 175

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Santa Maria is a town that lies strategically halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. This makes it an attractive stop over point for travelers. The Santa Maria Inn is a central coastal historical landmark that has provided accommodation for business people, tourists and celebrities for nearly one hundred years. Those celebrities include Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino and Jean Harlow. Other guests that have stayed here, have never left and remain after death. The hotel is reputedly haunted by several spirits and gives enough creeps that some people never want to stay again. One of those people is Elliot Gladstone of the Entwined Podcast and he joins us to talk about the history, hauntings and his experiences at the Santa Maria Inn. The Moment in Oddity features little people of America in the past and This Month in History features the overthrow of Pol Pot.

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Hotel Jeffery, Ep. 136

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Diane is solo on Ep. 136, but Denise does manage to sneak in for a bit! Along the most scenic route to Yosemite National Park is the city of Coulterville, which is home to the historic Hotel Jeffery. The Magnolia Saloon that is part of the hotel is one of the only saloons in America that still has the traditional bat-wing doors and it is the oldest working saloon in California. The hotel has hosted the famous, but it also hosts some unique guests. The hotel is rumored to be haunted by 17 individual spirits and the unnerving part is that the hotel claims that most of the spirits are not malevolent, meaning that some are. Join us for the history and hauntings of Hotel Jeffery! The Moment in Oddity was suggested by listener Tammie McCarroll-Burroughs and features the graves of Charlie Silver and This Day in History is by April Rogers-Krick and features colonists landing in Roanoke for the first time. Our location was suggested by listener Scott Stuller and our research assistant was Kristin Swintek.

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Whaley House, Ep. 122

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Ep. 122 features the Whaley House! When it comes to San Diego, few other homes carry the historical significance of the Whaley House. It was built in 1856 by Thomas Whaley, Jr., who had followed the call of the Gold Rush from New York. The home would become a social center in San Diego and over the years it would serve as a courthouse, theater, school and many other businesses. The spot Whaley chose to build his home upon seemed like a choice piece of land, but the history says otherwise. This was hanging ground. And one executed criminal by the name of Yankee Jim seems to have stayed right there on that land, even when a house was built on that spot. The Whaley House is considered by some to be THE most haunted house in America. There are several spirits that seem to be here, both of the human persuasion and animals. The house was thought to be cursed. Join us as we explore the history and hauntings of the Whaley House! The Moment in Oddity features Mallows Bay and This Day in History is by April Rogers-Krick and features the San Francisco fire of 1851. Our location was suggested by listeners Michelle DePriest and Candice Nelson and reseacrh assistance was by April Rogers-Krick!

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