Built in 1857; Whaley house is a Greek revival style home. It is now part of the Californian architectural heritage and is maintained by “Save our Heritage Organisation”. The house is now a museum and welcomes visitors for tours throughout the year. The Whaley house is located in the Old Town of San Diego.
The Whaley household was built by Thomas Whaley on the remaining grounds of a former cemetery. Like many other such houses in the US, Whaley House is often described as one of the ‘Most Haunted House in America”.
In fact, since 1960, The US Commerce Department officially has officially declared The Whaley House a haunted house. The second house officially listed as a “haunted house” in California being the famous Winchester House also located in San Diego.
Strong Paranormal Activities…
Amongst the strongest paranormal activities recorded in the house are the famous second-storey shutters that fling open on their own, even after the house has been emptied, closed and locked. This paranormal event has been witnessed many times and was also related and reported by famous author, De Traci Regula, who used to dine at the Cafe opposite the House.
When visiting, she also reported very strange, uncomfortable feelings of cold energy in different areas of the house, especially inside the courtroom.
The fresh smell of a cigar’s smoke has often been reported along with sudden smells of perfume. Whilst sceptics could argue that visitors wearing perfume could be the reason for the particular smell, no one in the room wore any scent at the time of the visit and the scent was very fresh, just as if someone present in the room had just dabbed perfume. This occurrence is also often reported in haunted houses.
Other frightening ghostly encounters…
The figure of a young lady is often seen walking around the house. This young girl happens to have died in the house from accidental hanging.
Another ghost by the name of thief Yankee Jim Robinson regularly appears at the Whaley House. He usually starts off by scaring visitors with his voice. The long scream comes from on the stairway, which is the exact spot where Mr Robinson was clubbed to death. The ghost of the thief has also been seen walking aimlessly around the property.
The Ghostly Girls of Whaley House…
One of Mr Whaley’s daughters, Anna has often been sighted around her father’s property. The red-haired girl appears to be so realistic that visitors often believe her to be a living person as opposed to a ghost. She is most of the time spotted walking in the garden as well as in the downstairs rooms. Another unidentified woman has been seen in the courtroom. Despite some research, this person has never been formally identified.
Sybil Leek, a very famous psychic who spent some time investigating the haunted house, claims to have been in contact with numerous spirits. She claims to have been in touch with a girl, named Marion Reynolds who was Mr Whaley’s great grand-daughter. Marion Whaley’s ghost is famous for being quite intrusive, and can go as far as grabbing visitor’s arms during the tour of the house.
The Ghostly Dog…
The spirit of a dog has also been reported. The ghostly canine figure is usually seen running straight into the dining room. As a matter of fact, the Whaley family did have a dog called Dolly Varden. The ghost of Dolly often appears to children only but has been known to lick women’s legs too.
Tours and Visits…
The Whaley House is a Museum On the last week end of each month, special late night Paranormal Investigation Tours take place. They are organized by the San Diego Ghost Hunters.
Guests are given a complete tour of the property with all the historical, factual and paranormal stories. Small groups of people are admitted and can bring cameras and audio recorders to investigate the area.
