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A Ghost Wife's Visit to the Whaley House
text by Ken DeCosta
photos by Dawn DeCosta
In 2007, Mrs. DeCosta
took a trip to San Diego to visit with her
parents, Lori and Dave
(who are amused by,
but yet supportive of their son-in-law's and
grandson's interest in the paranormal). As
usual, we insisted the lucky gal make every
effort to visit some (or most) of the
notorious haunts located there so that we
could somehow vicariously visit them
ourselves. On this visit she found her way
into the Whaley House, named "America's Most
Haunted House" by the producers of the
Travel Channel's
"America's Most
Haunted".
It is also listed as an
authentic haunted house by the United States
Department of Commerce! This, of course,
lends itself to some debate, but the sheer
volume of reported hauntings and sightings
certainly gives one pause for thought.
Although there are no anomalies to be seen
in these shots, we hope those of you who
have never visited California State Historic
Landmark #65 get a sense of the history and
feel of the property. The Whaley House is
located at the intersection of San Diego
Avenue and Harney Street, in the heart of
historic "Old Town" San Diego.
There are also some
very compelling mysteries surrounding the
Whaley family as you will see.
Enjoy.
The
Courtroom
This was once the site
of the San Diego County Courthouse as Thomas
Whaley rented out the first floor living
room to the county for $65 in gold coin per
month. A dispute over the construction
of a new courthouse resulted in Alonzo Horton, a prominent
and wealthy citizen, coercing ranking
officials into seizing the court records and
having
them moved to "New Town" where Horton owned
a great deal of property and where the new
courthouse was to be located. This event
took place while Thomas was away on business
and resulted in Anna being held at gunpoint
while her home was infiltrated. This incited
Whaley who was upset about losing his rent
income to the point that he tried and failed
to have the city council make reparations
for money he claimed he was owed (about
$385.00). The room was subsequently rented
out to a theatrical group.
A heavy iron
chain in the room has been known to swing on
its own and footsteps are heard on the floor
above it.
Visitors to the Whaley
House have also reported seeing a woman wearing a
floor-length skirt and a stylish hat in this
courtroom. A picture of a woman in "shadowy
form" was once taken in this room. Psychics
have reported she seems to be "grounded" in
this area. Perhaps she was a past tenant?
Or
maybe a female member of the theater group
who was murdered by a jealous boyfriend out
in the
garden one night.
It is reported that a
little girl haunts this room. Legend states that
it is a playmate of the Whaley children who
broke her neck running into a backyard
clothesline and whose name was either Annabel or
Carrie Washburn. She was said to have died in
Thomas Whaley's arms as he carried her into the house. This is now in some dispute as there are
no records of any children dying here or of any family named Washburn residing in the
county at that time. There is some belief that a
former employee of the Whaley House made up the
story to enhance the house's mysterious aura.
Note for all you occultists: that is not a
"cross" design on the wallpaper but a
"fleur-de-lis" pattern in gold print. Very shiny and somewhat tacky
(just an opinion).
The
Stairway Landing
Anna Whaley, wife of
Thomas who at the time was away on business, was
pushed aside by an angry mob of county
officials while court records were taken from
the house for the purpose of
transferring them to a new location. Anna stood on these steps and watched helplessly. The ghost of a
defiant Thomas Whaley has been seen on this
second floor landing, wearing a black frock and
wide-brimmed hat. Visitors sometimes feel a
chill of air on these stairs. Dawn's cousin Lori
and her daughter Amber are standing in as no ghosts agreed to be photographed at this time.
The
Archway
This doorway arch leading from the parlor to the
music room stands in the spot where Yankee Jim
Robinson, convicted of stealing a boat named the
Plutus in an effort to
become a pirate, was hanged in 1852. The
trial was a bit of a circus that included a
drunken judge and a kangaroo court. People
standing in this archway report feeling their throats being constricted. Jim has also
been known to stand behind the tour guides from
time to
time as they conduct their
business. As he was a very tall, robust man, his
feet were said to scrape the ground as he hung and
it took him nearly an hour to expire.
The
Music Room
Ghostly laughter and music
from another era have been heard in this room.
There is also the smell of cigar
smoke and a
faint aroma of perfume from time to time. In the
right corner foreground you can see a
lamp on which a couple of ornamental crystals have been seen moving by themselves while the
others remain motionless. There are two pianos
in the room, one that once belonged to Jenny
Lind, a famous singer of that era, and the other
was used in the movie
"Gone With The Wind"
and actually was not in the house when the
Whaley family lived there. Mrs. Whaley has been
known to request
songs through psychics who have
been in contact with her.
The
Windows
Ground floor windows have
been sealed shut as for a time they opened
themselves and kept setting off the alarm.
Curtains have also been seen billowing even
though no breeze comes through the sealed
windows.
Little
Thomas Whaley's Room
The son of Anna and Thomas
died at the age of 17 months. A baby's cries
have been heard coming from this room and a
ghost dog has been reported entering and leaving
the room. Toys that have been left on the bed
and the floor have been moved as if by
themselves. This room has been sealed off
for reasons of preservation and is only viewable
through a Plexiglas window that covers the
doorway completely. A strange sidebar to young
Thomas' death was a poem, written for his mother
Anna appearing in the
San Diego Tribune
the next day. The author of the poem to the
grieving mother was George Whaley, Thomas'
brother who - wait for it - was actually born
two years after Thomas Jr.'s death. Now
that
is a child prodigy. Nobody has figured that one
out yet.
Upstairs
Bedrooms
Covers on the beds
upstairs appear to be rumpled as if someone has
been lying on them. Corinne Lillian Whaley, a
daughter always said she felt uncomfortable
upstairs in these rooms. It might be because an
older sister, Violet, who committed suicide
after a failed marriage, haunts the place. After
her divorce, Violet moved back home and,
despondent, actually attempted suicide two other
times before finally getting it done. On one
occasion, she supposedly threw herself out of a
second-floor window, but to have landed where Thomas Sr. said he found
her, she would have had to take a turn in mid-air after her leap.
On the day of her death, a
suicide note was found telling of her sorrow
about her failed marriage. Thomas Sr. said he
heard a gunshot from the bathroom and upon
entering, found his daughter barely alive. He
carried her to the back parlor where she
eventually succumbed to her injury. The inquest
into her death seemed very rehearsed as Thomas,
Corinne and George (now having actually been
born) seemed to give the same pat answers. One
problem: no gun was reported found.
But wait......
Soon before Corinne's
death, sometime in the 1950's, renovation work
was being done to the property. Near
the old barn, where horses were kept, was a
cement slab. When it was removed a .32
caliber handgun was found beneath it. The bullet
removed from Violet was also of the same
caliber. Corinne claimed it was her gun, which
she carried for protection walking to and from
work. Before her death Corinne stated she did
not wish to be buried in the family plot, but in
another part of the Old Town cemetery which is
located adjacent to the property. Thomas Jr.,
George Whaley, Francis Whaley, Violet Whaley,
are all buried in the family plot along with
Thomas Sr. and Anna Whaley. There is a child,
Victoria Whaley there, but her existence is denied by
most Whaley historians. There are also a
few rather unusual headstones.
and of course....
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