As your reading this your probably already thinking this is a place that is seasoned for a good full blown haunting. There is a courthouse, which in any event could literally determine one's fate in a matter of days, and the infamous hanging that already took place on the grounds. Today, I visited this famous Whaley House, a place that investigators have dreamed of exploring, only to be turned down countless times by the historical society, in fear the tape used to hold down the chords for audio and visual equipment will ruin the preservation of this antique building. I cannot blame them one bit for this fear, as it is already hard to restore once the damage is done.
The ghosts of the Whaley House have been narrowed down to a few specters of the Whaley Family. The most reported ghosts are of Mr. Thomas Whaley and his wife Mrs. Anna Whaley and their daughter. Another unusual ghost that has been spotted on occasion was the family dog, a fox terrier. And, of course, the Whaley's themselves have also reported the ghost of "Yankee Jim" aka James Santiago Robinson, the man who was hung for his crime right on their property before the house was built. The Whaley's stated they could hear heavy footsteps moving throughout their house.
Courtrooms hold a lot of trepidation and anxiety not only for the defendants, and plaintiffs but also for jury members as well as family members. This is what I felt in the courtroom of the Whaley House. I felt anxiety immediately as well as being scared and sad. This room of the Whaley House was the room I felt the most emotion in. I did not have any ghostly experiences there, but I did ask the docents and they were more than eager to share their experiences with me. All the docents were dressed in period clothing, and one of them reported to me while she did not "see" any apparitions, she did feel a small tug at her dress, almost very playful like something a child would do. She also told me many people over the years have taken pictures and have had countless ghostly images appear.
While the Whaley House was certainly an interesting, and well awaited haunted adventure, this was not the experience I had in mind. The hotbed of paranormal activity lies in the town square of Old Town San Diego at a place called La Casa de Estudillo....
A step back in time can be found in the town square of Old Town San Diego, where an old jail, a school house, a blacksmith, a hotel and stables still stand extremely well preserved. My husband and I were enthralled with the little shops surrounding this village, and in between the history sight seeing we took time to buy our souvenirs. Meanwhile, we nearly dismissed an old mission named La Casa de Estudillo. It was advertised as a free museum tour, and by the time we saw everything else in this square, we decided we might as well check out this free museum, because it was free!
Walking in the mission was very beautiful. Designed in U shaped fashion, including a beautiful courtyard, this looked like it might have been a happening place in the 19th century. Captain Jose Maria Estudillo, a retired fort commander built this landmark in 1827 on a parcel of land granted to him by Governor Jose Echeandia. Captain Estudillo died in 1830 but the construction of the house continued under his son Jose Antonio Estudillo. The rooms composed of La Casa De Estudillo are a chapel, a Priest's room, Living room, a study, two bedrooms, a children's room, work room, master bedroom and a guest room. The Estudillo family held several formal dinners and dances, so people were constantly staying at this mission.
I was kind of floating around a bit through the courtyard, looking at the flowers and taking pictures while my husband wandered off to discover some of the rooms. I was just about to go off to my left where the chapel was located and my husband came out of the rooms and asked if I had gone into the chapel yet, and then to the Priest's room. I told him I had not and I was just about to go into the priest's room. "I don't know what it is about those two rooms, but I don't like them and I don't want to go back in there," said my husband. So I went into the chapel, and immediately, I did not like it either. I would like to get into my husbands feelings first about this place because it is stranger when he reports events like this because it is so infrequent. What is now the chapel (because some of the rooms were switched after renovations done at the turn of the century) he felt a cross between being unwelcome and unwanted "and at the same time felt shivers down my spine."When he entered the priests room he said these feelings felt the same but amplified.
When I went into the chapel, it felt sacrilegious even though there were all kinds of religious articles, the Catholic cloths, altar and candles. There was a darkness over the altar for me, as well as feeling the need to quickly see what I had to see and to move along. Well, the room I moved along into, I had to agree with my husband there was the same sense of foreboding and darkness. I was not quite sure what was lurking in those two rooms, but we both knew that whatever was in there didn't want us to disturb it.
I spotted a docent near the podium of the entrance talking to a couple and I decided to hang around close by to see if I could figure out why negative energy might be hanging around this mission. So far, he was talking about how the mission was built, out of the adobe bricks and wood planking. He also talked about the famous architect of the time, Hazel Waterman, who restored the mission in 1908. There was nothing elusive about this history. No reported untimely deaths or disasters which sometimes is a recipe for a good solid haunting.
The docent was very detailed in this history making it easy for me to picture a lot of this in my head. And finally he did take notice of me, and politely asked me if there was something he could help me with, since I don't think he was positive I wanted to hear his history lecture. I just told him I was just honing in on his tour and wanted to hear about the mission, and he boastfully said, "Come join the party!" So I did and luckily the other couple wandered off and started their own independent tour. So, I asked the docent, named Bert, if this place was reportedly haunted because both my husband and I felt things, especially in the room of the Chapel, and the Priest's room. He looked a bit surprised, and then took a lot of interest in my husband and I. He asked us what we felt in those rooms. We both told him what we felt, like not being wanted and something dark in both the Chapel and the Priest's room. He then proceeded to walk us to each of the rooms to ask us what we felt... So we told him we were pretty sure those were the only two rooms that felt very dark, but we felt that the living room where the dances were held was a happy room and the other rooms appeared very mundane.
I believe Bert knew more about La Casa de Estudillo. Bert was acting as the savy investigator himself in that he was trying to find out if we knew anything more than we let on about this grand building. But unfortunately, my husband and I knew nothing about this place. Bert was pretty bold with us asking asking if we were atheists. I told him I was more spiritual, and I believe in a higher power but I also take many different aspects of several religions and incorporate them into my own beliefs. I believe Bert does know about the darker aspects to this mission, and he knows its more than just a mere lesson in history. Mike and I both think he was trying to compare what our feelings were to the other reported feelings many tourists have said over the years.
The story of Old Town San Diego ends the same way many other haunted attractions have concluded for me which is very freaky. I have had many instances of visiting or driving by places that I felt were haunted (but did not know about previously) and only to go online to find that suspicion was thoroughly confirmed. All I did was type in La Casa de Estudillo, and I got "Haunted La Casa de Estudio". Below is the website I found that basically confirmed this haunting. Some of the quotes I found are also from this website.
http://www.hauntedhouses.com/states/ca/casa_de_estudillo.cfm
PSYCHIC RESEARCH
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- In 1988, a research team gathered together by Riverside Press, to
investigate the presence of ghosts in Casa De Estudillo during the
evening hours. Usually, the living are only in Casa De Estudillo during
the daylight hours when the museum is open.
This research team, while in the process of their investigation, came up against an angry, indignant presence, not at all happy with either their research work, or their intrusion into the entities' time to have the adobe home to themselves.
- Members of the research team were surprised when brilliant red flashes of light came upon them.
- The photographer was physically attacked by an angry unseen presence, who broke the camera lens.
- The researchers did record a voice on tape, during an
attempt to contact the entities in this house, telling them to "GET
OUT!!!!"
- Members of the research team were surprised when brilliant red flashes of light came upon them.
- CSGR Chad Patterson
on 2/15/2003 conducted an investigation, along with a group of about 4
other investigators, a Psychic, Virginia Marco, and two guests, during
the time frame of 12:00 noon to 1:30 P.M.
- Psychic Virginia Marco saw a handful of entities throughout the adobe as she walked around.
- In the doorway area, leading from the master bedroom to the chapel, paranormal readings were picked up and Psychic Virginia Marco confirmed a presence of a tall man, which supported Chad's earlier investigation done in 1999 when he felt this same presence standing behind him and saw a shadow out of the corner of his eye.
- Psychic Virginia Marco saw a handful of entities throughout the adobe as she walked around.
- In 1988, a research team gathered together by Riverside Press, to
investigate the presence of ghosts in Casa De Estudillo during the
evening hours. Usually, the living are only in Casa De Estudillo during
the daylight hours when the museum is open.
STILL HAUNTED?
Yes indeed!
Because so many memorable moments
took place throughout the years in such a beautiful place, it seems like
a great place for entities from its varied history to gather.
-
- The entities don't mind sharing their adobe mansion with the living
during the daylight hours, but don't appreciate intrusions from the
living, especially researchers after dark! One of them has a temper and
will show it.
- Not sure who is haunting La Casa ---Probably members of the De Estudillo family are among the entities, besides a priest and whomever else became attached throughout the years, enjoying La Casa. The older section of the adobe, mainly the master bedroom, the doorway to the chapel and the chapel itself have been the most active for CSGR investigator, Chad Patterson, who plans to come back with his team to look further around the place.
- The entities don't mind sharing their adobe mansion with the living
during the daylight hours, but don't appreciate intrusions from the
living, especially researchers after dark! One of them has a temper and
will show it.
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