The Whaley House
Often considered “The Most Haunted House in America,” this Greek-Revival structure was built by Thomas Whaley in 1856. Now fully restored and operated as a museum, the home reportedly plays host to many spirits, said to include Thomas Whaley, his wife, Anna, and his daughter Violet, who committed suicide on the property in 1885. Another often-reported spirit is that of James “Yankee Jim” Robinson who was hanged for theft on the site prior to construction of the house. Reports are numerous of cold spots, unexplained movement of furniture and curtains, apparitions, and many photographic anomalies. Famous living guests have included Regis Philbin, Hanz Holtzer, and psychic/witch Sybil Leek.
2476 San Diego Avenue, San Diego, CA 92110, (619) 297-7511
Copyright 2008 Paul Chickowski
(click image for larger version)
Myths, Facts and Assorted Trivia
The ghost of a mischievous little girl named Annabelle Washburn is sometimes reported to haunt the Whaley House. Supposedly, she died when she broke her neck on Anna Whaley's clothesline. There is no report of any such death in the historical records. The true mischief, it is said, can be attributed to an overly-enthusiastic docent at the museum who admitted to inventing the story.
Halloween is the busiest time for the Whaley House, with hundreds of guests passing through on the night of the holiday.
Most rooms in the house are protected from visitors by a pane of glass. Whaley employees try hard to keep the glass as clean as possible, but it does get smudged during the day. Many photos that allegedly show ghosts are really just the camera's flash reflected by this smudged glass.
The “Crosthwaite” painted on the front window was Thomas Whaley's short-term partner, Phillip Crosthwaite (1825-1903). While only partnered with Whaley for three years, Crostwaite was an influential early settler to San Diego and served as mayor, sheriff, and county clerk as well as being an extremely active Freemason.
Whaley daughter Violet took her life in the outhouse, located in the back of the home near today's flower garden. Her father's last words to her were “Violet, would you like a peach?”
No historical records indicate where on the property the gallows or hanging tree was located. There seems to be dispute that the property was ever even used for that purpose.
The look of the house has changed a great deal over the last century. Under the guardianship of the Save Our Heritage Organization, it was restored to look as closely as possible to how it might have looked during Thomas Whaley's lifetime.
When stewardship of the Whaley House passed from the Historic Shrine Foundation to SOHO in 2000, several important documents and artifacts were lost. Among these was Thomas Whaley's own journal, supposedly given to a member of the Whaley family and not yet recovered or copied for posterity.
Halloween is the busiest time for the Whaley House, with hundreds of guests passing through on the night of the holiday.
Most rooms in the house are protected from visitors by a pane of glass. Whaley employees try hard to keep the glass as clean as possible, but it does get smudged during the day. Many photos that allegedly show ghosts are really just the camera's flash reflected by this smudged glass.
The “Crosthwaite” painted on the front window was Thomas Whaley's short-term partner, Phillip Crosthwaite (1825-1903). While only partnered with Whaley for three years, Crostwaite was an influential early settler to San Diego and served as mayor, sheriff, and county clerk as well as being an extremely active Freemason.
Whaley daughter Violet took her life in the outhouse, located in the back of the home near today's flower garden. Her father's last words to her were “Violet, would you like a peach?”
No historical records indicate where on the property the gallows or hanging tree was located. There seems to be dispute that the property was ever even used for that purpose.
The look of the house has changed a great deal over the last century. Under the guardianship of the Save Our Heritage Organization, it was restored to look as closely as possible to how it might have looked during Thomas Whaley's lifetime.
When stewardship of the Whaley House passed from the Historic Shrine Foundation to SOHO in 2000, several important documents and artifacts were lost. Among these was Thomas Whaley's own journal, supposedly given to a member of the Whaley family and not yet recovered or copied for posterity.
About the Site
After running a public group for a few years, I decided to call it quits and focus on research and writing. Supernatural San Diego is my attempt to correct some of the worst untruths about San Diego ghosts and give you guys a chance to see photos of the sites before planning an investigation.
I've deliberately gone with a brighter, daylight approach - I was getting a little bored with everyone else's black background and clip-art ghosties. Hope that's OK with you!
I've deliberately gone with a brighter, daylight approach - I was getting a little bored with everyone else's black background and clip-art ghosties. Hope that's OK with you!
Contact
Contact me at
listed by name
