Paranormal Path
A visit to the Whaley House
This month I decided to take a trip to the Whaley House in San Diego, CA. This location is known as the most haunted house in the United States.
This was not only the home of the Whaley family but it was also once a courthouse, the first commercial theatre in San Diego, a granary, a ballroom, a classroom, a billiard hall, as well as Thomas Whaley’s own general store. There were also several hangings on the property before the house was built. This led to the first reports of a haunting by the Whaley family themselves. They believed a man called “Yankee Jim’ James Robinson still remained in the home after being hung in 1852. The Whaley’s youngest daughter occupied the home until 1954; she reported hearing heavy footsteps that she felt belonged to Yankee Jim as well as the windows opening on their own.
A few members of the Whaley family including Anna and Thomas Whaley are also believed to still remain in the home long after their passing. Many guests have reported seeing them in the parlor as well as the spirit of a woman that is seen in the courtroom, and even the spirit of a dog that roams the hallway
This home has since been turned into a museum and guests are allowed to visit and take a self guided tour. I could not resist this opportunity since I am fascinated with all things paranormal.
My visit to the Whaley house also held many examples of things that can interfere with paranormal research and photography. Upon first arrival there was a definite “feeling” throughout the home. We have all walked into an old house that just has a certain smell and feel throughout. We were greeted by a pleasant older woman in period dress that urged us to take many pictures and stay “open” such as going with the sudden urge to snap a photo or linger in an area.
The first floor contains the courtroom, the general store, the parlor and the dining area. You can walk about freely in these locations. The wood floor creaks heavily under foot and voices of other quests are carried far so it was difficult to pick up any activity reported such as footsteps or whispers.
Heading upstairs will take you to the theatre, master bedroom, the children’s room and guest chambers. The theatre is very quaint and you are allowed to sit and soak up the history, the bedrooms unfortunately are kept within glass barriers. This is understandable in order to maintain the original furniture, linens, and photos but the reflection of the glass does make photography difficult. I have included two photos that were taken using a flash. You can see the reflection of the flash on the glass can play tricks with light and may even appear “ghostly”. I have also observed photos that were believed to contain phantom faces but really it is just a reflection in the glass barrier.
Just when I was getting slightly discouraged at the amount of contamination, which is anything that interferes with the ability to hear potential E.V.P’s or witness paranormal activity, I heard a little girl say “mommy lets go, this room creeps me out!” I looked to see that she was standing at Thomas Whaley’s master bedroom. I quickly went over, turned my flash off, and starting snapping pictures. To my surprise and delight I began having camera trouble. There is the belief that whenever a spirit is near they use whatever energy is around to manifest. This may result in equipment failures. My camera could not focus, my screen would freeze, there would be great delays in between my taking the picture and it actually showing up on my screen and my battery became very low. I was very excited by this and remained in the house a little longer to hear another child express her distaste for that particular part of the house. Overall I was very pleased with my experience there.
If you are ever in Southern California I do recommend a trip to this beautiful museum. This place is very rich in history aside from its paranormal reputation.
