Southern California always has been a place to suspend disbelief. For some people, like well-known horror novelist Tamara Thorne, it’s a career.
As a long-time collector of local ghost stories and paranormal researcher, Thorne has researched many of the L.A. area’s creepiest legends, some of which she has incorporated into her 16 books and anthologies.
For Halloween, we asked Thorne to share some of her favorites. From an abandoned zoo to a taco stand, lonely lighthouses to an old Hollywood hotel, here she shares her observations of 13 haunted places in Southern California.
By Tamara Thorne
Special to the Los Angeles Newspaper Group
Southern California is a good place to live if you love ghost stories. There are thousands of tales and legends rooted in the Southland. Now, presented for your entertainment, is my list of 13 of the most accessible and active haunts in the region.
1. Drum Barracks Civil War Museum, Wilmington
If you visit Wilmington’s Drum Barracks Civil War Museum and suddenly find yourself enveloped in the strong scent of lavender, look around, if you dare, for a hoop-skirted woman who never left this former military installation.
She’s not the only Civil War-era spirit lingering at the old barracks. Some report spying a Union officer smoking a pipe. In fact, pipe smoke frequently is noted throughout the museum.
The most active area is the Model Room, where objects move and phantom footsteps may approach you from behind — but no one is there.
Outside, the sounds of chains dragging, wagon wheels, and the clip-clop of horses’ hooves are heard on quiet days.
Drum Barracks Civil War Museum, 1052 N. Banning Blvd., Wilmington
2. Pt. Vicente and Pt. Fermin lighthouses, Palos Verdes Peninsula
Ghosts haunt two lighthouses in the South Bay: the Point Vicente Lighthouse in Rancho Palos Verdes and the Point Fermin Lighthouse in San Pedro.
A century before the lighthouse at Point Vicente was built, a woman awaited her husband’s return from a long voyage. She paced the sheer, unforgiving cliffs for years, waiting and watching.
Finally, bereft, she threw herself down onto the rocky shoals, but there was no release. Her sad spirit, clad in a flowing white gown, glides forever along the upper walkway of the lighthouse, waiting for her lost lover’s return.
The Point Fermin Lighthouse ghost was the light’s last keeper, a lonely widower who is said to have died of a broken heart in 1925.
The lighthouse and grounds are now a park, but the keeper’s ghost remains, still walking through the Victorian house and attached lighthouse carrying out his work, as he did in life. Free tours are available.
Point Vicente Lighthouse, 31550 Palos Verdes Drive West, Rancho Palos Verdes.
Point Fermin Lighthouse, 807 W. Paseo Del Mar, San Pedro.
3. The Georgian Hotel, Santa Monica
For 80 years, the Georgian Hotel has stood across the street from the Santa Monica Pier, tall, turquoise and framed by swaying palms. Much like Stephen King’s Overlook Hotel in “The Shining,” the Georgian was once home to a popular speakeasy, and it shines with prohibition-era ghosts. Hollywood royalty, including Carole Lombard, Clark Gable and Fatty Arbuckle partied here, alongside mobsters Al Capone and Bugsy Siegel.
Hotel workers have reported seeing translucent apparitions, and hearing phantom conversations and even running footsteps within The Speakeasy Restaurant. Visitors also have heard loud gasps, and sighs.
Georgian Hotel, 1415 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica.
4. The Queen Mary, Long Beach
The Queen Mary is famous for its many hauntings. One of the most notorious is the ghost of a young sailor who was crushed to death by a heavy metal door in the bowels of the ship. Whether you go low on your own or join a ghost tour, you may feel a special chill as you pass through Door 13.
Another common phenomenon below decks is the sound of banging and tapping on pipes. In the hull, you may hear a sailor’s death screams.
Ghosts are everywhere on the Queen Mary, but my favorite haunted space is the second-class pool area. Phantom children laughing and running are reported regularly and small wet footprints have appeared around the empty pool. The changing rooms are extremely active and if you stand in a dressing room, you may feel as if someone — or something — has joined you. I did.
Queen Mary, 1126 Queens Hwy., Long Beach.
5. The Old Zoo, Los Angeles
Many hauntings are called “residuals” because they are memories and emotions embedded in the very wood and stone of a place.
Have you ever opened an old trunk and been carried back to Grandma’s house on a sudden cloud of scent that’s been locked away for decades?
The Old Zoo in Griffith Park, both eerie and beautiful, is a perfect place to take a trip back in time and immerse yourself in the ghosts of animals, people, and days gone by.
One hundred and one years ago, the original zoo opened. It was abandoned in 1965 when the new larger zoo debuted a couple miles west. But here’s the thing: It never actually closed. Follow the signs toward the carousel and golf course and you’ll find the Old Zoo Picnic Area. Begin your walk and you’ll soon see a large shady green complete with benches and BBQs, and then the first large animal displays.
Follow the path upward to the end of these enclosures and, before continuing along the main path to other sets of smaller cages, take the left fork behind the large enclosures. From there, you can see into the old cages from above and behind. Sit down in the shade and let your imagination run free. You may hear the roar of a big cat, the call of a toucan, or a seal’s bark.
Old Zoo Trail, 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Griffith Park, Los Angeles.
6. Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
Marilyn Monroe is even larger in death than in life, haunting more locations than just about any other ghost, but her favorite hangout is the Roosevelt Hotel, not far from Mann’s Chinese Theater. Monroe lived in a poolside suite that contained a full-length mirror. Years later, the mirror was moved to the hotel lobby and people often spotted Marilyn looking out at them from within its depths, like Alice through the looking glass. The mirror has been removed now, but watch for the star in other mirrors and reflective surfaces. Actor Montgomery Clift is another resident ghost. While filming “From Here to Eternity,” he lived on the ninth floor for three months and spent a lot of time playing his trumpet. Over the years, guests in adjacent rooms have often called down to the desk to report the trumpeter in 928 is keeping them from getting a good night’s sleep.
Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Blvd,, Los Angeles.
7. Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles
Since 1899, folks have been dying to get into the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. The famous and infamous residents include Cecil B. DeMille, Douglas Fairbanks, Jayne Mansfield, and Bugsy Siegel. Of the hundreds of celebrities buried here, you’re most likely to run into Clifton Webb, who haunts the Abbey of the Psalms Mausoleum. He is heard whistling or seen as a transparent figure or flickering lights. There’s also the ghost of starlet Virginia Rappe, a victim of foul play in Old Hollywood (silent screen comedian Fatty Arbuckle’s career was ruined when he was accused of killing her). Another of the many specters is a woman in black who lingers at Rudolph Valentino’s crypt. She died in 1984, but that hasn’t stopped her from continuing to visit.
Hollywood Forever Cemetery, 6000 Santa Monica Blvd,, Los Angeles.
8. Olvera Street, Los Angeles
Olvera Street, the birthplace of Los Angeles, is a historical monument as well as a lively marketplace and it teems with both the living and the dead. One haunted spot is the Avila Adobe, a family home that is now a museum. Francisco Avila, the original owner and mayor, has been seen walking and talking inside and out. Visitors often hear footsteps throughout the adobe. Shadowy figures flit at the corner of your eyes. His wife also has been seen sitting in the rocking chair on the front porch and heard crying in the master bedroom.
At La Gondoloria Café, across from the adobe, you can enjoy a meal and, if you’re lucky, see a ghostly woman in white on the staircase. Nearby Pico House, once the governor’s mansion, is the site of riots and murders and it’s believed that many vengeful victims still walk its halls. Look to the upper windows and you may also see infamous Mayor Pio Pico watching you.
Olvera Street, 125 Paseo De La Plaza, Los Angeles.
9. Colorado Street Bridge, Pasadena
It will be interesting to see how many ghosts come out to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Pasadena’s Colorado Street Bridge — better known as “Suicide Bridge” — this December 13. There may be quite a crowd. Take your own romantic stroll along the beautiful old bridge and you may see a woman on a parapet who vanishes as she jumps, a man leaping from the railing, and a woman searching for the baby she threw off the bridge before jumping after her. She’ll never find the infant because the child landed in a tree and lived. There is no peace below the bridge, either. There are frequent reports of misty apparitions, strange noises, and blood-curdling cries.
Colorado Street Bridge.
10. Taco Lita, Arcadia
A few years ago, my husband and I were returning home from a trip and pulled in at our favorite fast food joint, Taco Lita, for a late lunch.
We parked at the rear of the building, directly across from the tiny restrooms, relief on our minds after that long soda-fueled drive. Quickly, we exited the car but found ourselves following an elderly gent across the lot to the restrooms. He was tall and slender with perfect posture, wearing a pale yellow sweater and khaki pants. He opened the door to the men’s room. Light bloomed before the door shut. Damien waited impatiently outside while I used the ladies’ room and when I returned, he was still waiting. He gave it another minute then finally knocked on the door. Silence. He tried again. No luck. We exchanged nervous glances then he called out, asking if the man was okay. Nothing. Not a sound. He tried the door, expecting the worst.
The little room was empty and the light was off; there was no sign of the phantom man. It’s been a decade and we still talk about it. One of the most interesting aspects is that we both saw the door open and close and the light go on. Did a ghost actually do that? We think this was a residual haunting — a little apparition from the past that played out like a movie for us that day. But who knows? Maybe there’s a ghost in Arcadia who spends eternity using the restroom at our favorite SoCal taco stand.
Taco Lita, 120 E Duarte Rd,, Arcadia
11. Rose Hills Memorial Park, Whittier
Rose Hills is stunningly beautiful. I’ve gone there to photograph the old mausoleum and its gardens and fountains, along with the deer and other wild life that wander the tree- and grave-strewn hills. I love cemeteries because they’re quiet, peaceful, and there’s plenty of reading material. I don’t expect to encounter ghosts, but something strange happened there three or four years ago.
On this visit, no one was around as Damien and I strolled the corridors of the old mausoleum reading names, taking photos, and wondering about the lives of the dead sleeping within the walls. I carried a digital recorder, not for EVPs (electronic voice phenomena recordings), but to document the locations of photos. Classical music played softly in the background and when a new piece began I couldn’t place it, so I decided to record a little to identify later. I switched on the recorder and made an EVP joke, asking over the music, “Are you Mozart?” We forgot about it until that evening when I downloaded and played back the recordings. We were stunned to hear a loud whisper over the music; two syllables or two words, perhaps a name. We were the only people there and we had heard nothing with our ears. To this day, we have no explanation.
Rose Hills Memorial Park, 3888 Workman Mill Rd., Whittier.
12. Old Schoolhouse Shopping Center, Claremont
Claremont’s Old Schoolhouse Shopping Center hasn’t housed the high school for many decades, but the ghost of a basketball-loving teen is still heard trotting back and forth, dribbling the ball near a cement staircase on the rear of the main building. People also report seeing a human-shaped mist moving along the interior corridor of shops, and hearing children’s voices when none are present. Doors sometimes open by themselves and cold spots come and go without apparent reason.
Old Schoolhouse Shopping Center, 415 W. Foothill Blvd., Claremont
13. Calico Ghost Town, Yermo
Calico Ghost Town is one of the most haunted places in Southern California. The mining town is now a popular theme park, but the ghostly inhabitants have remained. At the old schoolhouse, phantom schoolteachers are mistaken for re-enactors by adults, and children looking in the windows sometimes see a little girl staring back at them. She floats from window to window, keeping pace. And that’s only the tip of Calico’s haunts.
Personally, I nearly landed on my rear one night while looking in a schoolhouse window. A ball of light suddenly crossed the room and flickered out as it reached the glass. That’s what I saw.
The person with me saw a boy run across the room and stare through the window. There are many, many other anomalies at the ghost town, but you won’t be able to get much out of park officials. Instead, visit hauntedbarstow.com and you can read more about the hauntings, as well as the haunted Harvey House at nearby Barstow Station.
Calico Ghost Town, 36600 Ghost Town Road, Yermo.
