Haunted houses: Whaley House, America
Due to the measures surrounding the coronavirus, there are almost to no outings to visit in the coming time. But we do want to make you happy with our blogs. Before joining OpstapmetLisa, I had a blog about creepy places around the world. I especially love the history behind certain houses and stories! Because our blog about real haunted houses in the Netherlands was read a lot by you, we are now making a series about haunted houses in the world. Because there is a lot of haunting everywhere around the world. This week it the house where it is most haunted in America according to ‘America’s Most Haunted’.
Thomas Whaley
When Thomas Whaley witnessed the hanging of criminal Jankee Jim Robinson in 1852, it didn’t stop him from erecting his home on that very spot in San Diego, California. He designed his dream home, The Whaley House, all by himself and moved in with his wife Anna Eloise Delauney in 1857. They had six children together, and because Thomas Whaley was brought up on entrepreneurship, he built a nice living there.
Fate
Unfortunately, the Whaley’s happiness did not last long. Little son Thomas Whaley Jr. died of scarlet fever when he was only 18 months old. To make matters worse, a fire also broke out in Thomas Whaley’s store. The grief-stricken family then decided to leave their beloved home and start over in San Francisco. After several years, however, they returned, but that was not the end of the misery.
Marriage and suicide
Daughters Anna Amelia and Violet both married from the house in 1882. At last, life was smiling on the Whaley’s. Not only did Thomas Whaley have a thriving home store, but it was also used as a courthouse and that area’s first commercial theater. Unfortunately, happiness soon came to an end when Violet’s husband, George T. Bertolacci, turned out to be a crook interested only in her money. Violet divorced her husband in 1885, something very unusual and unacceptable at the time. Poor Violet was frowned upon by the rest of the town and fell into a deep depression. In 1885, she committed suicide in the house by shooting herself a bullet through the chest. She was only 22 years old.
Armed robbery
To make all the trouble complete, the house was also raided by several armed men in 1871. Thomas Whaley himself was away on business, but his wife Anne had to hand over court documents at gunpoint. This was the last straw for the family. Thomas built a simple house in another part of San Diego and the whole family moved away. For more than 20 years, Whaley House stood empty and fell increasingly into disrepair.
Still back again
After Thomas Whaley’s death in 1890, son Francis Whaley decided to completely renovate the house that same year. When it was finished, he turned it into a tourist attraction and entertained people with his guitar music. The remaining family members also decided to move back into Whaley House. Lillian Whaley remained last. She died in 1953. In 1960, the house was declared a California Historical Landmark and became a museum. As of 2007, a janitor lives in the house full-time to combat vandalism. But whether he lives there so peacefully?
The ghost of Yankee Jim
Actually, it was haunted before Thomas Whaley built his house. He regularly complained about loud footsteps he heard in the house, even though no one could make those sounds. Over time, he began to become convinced that the ghost of Yankee Jim Robinson wandered through the house. Daughter Lillian Whaley also stated in old age that she also heard sounds and she too was sure it was Yankee Jim. But that’s not the only ghost in the house.
Other spirits in Whaley House
Little Thomas Whaley Jr. also haunts the house. People hear small, quick footsteps, giggles and howls. A fog is often seen in the courtroom, and one visitor even saw the ghost of a woman wearing a long dress, dark hair, dark eyes and a cap on her head. On the second floor, the ghost of Violet is seen. Her apparition always comes when it suddenly becomes freezing cold. Also, the atmosphere then suddenly becomes very sad and oppressive. On the first floor, mostly children wave at an old man who seems to be standing at the window. And this even though no one is in the house. It is thought that this is the ghost of Thomas Whaley.
He is also seen in the house. Then he always stands with his face turned away from people and then he slowly disappears into nothingness. Anna Whaley wanders around the first floor and the garden. In the dining room, many see the ghost of a little girl with long hair and a dashing dress. She runs very quickly from the dining table to the chair in the living room. It is unclear who she is. Some think she was the ghost of a friend of one of the Whaley children, who broke her neck playing in the house, but that is not otherwise documented. There is also a small, spotted dog with large floppy ears running down the hallway. Would you dare visit this house?
What an extraordinary haunted house again! Curious about more of our stories? Then read more about haunted houses here!
