8 San Diego Uptown News | October 15-28, 2010


FEATURE Old Town is ‘spook central’ in October


Historic hub offers array of Halloween events


By Cathy Spearnak SDUN Reporter


The historic Whaley House Museum in Old Town has some “spirited” fun in store for visitors this Halloween season, including extended hours, period lighting and music, exclusive guided tours, Past & Presence Ghost Tours and after-hours ghost hunts. “The Whaley House was built by San Diego pioneer Thomas Whaley to house his family and a general mercantile store, and is believed to be the oldest two-story brick building in Southern Califor- nia,” said Dean Glass, administra- tive aide for Save Our Heritage Organisation (SOHO).


When completed in 1857, The San Diego Union called it the most elegant home in San Diego. For- mer California state senator James Mills has said that the Whaley House “has sheltered more history than any other building in the city,” Glass said.


The building served at vari- ous times as the county seat and courthouse, San Diego’s first com- mercial theater, a granary, store, kindergarten and Sunday school, party venue and ballroom, polling place, and meeting place for both the City Council and County Board of Supervisors.


“In addition to being one of the most historic buildings in San Di-


Old Town’s Whaley House called one of America’s most haunted—meaning it’s a perfect spot to tour for Halloween.


ego, the Whaley House has earned its reputation as ‘America’s Most Haunted,’” Glass said. Reports of its hauntings have


brought visitors from around the globe, and in recent years have lead to numerous televised ghost investigations by shows such as


“Most Haunted” and “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” In 2005, Life Magazine declared it “the most haunted house in America.” Glass said spirits believed to inhabit the historic home include those of Thomas Whaley and his wife Anna, their daughter Violet,


their great-granddaughter Marion, their fox terrier Dolly Varden, and “Yankee Jim” Robinson, a desper- ado convicted of attempted grand larceny, who was hanged on the grounds where the Whaley House now stands in September of 1852, a few years before the building was constructed.


Legend has it that his spirit never left the spot where the gallows stood and now roams the Whaley House.


October Whaley House schedule (No reservations are necessary. Call to confirm dates.)


Past & Presence Ghost Tours 10-11:30 p.m. This unforgettable and entertain- ing excursion includes an exclu- sive after-hours tour inside the Adobe Chapel, El Campo Santo Cemetery and, of course, “the most haunted house in America,” the Whaley House. $25 per person


Attendance is limited to 20 each night, advance ticket purchase is strongly recommended. Ages 12 & older· Tour begins in Whaley House side yard Scaryoke at America’s Most Haunted 7-10 p.m. Join entertainer Laura Jane in the Whaley House gardens for a night of Scaryoke fun. Whether your singing voice is haunting or just plain scary, sing your favorite Halloween song for a chance to win a prize. Costumes optional.


Whaley House Ghost Hunting Tours


11:45 p.m.-1:15 a.m. Join the Whaley House museum staff and the San Diego Ghost Hunters for an exclusive 90-minute paranormal investigation of “America’s Most Haunted.” $50 per person


Attendance is limited to 20 each night; advance ticket purchase is strongly recommended. Extended hours


Daytime admission (10 a.m.-10 p.m.)


$6 for adults; $5 for seniors (55+); $4 for children (3-12); 2 and


under are free.


Evening Admission (5 p.m.- midnight) $10 for adults; $5 for children (3-12); 2 and under are free.


Exclusive Oil Lamp Tours 10:30-11:30 p.m.


Join us for a special hour-long, guided oil lamp tour of the haunted Whaley House, and learn about the history and the mystery of one of San Diego’s most historic and most haunted attractions. Interpreters for the deaf and hard of hearing are available with two weeks’ notice. Call (619) 297-7511 to make request. $25 per person


Attendance is limited to 20 each night, advance ticket purchase is strongly recommended. Extended Wednesday hours


5-10 p.m. Admission


$10 for adults; $5 for children (3-12); 2 and under are free Hal- loween 10 a.m.-midnight Daytime admission $6 for adults; $5 for seniors (55+); $4 for children (3-12); 2 and under are free.


Halloween Nighttime Admis- sion (5 p.m.-midnight) Period music, historic lighting, & tales of paranormal encounters will raise your spirits.


$15 per person Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), Nov. 1-2, free event. More than 25 Old Town San Di- ego businesses, museums and com- munity organizations will participate in a community-wide celebration, creating traditional Mexican altars and ofrendas (offerings) to the dead. (Note: admission is required to enter the Whaley House.) At 8 p.m. on Nov. 1, the public is invited to join a candlelight proces- sion from the Whaley House Mu- seum to El Campo Santo cemetery to decorate and make offerings to Old Town’s earliest families at their gravesites.


All the Old Town altars may be visited using a free self-guided tour map, available online at these locations: oldtownsandiego.org, otsdguide.com or whaleyhouse. org. Print your own map and come join the celebration! Purchase tickets online: WhaleyHouse.org. In person: Whaley House Museum Shop 2476 San Diego Ave. in historic Old Town San Diego (619) 297-7511


Other ghostly Old Town activities in October This October Old Town is full of fun, frightening Halloween events that last all month long, including the “Séance at the Seeley Stable: Is Anybody There?” During this performance, audience members will hear scary, funny, and tragic stories of people who once lived in early San Diego during the 1800s. For reservations, call (619) 220-5422. There are also Ghost Tours lead by Michael Brown. During his walking tours, guests will get to visit various paranormally active places in Old Town State Park such as the Whaley House, a park that used to be cemetery, and a haunted brothel located on the Whaley House property. Tours are every Thursday through Sunday in October. For more info visit oldtownsmosthaunted.com.


see Halloween, page 20


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