Tag Archives: haunted

John Wilks Booth may have lived in Granbury, TX

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imageCatching up from the Texas trip

There is some debate on the fate of John Wilks Booth. Most say he was killed by Federal soldiers who had tracked him down at the Garrett Farm.

But the more interesting theory is that the wrong man was killed at Garrett Farm, Booth escaped to Granbury, TX, changed his name to John St. Helen and tended bar in what is now the Nutshell Cafe. While extremely sick, St. Helen made a death bed confession, but then he recovered. Since his story was then out there, he needed to leave town. He went to Enid, Oklahoma where he committed suicide. A book, Escape and Suicide of John Wilkes Booth by Finis Bates, was written about this (that part is for sure true). Bates later gained control of St. Helen/Booth’s body and exhibited in carnival sideshows.

So, that explains where there is a mural featuring John Wilks Booth next to his wanted poster and near a picture of Lincoln. The mural also features the Lady in Red, who was suppose to be the love of Booth’s life. And on the other wall is Davy Crockett. The Nutshell Cafe is reportedly haunted by the Lady in Red with her boyfriend, Booth, supposedly haunts the adjacent Granbury Opera House.

On a lighter note, I found the coffee to be good at the Nutshell Cafe and would be glad to go back to try the ice cream.

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Puget Sound Hospital

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IMG_2374Pierce County Hospital, also known as Mountain View Sanatorium, Puget Sound General Hospital and the Pierce Hospital, (3580 Pacific Ave.) is slated for demolition. It was originally constructed in 1928 and had an addition, including a pool, in 1941/42. In 1951 a second building was constructed as a tuberculosis sanitarium. In 1973 a James Caan, Cinderella Liberty, was filmed at the hospital. In 1977 a sky bridge was constructed connecting it to the adjacent building. In 2011 the buildings were closed and currently there are plans to demolish the structures and construct a new building to house the majority of the Pierce County government services. Information on the project can be found here.

I’ve heard stories of the hospital being haunted with more information on that to be found here.

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Update January 2017

My Morbid Mind

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morbidSo dear daughter and I are lost in the Olympia area when we go past this gem. We both say at about the same time “that’s today’s new place”. Apparently My Morbid Mind at 4548 Marvin Road SE, Lacey functions as a seasonal haunted house. Really, looking at their website it looks like a scream! I’d love to go back next Halloween.

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Terrified in Tacoma Tour

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10670982786_1de98b5a50_bWow, what a night. Cold with a strong breeze. But the stories we heard on the Terrified in Tacoma Tour were so fascinating and well presented that I (hardly) noticed the weather. We started at the Pantages Theater, strolled down to Fireman’s Park, crossed over to hear about Old City Hall (pictured), walked up the Spanish Steps and then through Antique Row back to the theater area. Along the way we heard about jealousy, murder, accidents, sightings, history and even UFOs! There was so much to take in that I would love to go again! Thanks to my good friend for this great idea! Terrified in Tacoma’s Facebook Page is here.

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The (Haunted) Old City Hall

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Rumor has it that Old City Hall at 625 Commerce Street is haunted by a ghost named Gus.

http://www.ghostsandcritters.com/washingtonghosts.html

The building has a varied history. It was built in 1893 as Tacoma’s City Hall (E.A. Hatherton, Architect) and the original jail cells are still located in the building’s basement. In 1959, City of Tacoma offices moved and the building was vacant until 1969. In the 1970s the building was renovated into shops and restaurants and in 1974 it was placed on the historic register. In the 1980s it was converted into professional offices. I even worked there for a couple of years and enjoyed a water view! In 2005 there was talk of converting the property into condominiums. Thanksgiving week 2010 there was a flood brought on by a broken sprinkler pipe. The property is vacant.

The building has a dedicated website here http://www.thestratfordcompany.com/oldcityhall/

A wonderful post of the building when it was new can be found here http://search.tacomapubliclibrary.org/postcard/postcardfull.asp?db=60#Front

Haunted Tacoma – Children’s Industrial Home Site

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I had it in my head to look for a place that is allegedly haunted for my new place. So I googled Tacoma and Haunted and found the former site of the Children’s Industrial Home (an orphanage). The orphanage which had been on the site was constructed 1904 at a cost of $7,500.  The building looked like a mansion and held up to thirty children.  It was called the “Home on the Hill”.

In September of 1944 the furnace and the boiler in the building’s basement exploded and thankfully none of the children were seriously hurt, though two of the adults were injured. A TPL photo of the damage can be found here.

And another photo of the original building and some of the darling children can be found here.

The insurance company declared the building a complete loss and it was torn down.  A new facility was constructed on the site later. The youthful occupants of the current site complain about hearing crying at one end of the “new” building and adult staff members have reported seeing ghosts of children playing around the building.

More history of the facility can be found here.

Respecting the privacy of the current facility, I snapped a photo of a lone tree towards the top of the hill away from the buildings.