Celebrate Halloween with these 13 haunted sites around town.
(Graphic by Pierce Grohosky)
We’ve rounded up 13 haunted sites in and around the city of Sacramento to get you into the spooky spirit of this year’s Halloween.
Old Sac Tunnel
Streets going through this site are as old as the state of California itself. It was reported that record rain storms between 1861 and 1862 flooded the tunnel and drowned many people and submerged plenty of businesses that were once mainly brothels. People’s spirits can still be felt until today. (Photo by Diana Rykun)
Dorothea Puente
Located no F Street in midtown, the house used to be owned by serial killer Dorothea Puente, who ran it as a boarding house. Puente cashed Social Security checks of every mentally disabled tenant before she killed and buried them in her backyard. The house is now said to be haunted by Puente’s victims. (Photo by Jessica Wilson)
Citizen Hotel
Staff at this hotel, located at 926 J St., reported to have seen ghosts around its narrow and dark hallways. These spirits were said to never try to communicate with people but like to walk around aimlessly. “They’re, like, searching for a purpose,” a hotel employee said. (Photo by Edrian Pamintuan)
Dyer Lane
Legend has it that a policeman was tortured and killed on this street. Now sight of his ghost and grisly car charging up and down the road can still be seen at night. Residents also commonly dare one another to pull to the side and turn off their cars in the dark. For some cars, the engines never work again. (Photo by Diana Rykun)
Delta King
In 1981, this 285-foot-long paddle wheel steamboat mysteriously sank before it was raised and given permanent residence in Old Sacramento as a hotel and restaurant. Legend has it that a ghost of a little girl who died when it sank continues to haunt the boat. (Photo by Diana Rykun)
Old City Cemetery
Around 36,000 bodies are buried at this cemetery. Many visitors have reported sightings of a young couple dressed in black, a little girl playing near headstones and a ghostly black pitbull roaming around the graves even though no animals are allowed inside. (Photo by Diana Rykun)
Iceland Skating Rink
Employees call the ghost of this skating rink “Pops.” They said that Pops, who was the father of city councilman Rob Kerth, likes to haunt the grounds before dawn and when the crowds are thin. Mediums who visited the rink said Pops lost his humanity because of his obsession with this rink. (Photo by Diana Rykun)
Shasta Hall at Sac State
Many people believe that the spirit of a young man who fell off the building during construction and became impaled onto a steel girder is still haunting several parts of this structure, such as the elevator between scene and costume shops, catwalks and the light booth. (Photo by Diana Rykun)
Leland Stanford Mansion
Located at 800 N St., the mansion was originally home to wealthy Sacramento merchant named Shelton C. Fogus. In June 1841, Pacific Railroad tycoon Leland Stanford purchased this home for $8,000. Legend has it that Stanford’s 15-year-old son died of typhoid fever and now haunts the house when there are visitors. (Photo by Jessica Wilson)
Sand Cove Park
Some people said that this beach at 2005 Garden Hwy along the American River was once the site of an ancient burial ground. Sightings around this area include a drowned woman walking and flickering firelights that disappear when people approach. (Photo by Scott D. Welch / Flickr)
Paradise Beach
Paradise Beach is a small stretch of sand along the American River that has claimed many lives ranging from drowned toddlers to adults. At night, people have reported the sight of a man, who’s believed to be a drowned victim, walking along the shore. (Photo by kjcreates / Flickr)
Martinez House
Dubbed as the “original Sacramento murder house,” this house on H and 22nd was once owned by Aden Hartz, who murdered his entire family, staff and house cats after moving in. Inside, visitors are reported to have caught sights of an Asian man in a white coat with the face of a gray cat and sounds of panting from up the stairs. (Photo by Jessica Wilson)
Preston Castle
Preston Castle opened in 1894. This former reform school housed many boys deemed as bad influences on society. Plenty have attempted to escape and failed while terminal illness also claimed countless lives on site. Now, the spirits of all those that died still roam around the castle. (Photo by Edrian Pamintuan)
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Old Sacramento has so many weird spots that have spirits. River City Saloon knows of 3 ghosts that live there. They have never had any major problems with them thou. But if you are their, ask the bartender.
sean derfield • Oct 28, 2016 at 10:35 pm
Old Sacramento has so many weird spots that have spirits. River City Saloon knows of 3 ghosts that live there. They have never had any major problems with them thou. But if you are their, ask the bartender.