Monthly Archives: March 2008

Delta King

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deltaking

The Delta King is a hotel converted from an old river boat. Located on the Sacramento River in Old Town, the hotel includes a restaurant, the Pilothouse, and banquet, conference, and meeting rooms.

Ghost Stories

The main ghost said to haunt the Delta King is that of a little girl. She appears to be about 9 to 10 years old with dirty blonde hair who wears a full length dress. We were told by several crew members that she is only seen by men. She mostly manifests as giggling heard in the hallways or as footprints in the morning dew on the deck of the boat. One waiter on the boat saw the little girl by the dry storage room that was once the boiler/engine room. He saw her bouncing a ball, but when he looked back she was gone. The explanation for her death and haunting given to us by the employees was that she was raped and murdered by a crew-member.  The staff that we talked to mentioned that the girl has a name, but she could not remember it.

Another spirit that still lingers aboard the Delta King is that of a man. He appears wearing a light shirt, dark pants, and some sort of hat. He has been seen walking along the lobby wall like he is going to the office door, but he doesn’t go through; he turns and walks away.

Other manifestations that have not been attributed to a specific spirit include the random breaking of unattended glasses in the lounge. A staff member we interviewed told us about a time when she found a chair in the elevator that belonged in the theater which was locked at the time.

Some strange occurrences happened in our stay. While we were talking to staff members in the lounge a glass cracked in the hands of one of them when she put ice in it. The glass was not warm when she did this.

While we were having breakfast in the Pilothouse Restaurant a menu tilted, fell over, and knocked into a glass which broke. The wait staff came over to clean and reset the table and the same menu tipped again, and broke yet another glass.

A menu tilted & fell, knocking over a glass which broke. The staff cleaned it up, reset the table. The same menu fell, knocked over the new glass and it broke too.

Our full camera battery also drained over the course of one night.

Our Review

The rooms are small, but comfortable. The restaurant was very good, and the location amidst old town and near the train museum is convenient. The parking situation was not the greatest, however. There was supposed to be a valet, but both when we arrived and left there was no one there. Cars are squeezed together in a very small area. Luckily enough we were not packed in too tightly when it was time for us to leave..

Our Delta King Photos

Official Website of the Delta King

Biba Restaurant

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About Biba Restaurant

Known as the Old Tavern Building, the structure that now houses Biba was once used as a tavern (hence the name) and a bordello, (don’t all old buildings seem to have at one time been brothels?) Another trait this building shares with other old building we have visited is that what is now the first floor was once the second floor.

Biba itself is an upscale Italian restaurant.

Ghost Stories

The stories surrounding the haunting of this building are inconsistent due to the confusion about what floor of the building the restaurant is on. According to what I have read the current ground floor of the building was at one time the second floor. Some reports imply that the restaurant is on the current second floor (which it is not). Most accounts seem to suggest that the haunting is on the current second floor (which is occupied by offices) and includes phenomena such as the sounds of a party occurring when no one is there, phones and other electrical equipment not working. There was one report of a ghost appearing in a large mirror that once hung behind the bar, but this source also spoke as if the restaurant was on the current second floor.

Our Visit: The food is classy Italian style and had about another 30 min until opening. We sat at the bar waiting with our drinks and spoke to the bartender. He never had seen the ghost. The 3rd floor (now 2nd) is now offices.

After a great dinner, I asked the waiter for tales, but he only said that weird things happen upstairs and that he doesn’t go up there.

When asked for details about the place, he just told us to read the newspaper clipping on the wall near the restrooms.

Not seeing any sort of public stairway, we left the restaurant and took some outside pictures. It turned out that the offices were accessible through an unlocked door to the left side of the building. The door seemed like it was open to the public, and it took us upstairs to the various office suites. There were lots of doors, but nothing much too see except one interesting painted section of wall.

We took the elevator back down and went to the basement/first floor. You could see the original bricks and arches where windows & doors would have been.

On the way back to the car. We passed the dirt lot to the right of the building. Walking around the back, there was a great view of the underground tunnels due to the construction revealing the open space.

Our Review

Very good Italian food, not just your average spaghetti and meatballs kind of place. Our food was excellent and came out at just the right time.

The waiters were very attentive, and the atmosphere was upscale. This would make a nice place to bring a date or celebrate an event.

Official Website for Biba

Downtown Elk Grove

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About Downtown Elk Grove

Elk Grove is a city south of Sacramento California that experienced rapid development during the housing boom. large sections of Elk Grove stand in mid development, as large expanses of land designated for future housing development has been halted due to the downturn in the housing market. The city was founded in 1868 (as you can probably see from the sign in the photograph above) as a stage coach stop, and functions today mostly as a bedroom community for nearby Sacramento although there is still a strong agricultural presence.

Ghost Stories

The old downtown area of Elk Grove is said to be visited by the ghost who haunts Elk Grove Boulevard and the railroad tracks that bisect the area. It is said people see a ghostly woman wearing white, but when people turn to see her face there is nothing there but a black void. This figure has been seen walking off along the railroad tracks and then disappearing. We could find no one who could comment on or elaborate about this haunting.

Our Review

Elk Grove is a nice looking city that despite its age has only recently been majorly developed. The “historic” Old Downtown Elk Grove is a reminder of the city’s past. Quiet and undeveloped, there is not much of a business presence in the area, and the only activity we saw, supernatural or otherwise, was from the local bar. There is not much to see or do in Elk Grove for visitors unless you wish to visit every location of every restaurant chain, of which Elk Grove seems to have a near complete collection.

Sacramento California

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About Sacramento

Sacramento is the capital of California and its seventh largest city. Famous for Sutter’s Mill or Sutter’s Fort the legendary epicenter of the California Goldrush, Sacramento became important as a major distribution center during the rush and as a terminus for the Transcontinental Railroad.

Ghost Stories

Old Town Sacramento: There are tunnels beneath the streets of this area of Sacramento similar to those of Seattle. After the buildings were constructed the ground level was raised to avoid flooding. These underground areas were used as brothels and opium dens. Owners of the buildings and businesses with access to the tunnels are said to have reported feeling a menacing and evil presence in the tunnels.

Records: The ghost of an elderly woman in Victorian clothing is said to have been seen wandering through the store, unfortunately, this record shop had moved when we went to investigate the reports of ghosts here and the building was boarded up. Some people in the area that we asked had heard of the reports, however.

Central Library: The Sacramento Room on the second floor is said to be haunted. We tried to investigate this more completely, but unfortunately the library is closed on Mondays.

American River: The ghost of a man who drowned in the river is said to haunt the banks. We did walk along the river, but did not see anything. We did not know which spot of the river the phenomena are said to be observed, however.

Our Review

Old Town Sacramento is a nice touristy area, there are quite a few shops selling over-priced touristy stuff, but the history of the area is interesting. The nearby Train Museum is a great place to visit. The food in the area is nice, but we would recommend dining on the Delta King.

We had a nice leisurely walk along the American River, but could not locate the site of the alleged haunting.

The other haunted locations we tried to investigate (Records, Central Library, Memorial Auditorium) were closed on the days we visited. Records had even closed and moved.

Leland Stanford Mansion

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About the Leland Stanford Mansion

The house known as the Leland Stanford Mansion began as the home of Shelton C. Fogus, a prominent area businessman. Started as a more modest two story house, the mansion was enlarged (and even raised) by its most famous owner Leland Stanford, Sr. It served as the Executive Mansion for the state of California during Leland’s single one year term and for his successor, Frederic Low. In 1871 the Stanford’s began another ambitious expansion project which brought the mansion to its current size.

In 1900 Jane Stanford, widow of Leland Stanford, bequeathed the residence to the Catholic Church of Sacramento to be used as an orphanage. The Stanford and Lathrop Home for Friendless Children was run by the Sisters of Mercy. In the ensuing years the house served many functions. A fire destroyed portions of the 4th floor in the 1940s. In the 1950s the facility was overseen by the Sisters of Social Service. The home was made a State Landmark in 1957 and bought by the state through imminent domain in 1978. The sisters remained on the property until 1987. A major effort to renovate the mansion was begun in the early 90s which has brought the mansion to its current use as a State Park, and as California’s Governor’s protocol receiving building.

Ghost Stories

There is are no current reports of haunting, but it is said that Governor Stanford’s son’s ghost appeared and encourage him to built Stanford University

The lady at the front desk relayed this story to us about the haunting of the Stanford Mansion:

The Stanfords had tried unsuccessfully for 18 years to have a child, then at the age of 39 Mrs. Jane Stanford conceived later gave birth to Leland Stanford, Jr. She and her husband centered their lives around their son. When Leland Jr. was 15 the family went to tour Europe as a celebration before the younger Stanford would move back east to attend college. While in Europe, Leland Jr. contracted Typhoid Fever and died.

Devastated by the loss of their only child, the Stanfords had cried until they could cry no more, and in the sleep that exhaustion brings, Leland Stanford, Sr. believed that he saw his son appear to him. His son told him to give all that he wanted to give to his son to all the children of California instead. Inspired by this, Leland Sr. visited the great colleges of the East Coast, Yale and Harvard, and then founded a university on land in Palo Alto that the younger Leland Stanford had enjoyed as a youth. He named it after his son, and Stanford University was born.

Jane Stanford tried for many years to contact her son through the use of mediums.

The story is interesting and tragic, but we have to give this place only two spiders because the mansion has only one report of any ghostly occurrence.

Our Review

The gift shop and visitors center was nice. They have a video on the history of the building, and a model that helps demonstrate the different phases of the mansions growth.

There is, unfortunately, no photography allowed within the mansion, but pictures of the interior can be purchased in the gift shop on postcards and in books on the history of the mansion (at gift shop prices, of course), which is why our photographs are limited to the exterior. The mansion is beautiful, however, and it is unfortunate that you have to take our word for it or find other photographs online.

Our guided tour was just the three of us. Our guide, Janine, was close to our own age and put up with our joking and was able to joke with us. At the end of the tour she told us that we were the most fun group of her day.

The building still serves official functions for the State of California, and is therefore sometimes not able to be toured.

Official Website for the Leland Stanford Mansion

Sacramento Theater Company

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About the Sacramento Theater Company

The Sacramento Theater company was founded in 1942. The company now has two theaters in its complex and has over 300 performances a season.

Ghost Stories

The most well known ghost that is said to be haunting the various stages of the Sacramento Theater Company has been nicknamed Pinky. In our research, we uncovered reports of as few as five and as many as six other ghosts inhabiting the theater. There are a few consistent details about the ghosts from the multiple reports. Pinky is a prankster ghost that is most often identified as female. Pinky sometimes manifests as a pink orb. She is often seen in the costume shop. According to accounts, three clairvoyants visited the site in 1991 and uncovered five more ghosts, although the reports that discuss the clairvoyant’s visit only mention two specific additional spirits. One is a tall thin man who sports a mustache and an ascot. One account calls him Jim and another states that he is the ghost of a former volunteer. The other ghost is that of a woman sometimes described as a Hungarian woman, sometimes as a Polish woman named Madame Modjeska. She is described as sad and as a struggling actress who never succeeded. .

 

Our Review

While we didn’t actually see a performance here, my wife did wander into the theater during an intermission and explored. The theater complex is very nice looking, with a pleasant plaza. Not really much of a review beyond that I am afraid.

Old Governor’s Mansion

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About the Old Governor’s Mansion

The house that would become the Executive Mansion of the state of California was built in 1877 for Albert Gallatin. It was purchased by California in 1903 for $32,500, and served as the Governor of California’s residence until Ronald Reagan became the 33rd Governor in 1967. The exterior of the building was being renovated at the time of our visit.

Ghost Stories

Our tour guide, Joe, had worked in the mansion 20 years had experienced some strange phenomena on the staircase between the dining room and the kitchen. He has been alone in the house and heard footsteps on that staircase.

According to the tour guide, Earl Warren Jr, son of California’s 30th Governor, Justice of the Supreme Court, and head of the (in)famous Warren Commission had heard these footsteps during his stay in house during his father’s term. Earl Junior’s bedroom was near the stairs.

Another second hand account from this tour guide was of a female guide who had gone to the second floor to put up the red cords to keep visitors out of certain rooms. She went around the mansion from right to left putting up the cords, but when she turned around from the blue room, the last on her circuit, all of the other cords were undone. She redid them and then something grabbed her rear end. She quit.

Our Review

The tour itself was more about the people who lived in the mansion than anything else. While the tour guide tried to make it interesting for the kids and adults by asking how people would view the place if they were going to buy the place, or be invited to live there with the governor and his family. I found that his asking for people’s names, cities, ages, and political affiliations a bit too personal. We could only tour the first two floors, so there really wasn’t much area to cover. Perhaps asking people questions and initiating the idea of role-playing imagining yourself invited to live there was his way of getting the crowd involved in a what would otherwise be a very short tour.