Toys R Us, Sunnyvale CA

Not many people in the area have not heard about the “haunted” Toys “R” Us in Sunnyvale, CA. (near San Jose). The building was built in 1970 on the land formerly owned by Martin Murphy Jr. (A prominent figure in Santa Clara County History) The store and its story have been featured on many television shows over the years. We have investigated another haunted Toys “R” Us in Eugene Oregon

Ghost Stories

Shortly after the store opened in 1970s the stores employees were plagued with cold spots, toys being taken out of the box or left in the middle of the aisle after they had been neatly placed on the shelves the night before. It is said that the ghost will turn on the water in the bathrooms and tap people on the shoulder. Famous psychic Sylvia Brown investigated the site and held a seance. She found that the man was named John, or Yon, or Johan. I have heard conflicting reports of who “Yonny” was in life. He was either an employee of the ranch that formerly occupied the area, or a traveling preacher that set up a tent in the area, or both. The story goes (I cannot confirm or deny which or if either of these stories came directly from Sylvia Brown or not) that John was chopping wood in the area and his axe slipped as he was bringing it down. He missed the wood and the axe struck his leg instead. He bled to death on the spot. Yon is said to have been in love with a woman named Beth (Beth is apparently Elizabeth Yuba Murphy Tafee), but either the love was unrequited or Yon’s relationship with Beth was not condoned. Now Yonny waits for Beth in the area. I have heard reports that some of the other stores in the same area as the Toys “R” Us have experienced paranormal activity as well, but to a lessened degree.

Our Review

There is so much local legend built up into the “Haunted” Toys “R” Us, it is hard to tell the truth from the fiction. One of these years I will have to take a part time job there and combine two of my current hobbies–collecting toys and investigating haunted places. It is certainly a good place to buy toys.

Seattle Underground Tour

Seattle’s underground tour is half comedy routine and half history lesson. The story of how the underground came to be and the way the tour guides tell it is a lot of the reason to see the underground tour. So as not to spoil the tour if you ever plan on going, I will give a very short capsule version. Seattlites a long time ago made a lot of stupid decisions. They decided to raise the level of the town (above the mud) and the city and townspeople had a slight disagreement about it. The city raised the streets to ten feet above sidewalk level, and chaos ensued. Eventually, the sidewalk was raised and the second level of the buildings became street level. The old first levels are still there, underground.

Ghost Stories

I have found a lot of references to the Seattle Underground being haunted, but the only source I could find is the book Ghost Stories of Wasshington by Barbara Smith. In it there are reports from a tour guide named Janet having seen a man in period clothing. There are a few other references to sightings in the book, and a more detailed description of this one if you want to check that out for further reading.

Our Review

Cannot really say much more about it than I have already in the about section, except to say that it was fascinating. I loved the lecture/stand-up routine that starts off the tour, and I loved the tour itself. I highly recommend seeing this if you are ever in the Seattle area.

We went on this tour as part of our “Haunted Honeymoon.” You can learn more about our visit by checking out our honeymoon page day 14.

Official Website for Seattle Underground.

Ghostly Walks with John Adams

John Adams is a preeminent storyteller and historian in the Victoria Area (and all of the pacific northwest). He has been guiding Ghostly Walks in Victoria since 1970.

Ghost Stories

Since part of the point of the ghostly walks are the stories, it would be a shame to ruin them by retelling them here. Suffice to say, they were good stories, and well told. There were numerous stories on our tour about the Empress Hotel, St. Anne’s Academy, and the Helmcken House.

Our Review

Kryis and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. John Adams in an excellent storyteller. It does not matter if you believe in the supernatural or not. The pacing and tone of his voice add beautifully to the carefully constructed stories. There is no doubt that the tour was worth it, although we did not see any apparitions on our tour.

We went on the tour as part of our “Haunted Honeymoon” you can get more information by visiting our honeymoon page day 12.

Official Website for Ghostly Walks.

Manresa Castle

Manresa Castle was originally completed in 1892 as the home of Charles and Kate Eisenbeis. Charles Eisenbeis was a prominent member of early Port Townsend (He was the first mayor), when the port was the most active in the pacific northwest. The twelve inch thick walls of his 30 room mansion were made of brick from Charles Eisenbeis’s own brickworks. Locals came to call the building “Eisenbeis Castle.” In 1902 Charles Eisenbeis died, and the mansion was left empty when Kate remarried. In 1925 it was purchased to function as a vacation home for nuns. In 1927 it was purchased by Jesuits who turned it into a training college and renamed it Manresa Hall. It is the Jesuits who built the large extension to the original building and covered the brick walls of the original section to keep it more in line with the new wing. In 1968 the Jesuit’s left and it became a hotel.

Ghost Stories:

Reports are that rooms 302, 304 & 306 are haunted. There are reports of two ghosts in residence. One is about a monk who hung himself in the attic. Sometimes people hear footsteps walking above them, but there is no one in the attic. The other ghost is a young lady who had been waiting for her beloved to return from war. After hearing of his demise, she threw herself out her window.

Also, In the chapel/cafe drinking glasses are know to explode, even when in one server’s hand, & sometimes the empty glasses are know to be turned upside-down. There were many entries in the room journals, that the manager graciously let us read and photograph, that comment on the Castle’s haunting. You can view these photographs here.

Our Review

Accommodations: Most of the rooms are small with each room being decorated a little differently. The furniture in some rooms is interesting and pleasant, while in others fairly boring. There are a few rooms that have the extra flair to make them something special. The suites in the original part of the Castle have wallpaper by Bradbury and Bradbury and a more Victorian feel.

Breakfast: There was a built-in Restaurant for lunch and dinner. In the morning, the one-time chapel becomes a cafe serving a simple breakfast of muffins & juices.

We stayed here as part of our “Haunted Honeymoon.” You can get more information about our stay by visiting our honeymoon pages day 8 and day 9.

Official Website for Manresa Castle

Thornewood Castle

Thornewood Castle was completed in 1911 to the exacting specifications of Chester Thorne, one of the founders of the port of Tacoma. Construction of the 54 room mansion took 3 years. The grand staircase was imported from a mansion in England, and the red brick exterior from Wales. On display here is a sizeable collection of stained and painted glass from the 15th to 17th centuries that Mr. Thorne had purchased from an English Duke. The mansion was unfortunately turned into apartments after the death of Chester Thorne, but through painstaking efforts, the castle has been restored to its original configuration.

Ghost Stories

We heard many stories of hauntings at Thornewood Castle and had some wonderful long conversations with the owners and staff about the beautiful houses ghost stories.

As per Gigi, The mother of the owner of the castle.

Anna’s Room: A woman has been seen to sit on the window seat and can usually be seen by glancing at said window seat in the mirror’s reflection .

The 3rd Floor Closet: One guest was rummaging thru the closet when she felt someone behind her. it turned out to be a man in old style clothing with his hand on his hips as if to imply she should not be there. When the guest looked back up, he was gone.

Hall of Mirrors: There is a carpet runner that moves to the right of the hallway. Even if it is re-centered & no one has been there, it still migrates back to being off center.

Sewing Room: Footsteps have been heard outside the door, but no one was there.

Lights have been actually seen to unscrew themselves from the sconces.

A white-haired girl has been seen to go into the office, but is not there when the door was opened.

As per Beth, who was working there: A man in grey has been seen in the music room.

Kryis got an unusual feeling in the Hall of Mirrors and the Lord Byron Suite. Bryan admits feeling like he “did not belong” in the Lord Byron Suite. Bryan also experimented a but with the runner in the Hall of Mirrors by moving it halfway into the center of the hallway. It did not move back while we were staying there.

There is a story in the journals about a woman and her daughter insulting one of the paintings by insinuating that she was ugly. She and her daughter immediately felt the need to apologize. Later, when they were walking down the stairs, the mother slipped right as she approached the picture and fell. The daughter laughed, and as she continued down the stairs, also slipped, but managed to catch herself. They both blamed the picture. (FYI I do not believe the pictures have any connection to the house)

There are some more stories included in the room journals, we took some photographs of relevant pages from the Rose Red room journal and you can see them here.

Our Review

Accommodations: This place is magnificent! There are 3 floors and several rooms,all with a different theme. Rose Red, Blue Room, Gold Room, Casablanca Room, Anne’s Room, Chester’s Room, The Sewing Room & Lord Byron’s Suite. The mansion is lavishly decorated with antiques, wooden paneling & stained glass from the 1300’s to the 1700’s. There is a gorgeous view of the American Lake from the rear windows of the castle.

Breakfast: Our breakfast was buttery Blueberry pancakes, but I’m sure they change the menu every so often.

We stayed here as part of our “Haunted Honeymoon.” You can learn more about our stay by checking out our honeymoon pages day 7 and day 8.

Official Website for Thornewood Castle

McMenamins Edgefield

Originally Built in 1911 to function as the Multnomah County Poor Farm. Residents ran a self-sufficient community, with a farm, laundry, kitchen, and hospital wing. In 1962 it was renamed Edgefield Manor and operated as a nursing home until 1982 when it was closed. In 1990 the McMenamin brothers bought the property and slowly began renovating and restoring the buildings and grounds. McMenamins Edgefield now has a Winery, Distillery, Brewery, Pub, Golf Course, Restaurant, Banquet Facilities, and European style lodgings. Murals and artwork by local artists adorn the walls, doors, and even the pipes. There is something new to see or do around every corner.

Ghost Stories

There are two places at Edgefield that are supposed to contain ghosts. In the old hospital wing over what is now the winery, people are suddenly come over with sadness, and a nurse has been seen wandering the halls. In the administrator’s a young girl (said to be the old administrator’s daughter who died young) has been seen wandering, guests have had their ankles held in the middle of the night, and a black man in tattered clothing has been seen.

Our Review

Accommodations: The decor is a contradiction. Very sparse rooms. Ours had a fairly hard bed, a desk & a sink. We had to share a bathroom. (which based on the information for the 2 other McMenamin’s hotels nearby, is pretty par for the course.) However, there is very little wall space that is not painted with some fantastical scene, or of a person who used to live at the poor farm. So in that sense, there is an abundance of style.

If you like spirits of the liquid kind, this is the place to come. There are at least 7 places to drink.

The Black Rabbit is the in-house restaurant. If you look up at the sprinkler pipes there, you can see the figurine of a little boy trying to feed a black rabbit a carrot.

The food is good, the artwork is phenomenal, but we missed having a private bathroom.

We stayed here are part of our “Haunted Honeymoon.” You can get more information about our stay on our honeymoon pages day 6 and day 7.

Official site for McMenamins Edgefield

Colonel Silsby’s B&B

Colonel Silsby’s Bed and Breakfast was originally built in 1896 for Colonel Silsby, a hero of the Civil War. It is a Queen Anne Victorian listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Ghost Stories

The most haunted room in this B&B is reputed to be the “Elizabeth Suite”, the suite in which we stayed, but no unusual activity happened in the room during our visit. The ghost is said to be that of Elizabeth Silsby, the granddaughter of Colonel Silsby. Elizabeth is supposed to be a friendly spirit. There are reports that she has turned on and off the showers and sinks, opened and closed doors, and even sat next to guests in bed. We had some fellow guests tell that just the morning before when they were just sitting & reading, a jar of jelly fell off the stacked display of jellies for sale. These guests (who also saty in this B&B once a year while they enjoy the OSF, tell us that Col. Silsby himself is still around. Ghosts or Gravity: You decide.

Our Review

Accommodations: A really quaint Bed & Breakfast. We really enjoyed the Elizabeth Suite. A small built on cottage complete with a mini kitchen and better yet, a Jacuzzi. It was originally built as the room for the innkeepers, but when a previous owner purchased a house down the street a little ways, the old room was remodeled into a suite.

The Inn is located only a few blocks from restaurants, shops, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Breakfast: We had the “Taming of the Shred” Shredded eggs and mushrooms over toast served with poached pears and cinnamon. It was better than the corny name.

We stayed here as part of our “Haunted Honeymoon.” You can learn more about our stay by visiting our honeymoon pages day 5 and day 6.

UPDATE: This B&B is apparently no longer in operation.  Wonder if the current occupants of the house have any supernatural experiences.

Abigail’s Elegant Victorian Inn

Abigail’s is located in Eureka, California near Humbolt Redwoods State Park and Redwoods National Park. Built in 1886, the mansion is a National Historic Landmark. Owned, operated, and renovated by Doug and Lily Vieyra, this B&B is a truly special place.

Ghost Stories

The owners claim that their resident ghost, Elizabeth, does all the dusting that is out of reach for them. There are also stories that Elizabeth will play Jazz on the phonograph when the mood strikes her. She is said to be a playful spirit. It is told that a guest door kept opening despite her locking and latching it.

Our Review

Accommodations: We absolutely loved this place. The interior decor, while a dusting nightmare, was phenomenal. The wallpaper, by Bradbury & Bradbury, was really something to behold. The owner made most of her own window treatments. There were treasures laid out for perusal everywhere. Something to look at, examine, read, play with, over ever square inch of this beautiful Victorian home. We played some Scrabble, read some old magazines and catalogs, books on the three kinds of car (Gas, Electric and STEAM POWERED!) from the early 20th century. It was fascinating! But to truly appreciate the eclectic collection displayed at this B&B, you need to experience it first hand.

Breakfast: The Breakfast was good. A good continental with banana-orange smoothies, but it was our conversation with the hosts, Lily & Doug Vieyra, that made it special.

We stayed here as part of our “Haunted Honeymoon” you get get more information on our stay by visiting our honeymoon pages day 4 and day 5.

Official Website for Abigail’s

Mendocino Hotel

The Mendocino Hotel and Garden Suites was started in 1878 as the Temperance House. It was later expanded when a second building was added on and a facade added to unite the two buildings from the front and renamed the Central Hotel. It is said that the hotel, at onetime, served as a brothel. The hotel is located in Mendocino’s Historic District which is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

Ghost Stories

It is said that a Victorian era woman visits tables 6 and 8 in the restaurant. The employees had a little to add about a friendly ghost upstairs that would move things in the bathrooms and turn the lights on and off. There are also certain rooms the main building that are supposed to have visitations.

Our Review

Situated in the picturesque town of Mendocino, the hotel that shares its name is a throwback to an earlier era, as I suppose, most haunted places are. The whole main hotel has a Victorian feel to it. The accommodations in the garden suites are nice, but not worth the money that we paid for it. Our complimentary breakfast (included in the special package that we bought) was very good on both of the days that we tried it. As a part of the package, we also had a complimentary wine tasting at the wine shop next door to the hotel. It was a nice town to get away from it all. There is no cell phone coverage in Mendocino, so you do not have to worry about that breaking the mood as you enjoy the shops and stores.

We stayed here as part of our “Haunted Honeymoon.” You can learn more about our stay by checking out our honeymoon pages day 2, day 3, and day 4.

Official Website of The Mendocino Hotel

Madrona Manor

Madrona Manor is located in Healdsburg California in the heart of wine country and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built in 1879 by John Alexander Paxton. It has been open to the public as Madrona Manor Inn since 1981.

Ghost Stories

When we asked the employees during our stay, none of them had admitted any unusual experiences with the supernatural or paranormal, but we did hear of a story about the ghost of a woman approaching a guest in the main house and asking her to tell the owners that “She liked what they have done to the place.” There are consistent stories on the web about unusual experiences in room 101 and the dining room. Most of these stories say only two things, that there is a ghost of a young girl in room 101 and a woman named Elise in the dinging room. This seems to indicate a single source, and not corroboration–especially since some websites use the exact same phrasing. Another website listed many more manifestations, and among these both the dining room and room 101 were prominently mentioned. However, there was no mention of the ghost of a little girl or anyone named “Elise.”

Our Review

Accommodations: We stayed in the carriage house. And it was very nice. We liked the decor (Kryis especially liked the amount of Asian art in the carriage house) and the atmosphere. It was nice wandering the grounds. We appreciated the lack of “soft” water in the shower. The staff was friendly and helpful.

Breakfast: The breakfast buffet was one of the best that we have experienced.

We stayed here as part of our “Haunted Honeymoon.” You can get more information about our stay by visiting our honeymoon pages day 1 and day 2.

Official Website of Madrona Manor