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E250: The Whaley House
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This week, Maggie tells Allison about the haunted Whaley House in California. With tales of the supernature borne from family tragedy, this home is rumored to be one of the most haunted places in America. Journey with us back to the 1800s to learn about the family’s history.
Should you wish to watch the TikTok videos mentioned in the episode, they are linked below:
https://www.tiktok.com/@hwolfghostcrew/video/7245431735192653098
https://www.tiktok.com/@hwolfghostcrew/video/7430480185339677995
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Transcript
Introduction to the Whaley House
00:00:00
Speaker
For more than a century, people have reported strange, unexplained occurrences within the walls of a home located in San Diego. Footsteps echoing through empty rooms, the flicker of lights and dark corners, or cold spots that send chills crawling down the spine. But it's not just the house's age or its reputation as a local landmark that makes it so unsettling.
00:00:19
Speaker
No, it's something far darker. It was built on land that once served as a site of public gallows, where in 1852, a man named Yankee Jim was hanged for a crime he had never committed. And it is said that the restless souls of the dead are still lingering there, trapped by their tragic pasts. In this episode, we'll dive into its history and explore the dark events that may have triggered these hauntings. But be warned, there are some stories that refuse to stay buried.
00:00:47
Speaker
And in this house, the past never truly lets go. So turn off the lights, sit back, and keep your eyes open. You never know who or what might be watching. This is the story of the Whaley House.
Meet the Hosts: Allison and Maggie
00:01:34
Speaker
Welcome to Coffee and Cases where we like our coffee hot and our cases cold. My name is Allison Williams. And my name is Maggie Dameron. We will be telling stories each week in the hopes that someone out there with any information concerning the cases will take those tips to law enforcement. So justice and closure can be brought to these families. With each case, we encourage you to continue in the conversation on our Facebook page, Coffee and Cases podcast, because as we all know, conversation helps to keep the missing person in the public consciousness, helping to keep their memories alive. So sit back, sip your coffee, and listen to what's brewing this week.
00:02:11
Speaker
Also, welcome to the remnants of my cold as it disappears. ah So, ah the yeah. Am I going to be able to sleep tonight after hearing this one? Yeah, this one is not like Humpty Doo, or what were the most recent ones we did?
The Haunting History of the Whaley House
00:02:24
Speaker
Oh, yes, Popper the Ghost, or... Then we did one on and Patreon that was creepy. We did. That one was more creepy. one was... remark big Yeah, that's not that bad. Okay, good. This is like a lot of history about this house, and then like,
00:02:39
Speaker
some of the things that have happened so this is someplace we could go visit it's still there yeah they have a museum now in san diego i've never been to california so we need to make a trip but don't know if this will be on the list we'll see at the end maybe we'll focus on food yeah but the waley house located in san diego's old town district is actually cited as one of the most haunted locations in the united states oh terry so i probably would not know i wouldn't i'm but not gonna lie i don't miss with no the supernat i me neither built in an eighteen fifty seven by thomas whaley
00:03:11
Speaker
the house had a string of tragedies mysteries and deaths that many believe is what kind of sparked the hauntings because these spirits, they think, refused to leave. Okay, yeah,
Thomas Whaley's Journey
00:03:27
Speaker
definitely not. ye We're going to explore today, Allison, the history of this house, the those events that contribute to the paranormal reputation of the house, and a few ghostly encounters that visitors have So before jumping right into the spooky things, it is important that we go back so that I can give both you and the listeners just information about this family. Thomas Whaley was born on October 5th. Hey, I was not born in 1823. No, no. And he was born in New York City. He was the seventh of 10 children.
00:04:06
Speaker
So big family. And after taking over his father's successful business ventures, he left New York on January 1st, 1849. Starting the new year off right. And journeyed to San Francisco during the California build rush. So he would have been, would we be like cover wagons the year? Or no. Probably travel in 1849.
00:04:26
Speaker
Well, early 1900s are the Model T. But we wouldn't have had, or like train, probably. if We would have had trains. Yeah, we would have had trains. The Transcontinental Railroad. He got there somehow. He teleported. But when I was researching- We taught English people, not history. I immediately went to, what is that game that you play? The Oregon Train. Yeah.
00:04:46
Speaker
then yeah Yep. That's immediately where my brain. Anywho, so he started the year off. yeah Whatever he took, he's not there. So I'm going to make my fortune. So he did pursue various business opportunities, but he eventually moves from San Francisco to San Diego in September of 1851. And I know I'm going to end up saying 19, but it's 18 to me in my mind, those are close, but I really have no idea. really no like but We're going to Google it.
00:05:16
Speaker
Oh, Lordy Bee, it's eight and a half hours. Oh, I definitely thought it was like- That's today. I definitely thought it was like three hours at the house. No. Okay. So this would have been, I mean, this is a big move. Yeah. Especially in 1850, whatever. Yeah. In your covered wagon. Yeah. Lord. Two years later, he would actually return to New York. So he is well traveled.
00:05:43
Speaker
where he married a lady named Anna on August 14th, 1853. Okay, he definitely took a train ride because he's wealthy. Yeah, and they come back to San Diego on December 7th, and I think it would take quite a ah while to travel through from stagecoach across the country. Yes, it definitely and it would be dangerous, yeah so i I'm sure he took a train. yeah So they come back to San Diego in December and on August 22nd, 1857, they moved into their newly completed home, which later became known as the Whaley House.
00:06:16
Speaker
after their last family. So it took a few years to build, but but they have a home. Now they start their family. Yes, and they ended up having six children. okay So they had Francis, who came in 1854, Thomas Jr., who came in 1856, Anna, who came in 1857. 58. I'm sensing a pattern. yeah Every two years. Every two years. Who came in 1960, Violet who came in, not 1960, 1860, Violet who came in 1862, and Corinne who came in 1864. Literally literally every to you every every two years. years.
00:06:55
Speaker
Yeah. Wow. So they have one son that's named after a business partner that was Francis, the first born. And then their son Thomas Jr. would actually contract scarlet fever at just 18 months old and passed away in 1858.
Family Tragedies
00:07:13
Speaker
Oh, that's so sad. So at the same time that they're dealing with the scarlet fever and the death of their son, they had a general store and it caught fire. no In the wake of dealing with their son's death and the scarlet fever, they had a general store and it caught fire. So they're like, forget San Diego, we're going to San Francisco. So they go back to San Francisco. And in January of 1859, he actually handed over his business affairs in Old Town to a person named Frank Ames, who was a Wells Fargo agent. Who knows Wells Fargo was from the 1800s.
00:07:51
Speaker
And by the summer of 1868, with fresh capitals for investments, Thomas and his family returned to San Diego where they renovated their house, and then the rest of the family joins in December of 1868.
00:08:08
Speaker
That's, set again, a lot of moving and I don't know if I could have moved back into that home. Oh, this is not the only tragedy in this home. You just wait. My research said that Thomas chose the site for this house because it had
The Whaley House: A Local Landmark
00:08:25
Speaker
a central location. Oh, he's building a new house. No, he redid this house, but like when they built this house, ok they chose it for its central location and it's I guess proximity to the commercial hubs and it is a really pretty house. so It's a Greek revival style mansion and I read that in the time that it was built cost $10,000 which was a considerable sum and it was considered like a mansion at that time.
00:08:51
Speaker
They were deeply invested in the development of early San Diego, and the house did become a local landmark. But underneath that surface of prosperity, their family would endure a lot of tragedies that people will contribute to the house's haunted reputation. ok So in 1882, both Violet and Anna, the daughters, got married within the family home, which was really common. Anna married her cousin, also really common, a man named John, and their union seemed very promising. like They were going to be very happy together. Violet married a man named George, and their relationship
00:09:36
Speaker
wasn't as... Storybook, happy ever after anything? Yeah, because it turned out that shortly after their wedding, George revealed his true character as being a culinary artist who just wanted their family's money. Dastardly man. I know. And what's sad is that she was so heartbroken by little eyes, she committed suicide in 1885 at the age of 22.
00:10:04
Speaker
Yeah, in their home. Oh, okay. I was mocking him a minute ago, but that's, he's awful. Her suicide note was so sad. It read, quote, mad from life's history, swift to death's mystery, glad to be hurled anywhere, anywhere out of this world. Oh my gosh. I know. That's heartbreaking. And that, David, you better live with that, bro. Yeah.
00:10:30
Speaker
I hope he felt guilt till his dying breath. According to WhaleyHouse.org, the same time that the Klon artist gets identified, the other sister was also engaged. Oh, Corinne? Yes. And at the time of her sister's death, her fiance broke off their engagement because he said that their family had too much scandal.
00:10:55
Speaker
I am telling you what? Where are the upstanding men in this story? Because they're not marrying these girls. After these tragic events, Thomas the dad gets the family away from that area and they actually build a single story home at 933 State Street in downtown San Diego. So they moved to that new house and they leave Whaley House behind and vacant for like two decades. Well, again, if I've lost two children in that house, I couldn't have, I guess they redid it after one. And now here's tragedy striking again. I'm with them. I would say, okay. Washing my hands. Yeah, exactly. So Frances ends up marrying a woman named Susan Murray in 1888 and on December 14th, 1890,
00:11:46
Speaker
Thomas died due to illness at the State Street address. So the dad. And Anna died in Modesto, California on December 12th, 1905. So, so much so close together.
Paranormal Activities and Theories
00:12:02
Speaker
Right. The Whaley House did remain vacant for a while and then of course the conditioned, elapidated. But in 1909, Francis inherited the project of transforming this historic home into a tourist attraction. So he's like, my family isn't living here, but it's still a really big part of the community, so let's at least make it useful. Okay. He proudly displayed the house's historical significance and would entertain visitors playing his guitar.
00:12:31
Speaker
Oh, the way to get his name out there is an artist. but In the early 1900s, several family members, because they moved back into the house, resided within the restored house. Bad choice. Thomas' widow, Anna, and their remaining children moved back into the house. And over the years, family members passed away. And so the little one, Karen, inherits the house, and she lives there until she dies in 1953.
00:12:59
Speaker
Okay, so she lives a long, prosperous life. Today, the house is renowned for this haunting reputation that many believe are the spirits of these family members. So, baby Thomas, Violet, Anna, Frances, George, all of them basically. Oh, even Corinne? Okay. Because we're going to talk about, I guess, a theory as to why they think these people haunted this house.
00:13:24
Speaker
If these tragedies were enough, the house itself had just this weird road that it traveled, so to speak, before we get to the present day. Before it came, the residence for the family. The land was public land and it had a darker history. So it was the site where they used gallows for public executions. And I mentioned one of those in the introduction. You did. So one of those was,
00:13:51
Speaker
this man named James or a Yankee Jim Robertson who was hanged for stealing a boat and it is believed now that he didn't commit the crime. His execution was particularly gruesome because it said that he actually hanged from the gallows for several minutes until the rope broke. So then he just was laying there basically suffocating. This violent and unjust death many say is one of the factors that kind of contributed to well but how how i like on that land yeah How unlucky the house was for this family. As I mentioned, it was considered a luxurious mansion for the time. It had mahogany and rosewood floor, Brussels carpet, Damask drapes, and it was a social hub for San Diego. They hosted a lot of gatherings and events. Beyond being a family home, it actually served multiple purposes. It was San Diego's first commercial theater. Neat! Yeah, let's work with that briefly.
00:14:49
Speaker
It was a county courthouse for a while and then the general store for a while.
00:15:01
Speaker
But in 1868, they did transform an upstairs room into a theater, which, how big are your rooms, people? If it was transformed into a theater? And they hosted performances there. And so even though the space was considered small, again, I don't know how small, the opening night of one of their performances drew 150 people. Many were standing, but still. To fit 150 people even standing, it had to be a large room.
00:15:31
Speaker
Sadly, though, that didn't last very long because the operator died shortly after opening. So, you know. Oh, so there is is it because he opened it ryan in the whaling house? It also served as the county courthouse in 1869, which I think is both weird and interesting, which I guess California was in its early, was in its infancy. But again, I would imagine your rooms have to be pretty big. The county actually leased the courthouse and three f upstairs bedrooms for $65 a month. Which I bet was yeah probably a pretty but yeah good amount of money. Additionally, they had a general store that operated from the house serving as a wholesale and retail business.
00:16:11
Speaker
It's had a lot of purposes. According to the Journal of San Diego History, during the 1860s and 1870s, the house became a central point in a power struggle between Old Town and Newtown, which is now downtown. So the San Diego County government rented that portion for offices and whatnot, and they the family offered to sell the house to the county, but the offer was declined.
00:16:35
Speaker
Newtown residents wanted of the county offices to be located in their district. oh And so then this becomes like this major political issue because Republicans were supporting Newtown, Democrats favorite old town, and the conflict led to lots of court cases and conflicting orders. Y'all, stories have been going on. is hate now Let's just find common ground somewhere. Let's just start to like each other. Can we please?
00:16:59
Speaker
So, ultimately, the California Supreme Court, so it goes quite a ways up, rolled in favor of moving the county records to Newtown. And despite resistance from Old Town residents, the move did carry out in 1871. But they actually on May 17, 2022, so recently, so recently The San Diego Superior Court extended its venue to the House courtroom for one day to recognize the wonderful courthouse the late pioneer judges would use. So the significance of yeah yeah having been there. In an article by U.S. Ghost Adventures, the House is not only haunted by
00:17:39
Speaker
this Yankee gym, which I hate that nickname, yeah but they say they're also other restless souls of the family that still live within those walls. If we go back to when the Wailies lived there, they reported strange occurrences in the house when they were there. Oh, I left that part out. Sorry. We're trying to shock us. Trying to give you a little shock factor.
00:18:04
Speaker
They would hear unexplained footsteps. They would see ghostly apparitions. And they moved back to this house? Yeah. They actually said, I read somewhere they thought they had a poltergeist in their house. Oh, gosh. Eerie sounds. The noise of ghosts. Yeah. Chilling sensations. So that's while they're living there. And a lot of people believe, and they did too, that it was this Yankee Jim Robinson, that thief, supposedly, that was right. Then,
00:18:32
Speaker
Moving to the family history, a lot of people think that Thomas Jr., who died in infancy of Swarlow fever, never left the house spiritually because people claim that they can hear crying and giggling.
00:18:47
Speaker
And then Violet, the one who took her life in the home, is believed to haunt the second floor because she often sought solitude, so they believe she is in there. And the house is known to have cold spots. Thomas himself had been cited by people that have been in the home dressed in his signature top hat and coat, which is hmm.
00:19:07
Speaker
I feel like a little creepy. Additionally, they say objects move on their own, chandelier swing mysteriously, lights flicker without any type of explanation. If I saw lights flickering, I would be like, okay, it's just old wiring or something.
00:19:22
Speaker
maybe if i saw
Investigating the Hauntings
00:19:24
Speaker
something swinging i would say oh there's a draft or here but if i'm walking and it's really warm and all of a sudden i hit a cold spot or i see something i'm running yeah while the house became initially this symbol of prosperity it is more by a lot of loss and misfortune because the tragic events that surround the house are ah seen as emotional and psychological catalysts for this paranormal activity. So a lot of people say that this deeply broken hearted, failed romance, she took her own life. Then the death of the kid that these spirits are just almost, I don't want to say trapped in the house because some people think they're saying they're willingly, but
00:20:08
Speaker
I just feel like they almost search are drawn there because I feel like the family itself was drawn there because you need to mention that even with all of the yeah, they kept coming back and it makes sense with the emotional trauma that you talked about the psychological catalyst because we know With poltergeist. There's a reason why they're linked to teenagers who have no real control over their emotions and yeah you know, they're feeling those extremes. So I guess that does make sense. And people that have studied this kind of thing, which we talked about in one of your episodes, said that the negative energy manifests and attracts more
00:20:54
Speaker
paranormal activity. right So I guess it's kind of like a magnet. that Things are just being drawn there. The house become a focal point for paranormal investigators and ghost hunters. Numerous accounts from visitors and staff because it's now a museum and even professional ghost hunters describe eerie occurrences that they believe can't be explained by nature or natural means. Okay, so we've got quote-unquote experts going in to verify. Yes.
00:21:20
Speaker
One of the most commonly reported sightings is that of a ghost standing at the top of the staircase, visitors have claimed to see the figure of a man, which a lot of people think is Thomas Sr. just forever watching over his home, which I think makes sense, because like we said, he was really dedicated to this house. yeah Others think that part of the restlessness is this Yankee gym. I don't think that's the ghost that they're seeing though. I don't think so either based on where they're seeing it consistently. yeah I do think he could be responsible maybe for footsteps echoing through the empty halls and those cold spots maybe, but I definitely think it is Thomas Sr. that people are seeing there.
00:22:01
Speaker
Another eerie phenomenon that's been reported is the sound of a child's voice. And I guess we use child loosely. Young lady probably would be better. And they say that is violet. And they hear that from the room in which she took her life. Okay, now that would creep me out. Yeah, that would creep me out.
00:22:16
Speaker
Some visitors had described the sensation of being touched or scratched by unseen forces. I feel like that's very poltergeisty. Definitely. Yeah. And then of course the flickering lights without explanation. So the question of why the house is haunted is one that has intrigued paranormal investigators and historians because this has a lot of history.
00:22:36
Speaker
behind this house. Like we talked about, some believe the house is a hot spot for spiritual activity because of its tragic history. Theories behind that are based on this concept of residual energy. Okay. Where the intense emotions and traumatic events experience kind of imprint themselves on the environment creating this like spiritual residues. I see, right. This energy is thought to replay itself, sometimes manifesting as ghosts or sounds that just repeat over time, like a little glitch. Other suggests, and this is kind of what I was talking about, that the hauntings in the house may be a result of intelligent hauntings where the spirits are are aware of their surroundings and may interact with the living because they almost in a way want to be there.
00:23:22
Speaker
So in this type of haunting, spirits might communicate with the living through objects moving, sounds, or even the direct contact like the scratches and the touching. I've never heard that phrasing before, so that's interesting. The tragic past combined with its location that former gallows makes it a prime candidate for these hauntings, which we've talked about. So whether it's this residual energy, the intelligent spirits, the house's ghost inhabitants appear to be almost stuck to the place by a combination of personal tragedy and not violent history. So it continues to attract paranormal investigators, history enthusiasts, and then now tourists because it is a museum. Over the years, lots of investigations have taken place. We've used the EVP, the electronic voice to get recordings, and that is some of the most compelling evidence with visitors hearing what they believe are voices. You can hear voices. So I actually included which I know two shots are not sound evidence, but these were really cool So I included some links Allison if you click on them. Okay. So with this video there's a guy with a Contraction that is set off by movement in front of it this little music box and
00:24:37
Speaker
He's pointing it to an empty room where he's like behind a bed in the distance up ahead of it and it keeps going off and sometimes it's up for an extended period of time sometimes it's just one note so it's quick but he's almost acting like a teacher and he's saying good job yeah good job.
00:24:56
Speaker
And you know what it reminds me of? So the, Thomas Jr was 18 months old when he passed away. So that interaction reminds me of how my baby would be with a jack in the box or something. The first couple things are a little hesitant. It was just the one note or whatever. And then because he says, if you're a boy, make it play. And so they make it play. So if it's the son, he would be around 18 months and makes the one note. But then the more that he, if we're assuming it's the kid uses it, the better he gets at it and the longer It plays he figures it out. I'm with Maggie. I would have been been but yeah So this next one they catch a voice so there's someone it's saying somebody's name
00:25:41
Speaker
I don't know if I believe this one. Right. This one i wasn't and I was a little unsure of one because it's a black screen so you can't see anything. Somebody could have been doing that. I that was two things to say about this video. This video supposedly captures voices from the EVP that were taken in the Whaley house.
00:26:00
Speaker
But on the one hand, my first issue with it is I watched a documentary, I've watched several documentaries, but one of one of the documentaries on the Jambone Ramsey case, they played the 911 call and they give a transcript of it, like closed captioning. Of course, exactly. I hear what they're telling me I should hear. So the fact that this says,
00:26:27
Speaker
like tied to what supposedly said to me takes away some of the validity. But number two, no one during that time period would have used the word freak. I agree. that ah So one of them in this, they say that the ghost or whatever saying Hayden, which okay, maybe that is true. But then the second one, they're saying the ghost says, stop freak.
00:26:54
Speaker
I don't think that was a popular word. and When it comes into the vernacular would not be in the late 1800s. just like picks up on modern day slang and it's going to start saying things like, stop, bruh. I doubt it. It's not that intelligent. It's not going to use those words. It'll be like, Skippy toilet, Oh Lord. But the museum is popular today.
The Whaley House Today: A Museum and Tourist Attraction
00:27:21
Speaker
You can take guided tours, spend your stories of the haunted house, and for many the thrill of visiting the location with those dark pasts and the stories is enough to justify the visit. And then a lot of people hope obviously to experience the supernatural. Not me. No.
00:27:38
Speaker
path. And even skeptics that have visited have found themselves unnerved by the eerie atmosphere of the home, suggesting that there may be something to these tales of hauntings, whether one believes it's supernatural or not. But the house's tragic history, its connection to death, and its continued reputation as a place where this past life or lives almost are lingering makes it a fascinating subject for historical Interests and paranormal interests. Yeah, I'm not saying that it's not haunted. and I do believe in haunted places.
00:28:16
Speaker
I would have to see it for myself, but I don't want to see it myself, so I'll just trust. Yeah, we're trusting these people. The Whaley House stands as a reminder of San Diego's early history, but also it serves as a testament to the ways in which tragedy, death, and human emotion can leave a lasting imprint on a place.
00:28:34
Speaker
Whether the spirits of Thomas Whaley, his family, or even Yankee Jim Robinson still haunt the house is a question that may never fully be answered. But the reported hauntings coupled with the house's dark history make it clear that the Whaley House is a location that will continue to intrigue and unsettle those who visit for years to come. In the end, the Whaley House remains one of the most haunted and historically significant locations in the United States. A place where the boundaries between history and the supernatural seem to blur.
00:29:03
Speaker
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00:29:33
Speaker
Stay together. Stay safe. We'll see you next week.