Port Townsend
HAUNTS
Ghost Stories and Halloween Attractions
Contents Welcome to Port Townsend HAUNTS
Haunted House Attraction Guaranteed to Scare Page 4
Footsteps on the Stairs Page 6 Ghost Stories from The Palace Hotel Page 8
Manresa Castle: A Night at the Inn Page 10 Something Strange at Fort Worden Page 11 Halloween Events for Your Children Page 12
Port Townsend Office 226 Adams Street Port Townsend, WA 98368 360-385-2900 Website: www.ptleader.com Special Section Editor: Melanie Lockhart Lead Production: Graham Burdekin Published continuously since October 2, 1889 Port Townsend Publishing Company Scott Wilson, Publisher Copyright 2008 2
2008 PORT TOWNSEND HAUNTS
The books that report Washington state’s famous ghost stories always include Port Townsend. We’re a classic haunted community, basically because we’ve been a town since the 1850s. For some reason, it seems that most of the ghosts people see or sense are from the “olden days,” and they usually haunt our “old” buildings. Our “Port Townsend Haunts” publication doesn’t try to prove that ghost stories are real or not. Read what people who live here have to say about ghostly encounters. Some believe in the possibility; others do not. Only those who actually experience something tangible can say for certain. And if it’s a good “scare” you’re looking for, the new “Carnival of the Twilight” haunted house attraction is where you want to be. If you’re a visitor to Port Townsend in search of a ghost story, you’ve come to the right place.
Alexander’s Castle (1887) is the oldest structure at Fort Worden State Park. One of the park’s popular overnight accommodations, it’s also among the Port Townsend locations where some people have reported strange noises and sensations. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SHELLY RANDALL
If You See It, BELIEVE It
Don’t Be Ashamed of Your Own Ghost Story By Dale Klein Port Townsend
I would like to relay one of my encounters with the friendly and shy spirits of Port Townsend. My wonderful and caring friends Nancy Schrader and Carl Martin live Uptown on Polk Street. This is an experience that happened in their home, now known for its amazing gardens and birdhousecapped, picket-fenced yard. John and Mabel Hastings originally built the home in 1906. The home was known to be the location of strange experiences. My story begins in what I believe was 2001. Carl and Nancy were having an early afternoon dinner party on a beautiful, sunny fall day. We had just finished eating a very filling meal. As was the custom after consuming large amounts of food, Nancy and Carl encour-
aged their guests to stroll around the neighborhood. So we were all gathered together, putting on our coats and chatting. Everyone was in the front stairway landing, preparing to go. Realizing I still had my coffee cup in my hand, I walked back through the dining room and into the kitchen to drop it off. As I was leaving the kitchen, I went a different direction, out past the back stairs, which at one time were for servant use. As I walked through, I glanced over and saw a young woman sitting on the stairs. My momentum carried me past the doorway and a few steps up the hall. I stopped and said, “Come on, we are all leaving for our walk now.” Turning back and looking up the steps, I saw no one there. Standing dumbfounded, I tried to recall whom I had seen. I then realized it was no one from our group. What I had seen was a young woman in long, white, cotton-type clothing, such as nightclothes. Her hair was long, dark and waved. She was sitting halfway up the
stairway, leaning to the left as if listening to the conversations of the people in the front hall. She looked to be in her early 20s and was not wearing shoes. Her expression was that of concern, and she did not look my way. So I stood, mouth open, staring up the stairway, pondering exactly how to react. It felt a little creepy; I almost wanted to run away. Suddenly I was alone in the house. I was not sure how I felt about that, or even what had just happened. This is not the first time I have experienced something of this nature, but it always comes as a surprise. It takes awhile to process. Did I experience a moment out of history? Or was the person I saw reacting to my friends in the front hallway? I questioned myself and if it really happened. I decided yes, I believe it did. I could not have made up something with all that detail in the blink of an eye. So then the question was, do I tell anyone? I left the house and caught up with the others in the street.
After walking a few blocks, I found myself next to Nancy. How do you tell someone you just saw a ghost in her home? Once you say the words, there is no going back. But I was bursting at the seams to tell someone. It was helpful to know that she was not the type to freak out but, rather, would find it interesting. I was sure she would think it would add charm and mystery to the house. So, I told her what I had experienced. Her reaction was not one of disbelief but actually one of envy. She didn’t make me feel weird. She just asked me a lot of questions and relayed a few stories of her own. It felt great and brought us a little closer. I am learning not to be embarrassed or afraid to tell my stories. We experience reality in many different ways. If we are fortunate enough to perceive different realities, we should accept them, be grateful, try to learn, and hope it opens the door to many wonderful new experiences. Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader
Expect the Unusual!
HALLOWEEN
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– Open Daily – 810 Water Street, Port Townsend 360-385-9265 310 Madison Ave. S., Bainbridge Island 206-780-4000
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Bergstrom’s Antique Auto Classic Cars & Parts Huge selection of Unique Artifacts 809 Washington Street (360) 385-5061
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“A TREASURE TO BE DISCOVERED” The Discovery Bay Golf Course (formerly Chevy Chase) is the oldest public golf course in the state of Washington with rich history and simple rural charm.
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2008 PORT TOWNSEND HAUNTS
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Carnival of the TWILIGHT
New Attraction Brings ‘Haunt’ to a New Level in PT By Patrick “MADMAN” Sullivan Leader Staff Writer
without actually scaring them? Ted explains: “This is entertainment. If you scare people so much that they become alienated, they never come back. You want to scare people so they come back to your haunt.”
You don’t have to believe in ghosts to enjoy a good scare. The most ambitious “haunted house” event in local history is being staged nightly Oct. 21-31 at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Port Townsend. “Hauntownsend, Carnival WHERE TO ATTEND of the Twilight” is a mini Enter through the theme park attraction with fairgrounds’ main hidden clues and subplots gate, then park and based on information the walk to the main project hosts learned while grandstand area. A attending national “haunted tent is the waiting house” conventions. area for the Haunted “We specifically are Hayride attraction. driving this haunt as a thinkPaid admission The spirits of a cursed carnival are guaranteed to spook you ing person’s haunt,” says brings one hayride during the new “Carnival of the Twilight” haunted house staged Ted Krysinski. “We are not nightly Oct. 21-31 at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds. PHOTO and one haunted throwing gore in just to be house tour. COURTESY OF HAUNTOWNSEND gory.” The attraction Ted and Linda Krysinski of ago, including a trip to the is set up in two buildings, the Port Townsend, as TLK Produc- Haunted House in Las Vegas. Horticulture Building and the tions, sponsor the event. Ted has They are members of the InterLivestock Barn in the center of 20 years of professional experinational Association of Haunted the fairgrounds. The barn is the ence with stage lighting, includ- House Attractions and the waiting area, to protect customing work with Centrum, and Haunted House Association. ers should it rain, but it will also has worked on haunted house They’ve learned several be the location for audience attractions. Linda, an artist who things about human nature and participation activities. The is making many of the props, the “haunt” business, including: main attraction takes place in continues a family tradition. • Humans are born with only the Horticulture Building. “Halloween in my family is like two natural fears: loud noises One of the things the Krya national holiday,” she says. and the fear of falling. sinskis learned at conventions is • Humans have three comfort how to manage the crowd waitTHE ‘HAUNT’ BUSINESS zones in terms of spatial intruing to get in. “If your customers The Krysinskis were married sion: 30 feet, 12 feet and arm’s are happy in line they will come three years ago and began dislength. back every year,” Linda says. cussing an expanded “haunted The couple’s goal is to stage Each of the nine “haunted house” project while involved a haunt with trained actors who rooms” is tied to the overall as volunteers with Spooktacular, spook people without sending carnival theme. the children’s event hosted at people over the edge into true “We’re building an internal Fort Worden State Park. They fear. clue game for each room of the began serious research a year How do you scare people indoor and outdoor venues,” Ted says. “At the end, when the haunted house project opens on the website, there will be a contest form. If you fill in the This new event is from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 25 at the fairblanks correctly, your name will grounds’ Oscar Erickson Building for those 18 and older. It features a live band, go into a drawing for a free pass dancing, an open hors d’oeuvres buffet, non-alcoholic beverages, a “ghostly to next year’s haunted house.” gift tree,” door prizes and a best costume contest.
The Legend of Creepy Hollow Costume Ball
Tickets in advance: $20, available at www.theexproject.com; email theexproject.com Tickets at the door: $25
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2008 PORT TOWNSEND HAUNTS
FAMILY-FRIENDLY HOUR The Krysinskis have learned that the largest “haunt” audience
The Carnival Curse Comes to Life in PT “Carnival of the Twilight” is the theme of the “haunt” staged nightly Oct. 21-31 at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Port Townsend. The story begins in the 1930s. Seven men escape from McNeil Island Penitentiary, but only three, with thready connections to the underworld, survive the waters of Puget Sound and Hood Canal. Their ultimate goal is to gain passage into Canada out of Port Angeles. Strapped for money as they are dodging would-be captors, the three find a place to hide in plain sight, working in a carnival in Port Townsend. As twists and tangles unfold behind the scenes at the carnival, bizarre characters – sinister, psychologically deceptive, sordid individuals – come together to commit a crime that pushes them into another element. The last breaths of a murdered woman – a curse – render the carnival trapped in a time warp. It is doomed to stay in Port Townsend, just on the other side of the twilight, until the murderer is caught.
Haunted Carnival Ticket Prices WHAT: Hauntownsend 2008, Carnival of the Twilight WHEN: 6 p.m.-midnight, Oct. 21-31 WHERE: Jefferson County Fairgrounds WHO: Minimum age 16 ADMISSION: General Admission – $15 at gate, $13 online (single entrance to haunted house and hayride) VIP Pass – $25 (unlimited access to all attractions, one night) Super VIP Pass – $50 (immediate access, special movie and snacks, and gift package) FAMILY HOUR: 6-7 p.m., ages 8-15, accompanied by someone age 18 or older. $10 adult, $5 child
is people ages 21 to 35, and 45 and older. “Older adults like to be scared,” Ted says. “We intend to offer that opportunity.” The event has a minimum age entry of 16, other than a special “family-friendly” hour from 6 to 7 p.m. each night when children ages 8-15 may enter accompanied by an adult. “Younger than 8 is really not appropriate,” Linda says. People will be turned away
for being too young or for being disorderly or intoxicated. COMMUNITY BENEFIT The Jefferson County Fair Association is an event partner. Organizers are intentionally not requesting donations from town sponsors. “I’m going to start the project and show that it’s profitable, and next year I will go for sponsors to join us,” Ted says. Although it’s a for-profit venture, there is a substantial nonprofit angle to the event. Each night there will be a promotion, and a portion of that evening’s proceeds will be donated to a nonprofit such as the Jefferson County Animal Shelter or the county 4-H program. The Krysinskis intend to use their share to support The Exponential Project, formed this year as their “pay it forward” idea of a nonprofit foundation. The couple intends to use it to provide others with opportunities – financial or otherwise – to fulfill their life work passion. A contractual agreement stipulates that at some point in their lives, the recipients will help someone else fulfill his or her life work passion. Learn more at www.theexproject.com. Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader
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2008 PORT TOWNSEND HAUNTS
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FOOTSTEPS on Antique Stairs By Viviann “BOO” Kuehl Leader Contributing Writer
The Port Townsend Antique Mall downtown has a basement full of furniture and artifacts – and some strange energy, according to some employees and customers. One morning in March of this year, employee Jan Dennler was in an employee work area downstairs when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. “It was in the morning and there wasn’t anybody in the store yet,” recalled Dennler. “When I heard footsteps coming down the stairs, I stepped out to greet the customer.” What she saw was not what she expected. “It was a petite woman, a kind of young girl’s body, and she went really fast around the corner,” recalled Dennler. “She had a faded color body, with about five points of light, mostly white and red, that created a stream of light behind her, like a time exposure or like car lights at night. She was moving very fast.” The woman came down the stairs, then turned the corner toward the fountain and was lost to view among the furniture. Dennler followed, and looked down the two aisles the woman could
Jan Kessler, a PT Antique Mall employee, helped recreate Jan Dennler’s ghostly experience on the business staircase. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MELANIE LOCKHART
have taken through the crowded furniture, and saw no one. Dennler had a clean view of those routes. The experience was so unexpected,
Dennler didn’t know what to make of it. “I was sure I didn’t get that right,” said Dennler, “so I went upstairs and asked Susan, also a petite woman, if she had gone
downstairs. She said she hadn’t.” The mystery remains, along with feelings of a strange energy that comes and goes in the store. Employee Brittney Davis relates that customers tell her that they feel weird energy in the store in particular places. This energy is never threatening, but it is felt particularly in the nautical corner and by a side door equipped with a motion sensor that can’t be set off from outside the building. This door is marked “Not An Exit” and is used only by staff and delivery people, but the ding-dong sound of the sensor is heard when no one is around or using the door. “One time we were closing, and we had the doors all locked up and the lights out and were just getting ready to leave when we heard it,” recalled Davis. “That was pretty spooky, because we were sure everyone was out.” The store contains a wall of artifacts from Port Townsend’s former Chinatown, dating from the 1850s, which were uncovered when the basement was dug. The artifacts include boar teeth and jaws, ceramic spoons, dishes, jars, medicine bottles, combs, picks, make-up jars from the brothels and other things. “It’s got some old energy for sure,” commented Davis.
The Famous Guardian GHOST
By Viviann “BOO” Kuehl Leader Contributing Writer
Rose Ann Nowak saw a ghost. “It happened when we lived in that big old house in town,” she said. In the 1970s, the Nowak family lived in the John Quincy Adams house, the big Victorian house on F Street at Tyler. Built in 1889, its three stories with turret was the grand home of Albert C. Adams, a real estate speculator and builder, and a descendent of the famous Adams of revolutionary days. The house was named after Adams’ venerable ancestor, our sixth president. On the first sunny day one spring, Rose Ann Nowak was ironing. It was about three o’clock in the afternoon, and peaceful. The children were all in school. “I was ironing in my kitchen and I felt like someone was standing there, and that some6
2008 PORT TOWNSEND HAUNTS
thing was wrong,” she recalled. She looked up to see a small woman in Victorian dress before her. She was wearing a light green blouse with flaring sleeve tops and a high collar, and a dark green skirt with a wide band rising to make an oval. Her hair was done up on top of her head. “It was so real,” recalled Nowak. “She didn’t look frightened. I just felt she was there to tell me something was wrong. I reached out to touch her and she was gone. I wanted to reassure her that everything was all right.” It was Nowak’s first encounter with an apparition, and she didn’t know what to make of it. Because she felt the woman was there to tell her something was wrong, she went through the house to check for anything amiss. When she got to her son’s bedroom on the third floor, the door was hot, indicating fire in the room.
From previous fire drill experience, Nowak knew not to open a hot door. She immediately called the fire department and her husband. When the firemen arrived, they extinguished a fire in the bedroom and told Nowak that if she had opened the door, the entire house would likely have been engulfed. The fire department determined that the fire was started by a crystal hanging in the window that happened to catch the sun’s rays and focus them on the bedspread. The burnt mattress was hauled outside, and the house was safe. “The whole thing was very strange,” said Nowak. “It just happened and it was very real to me. I think some people have an ability to perceive things that others can’t. I saw her a couple of other times, and it was when something had happened.”
The second time the woman appeared, it was about 8 p.m. on a summer evening. “We had company,” recalled Nowak, “and we were having dinner outside. I went in to the house to get something, and there she was.” Another friend also saw the apparition, and “at about 10 o’clock that evening, we got a telephone call that a family friend had drowned in the Duckabush,” said Nowak. Nowak then visited the Jefferson County Historical Society and looked at photographs. “There was a photo of woman who lived in the house who looked just like her,” said Nowak. “She was tiny, with hair piled high on her head, a high-neck blouse with big puffy sleeves and a skirt with a big band.” The Nowak children heard the mysterious woman and
thought she was there, but they did not see her. The woman appeared a third time, at night. This time she was illuminated. “That time we thought my daughter had cancer, but it turned out she didn’t, luckily,” recalled Nowak. Nowak came to regard the mysterious woman almost as a guardian angel. She used to feel her presence, and when the story was reported in the paper, she gained a local reputation as a ghost seer. She received letters from all over the country – three quarters from men, which surprised her because she assumed women were more perceptive than men. The Nowak family sold the house in 1997, and it is now for sale again. You can identify it by its brick-and-wrought-iron fence on Tyler and F streets in Port Townsend. Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader
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MYSTERIES SOLVED
HEARON INVESTIGATIVE SERVICES Female owned & operated since 1990
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A favorite local haunt for 30 years and counting!
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2008 PORT TOWNSEND HAUNTS
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Lady in BLUE
Old Brothel Could Still House One of the “Girls” By Melanie “PEEVES” Lockhart Leader Staff Writer
Some say the Lady in Blue is in mourning and comes out of her portrait at the head of the stairs in the Palace Hotel to wander the halls at night, searching for her lost lover. Perhaps she is Miss Claire, a woman who was once a part of the brothel that operated in the building from 1925 to 1933, and whose name is on the door of Room 4. Regardless of who she is, there is a trunk full of stories in Room 4 about the Lady in Blue’s ghost. The building was constructed in 1889 by retired sea captain Henry L. Tibbals. The Captain Tibbals Building was once the Townsend Tavern. It has also been an Egyptian theater, a grocery store, a liquor store and a florist shop, and has
housed many restaurants. During its time as a brothel and hotel, the Palace Hotel was nicknamed “The Palace of Sweets.” Now the hotel has 16 rooms, each with the name of one of the “girls” on its door. Guests have had many experiences, particularly in Room 4. Many have reportedly taken trips back in time to the old saloon and to the hotel that smelled of cheap perfume and stale beer. Others have had strange dreams about the Lady in Blue. On June 5, 1988, two guests wrote: “It must have been after midnight when we both awoke, unaware of what had caused the ceasing of our slumber. A creak … a groan … no, a cry. A soft, helpless sobbing. We opened the door to check the hall for the one in distress. Nothing – a breeze … the unobtrusive waft of some
perfume. The crying grew louder. “We quickly shut the door, but not before we had both seen (or not seen?) the empty frame of the portrait on the wall at the top of the stairs. The image of the wistful woman was gone. She was wandering the halls – searching once more.” Gary Schweizer, hotel manager, said he’s had experiences of his own. He said one time a light turned on when no one was around. He’s also placed things – such as a screwdriver – down in one place and swears it moved to another. “Another time was freaky,” Schweizer said. “I was on the second floor during the winter and I heard a lady laughing on the third floor,” although he was alone in the building. Most experiences by guests and staff have been positive, however. So there is likely no need to fear the Lady in Blue.
LUCY Still on Tyler Street By Mike Braun Chimacum
It was 1979 and we had just purchased a small Victorian house on Tyler Street in upper Port Townsend. The house had sat empty for some time, and looked it. The Realtor mentioned that many years ago the house was owned by a couple with a young daughter named Lucy. When her parents died, Lucy lived in the house until her death. It was rumored that her ghost was still there. In the two years we lived there, we saw nothing. We did, on many occasions, experience strange feelings and emotions when entering certain rooms. The pets often
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2008 PORT TOWNSEND HAUNTS
reacted to “something” in the house. We sold the house in 1981, and around 1993 we were driving past the house and saw a young man doing yard work. We stopped and introduced ourselves as onetime owners of the place. He invited us in to see the old place. We were introduced to his wife and 8-year-old son. They had recently purchased the house and planned to make it their home. While saying goodbye, I casually asked if they had met Lucy yet. He asked, “Who is she?” When I told him the story we had heard years ago, he became very serious and called his wife to join us. I repeated the story, and she in turn told a story of her own.
They said that after buying the house, their son was taken there for the first time. Upon entering the house, he ran upstairs to see his new bedroom. A few seconds later he came running back downstairs screaming that there was a strange lady all dressed in white standing in the bedroom glaring at him. The couple said that since then, he refused to sleep upstairs. The wife went on to say that the music sheets on her piano kept being moved around. “One day, I got mad,” she said. “I said, ‘All right, if we are going to share this home, at least tell me your name.’” Instantly, she heard a name in her head say, “Lucille.” The following year, new owners were in the house.
The Lady in Blue is said to leave her portrait in the Palace Hotel to roam the halls at night. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY THOMAS BOGGAN
You are WELCOME at Laurel Grove By Louise Frombach Port Townsend
My story begins in Laurel Grove Cemetery. I had just cleared a huge grove of Himalayan blackberry bushes on “Luther Horton’s” plat. While forking the last of them onto my truck, I noticed my 3-foot-diameter rubber mat (which was about 12 feet away) hovering about a foot from the ground, with a whirlwind under it holding it up. As I was staring at it, wondering “What on earth is that?” it shot straight up into the air about 20 feet! It then came back in the exact spot. All I could think of is,
“You are welcome!” A day or so later, I was pruning back a bush in order to read the name on a gravestone. I threw down my gloves with wide, hard cuffs to do something, and when I looked, they were perfectly standing up – praying. When I checked the stone, it was “Pvt. Jacque M. Martin,” a United States Army Reverend in World War II. When I tried to re-stand the gloves, they just plopped over. Just recently, it’s finally occurred to me that this Reverend must have been responsible for the flying mat also! If so, you are most welcome! Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader
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2008 PORT TOWNSEND HAUNTS
9
A Night in HAUNTED Manresa By Melanie “PEEVES” Lockhart Leader Staff Writer
Like many who have heard the ghost stories of Manresa Castle, I have always been a skeptic. I’ve heard so many variations of what happened to the supposed ghosts of Manresa that I’ve found it hard to believe any of it. Still, the idea of ghosts fascinates me. So when the opportunity came to spend the night in one of the castle’s “haunted” rooms, I jumped on it. I expected it to be an uneventful night. I had originally planned to stay alone in Room 302, directly below the attic where a priest is rumored to have hanged himself, although there is no record of a suicide. But my sister, Amanda Lockhart, got so excited when I told her of my plans that I invited her to come along. I figured at least I’d have someone to talk to. My sister showed up shortly after I finished dinner at the Castle Key restaurant on the hotel’s first floor. At about 8:30 p.m., we went upstairs to put her stuff in the room before taking a tour of the castle. While we were talking, we heard a thud in the attic. My reaction was something along the lines of “what the heck was that?” My sister continued to talk. Seconds later we heard what sounded like either shuffling footsteps or something moving along the floor. “OK, that’s kind of creepy,” she said. The noises clearly came from the attic, which is locked and
inaccessible without an employee escort. But the sounds came and went so quickly that I’m not convinced it wasn’t simply the old castle settling. Buildings do that, after all.
THE TOUR Kathryn Ward, the woman at the front desk, gladly led us on a tour, insisting that she had been at the desk the entire time rather than anywhere near the attic. My sister’s friend Samantha Miranda joined us for the tour. We began in the library, where photos of the original owners line the wall. Charles and Kate Eisenbeis lived in the 30-room home after it was completed in 1892. Locals called it the Eisenbeis Castle. At the time, it was the largest residence on the West Coast. It remains the largest residence ever built in Port Townsend. After Charles died in 1902, Kate remarried. The castle sat empty, other than being inhabited by a caretaker, until a Seattle attorney purchased the building in 1925 as a vacation destination for nuns. Two years later, it was sold for use as a seminary for Jesuit priests. The priests added a wing with a chapel and additional sleeping rooms, as well as an elevator that still operates today. They renamed it Manresa Hall. The library, combined with the banquet room and breakfast room, was once used as the Jesuits’ chapel. A photo of the old chapel is displayed under an arch in the banquet room.
Room 306 is where the ghost of “Kate” is believed to spend a lot of her time. There is speculation about whether it is the ghost of Kate Eisenbeis who returned “home” after she died, or the ghost of a girl rumored to have jumped – some say she was pushed – from the window. PHOTOS BY MELANIE LOCKHART 10
2008 PORT TOWNSEND HAUNTS
Manresa Castle appears at night. The light on in the tower is Room 302, where Leader reporter Melanie Lockhart stayed on Sept. 25.
In 1968, the building was privately purchased, renamed Manresa Castle, and transformed into a hotel. Now, the building is quaint and full of antiques, including the bar in the cocktail lounge that is originally from the Savoy Hotel in San Francisco. The lounge was once the home’s drawing room, while the restaurant used to be the parlor and dining room. The woodwork is original, making the overall atmosphere more historical than haunting. We took a special trip to the attic, where we saw the remaining props – including a noose and small staircase – from when crews from the television show “Sightings” dramatized the priest’s supposed hanging. We ended our tour with a trip to the castle’s “dungeon” and saw what remains of an old well. Although it was a bit spooky, as one might expect when standing beneath the foundation of an old building, the most action we saw were the blinking lights of the hotel’s Wi-Fi system. GHOST STORIES Later, we gathered in the library to read old logs from hotel guests. Over the years, guests reported weird noises, peculiar smells, moving objects, footsteps, cold breezes, feeling a “presence,” and direct sightings, among others. Donna McCollum of Port
Orchard reported that while staying in Room 302, her 3year-old daughter wouldn’t leave the bathroom because she was talking to a little girl. When McCollum asked her to find out the girl’s name, she said the girl’s name was “Chewana.” McCollum thinks the young girl could be the ghost of an illegitimate child, perhaps the daughter of Charles Eisenbeis. She also references the mysterious childsize casket found in 2006 on top of Charles Eisenbeis’ coffin, buried next to his first wife, Elisabeth. McCollum thinks there is a connection, although no other logs mention a child. One mother from Texas stayed in Room 306 in November 1997. She wrote: “We heard singing coming from the bathroom. It was a woman’s voice singing a ghostly tune.” The woman then got up to go the bathroom, curious to see who might be there. “The door swung open eerily. There was a swish of cold air and a glowing light. Then all the lights came on .… It was either a ghost, or the staff of the Castle has a strange way of entertaining their guests.” BED TIME We were finally ready for bed at around midnight. My sister slept next to me, too nervous to sleep in the second bed, just outside the bathroom. I don’t sleep well, so I was awake throughout
the night. My sister, on the other hand, slept like a rock. At one point I heard scratching somewhere near the door. I would have been convinced it was my imagination if my sister hadn’t snapped her head up at that precise moment and looked at the door, then above the door, and then at me before putting her head back down. I asked her if she heard the scratching, but I got a sleepy response. Since she was near the clock, I asked her for the time: 4:22 a.m. I listened for quite a while, but nothing out of the ordinary happened. In the morning, my sister recalled something waking her up, but she didn’t know what. After I described the scratching to her, we determined that it likely came from the wall outside our door. When my sister tested her fingernails on the wall, the sound was identical, but I had heard it much louder and with the door shut. I have friends and relatives convinced we experienced a ghost. I’m still inclined to believe the noises came from living things. Still, my stay turned out to be much more interesting than I expected. But ghosts? You never know. However, if whoever is responsible for the scratching could kindly consider a more reasonable hour next time, I’m sure future guests would appreciate it. Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader
Dog Senses Something STRANGE By Sally Robbins Port Townsend
GHOST hasnt Asked for Dental Work t
By Viviann “BOO” Kuehl Leader Contributing Writer
There’s a ghost at Dentistry Northwest on Randolph Street in Port Hadlock that has been heard but not seen by an employee over the last three years. “We work in this old house built in the 1800s,” explained the employee, “and there is an actual door that closes off the upstairs from the working
area. There have been times when the door upstairs opens and closes, and you can hear that and feel the presence of someone. “The first time it happened, all the hair stood up on my arm,” recalled the employee, who did not want to be named for this story. “One day, I was working by myself and suddenly I felt like there was somebody here in the room. I can’t explain it, but I just knew someone was here, and then
she went away. I call it a she because she’s nice, and she doesn’t do anything – she just comes and goes.” The ghost hasn’t been noticed during the busy work hours, only after hours and when the employee is alone. “There’s enough noise during the day that you couldn’t hear it, and I don’t have that feeling when I’m working, but I hear the door open and close. It’s not a joke.”
Waterfront Condos
Joey Pipia will host “Séance” to welcome Halloween at 12 a.m. Oct. 31. SUBMITTED PHOTO
Pipia Hosts SEANCE t
I had a strange experience early on a dark and stormy January morning. Every day my dog, Fredi, and I did a three-mile run through Fort Worden around the lighthouse loop. Fredi was a big golden retriever/St. Bernard mix who loved to run. On this particular morning, it was rainy, windy and black. There was no light except the beacon, which periodically swept across the park. Suddenly, at the Y by the lighthouse, Fredi stopped cold. I pulled her leash but she refused to move. We had a tug of war until I decided to drop the leash and go on by myself, thinking she would follow me.
When I took my first step, Fredi put herself right in front of me. I tried to go around her, but she blocked my path. I was yelling at her for acting so silly, when she started to whimper and wail. That scared me. I picked up the leash and we ran back home. The next day Fredi was fine when we ran around the loop. That day I dropped into the park office and told the staff about the incident. They entertained me with stories of ghosts collected about the lighthouse over the years and thought I had run into one. To this day I wonder if there really was a ghost or if the menace was a large animal, like a cougar, that would come into the park occasionally. There was something down by the lighthouse, and I like to think it was a ghost!
“Have you talked with a ghost lately?” asks Joey Pipia. He says you will at “Séance,” the once-only performance event that takes place at midnight – the witching hour – to welcome Halloween at The Chameleon Theater in Port Townsend. “Expect the real thing,” adds Pipia, who points out that The Chameleon is the perfect setting for a séance. “It’s intimate, it’s dark, and it’s quiet.” Pipia states that it’s a creation, not a re-creation, of a legendary séance from the Victorian era. Participants should meet at the theater on the night of Thursday, Oct. 30, as “Séance” takes place at midnight, just as it becomes Oct. 31. Seating is limited to the first 12 who contact Pipia. He can be reached at 379-1068 or joey@joeypipia.com. Tickets are $35 and are not available at the door.
Pre-sale Open House
Announcing, 4-exclusive new residences in the restored Clam Cannery (Guilford Packing Company) building on the waterfront in downtown Port Townsend. Built in 1885 and painstakingly restored by local artisans; the condos at the Cannery are some of the most amazing waterfront residences in the Pacific Northwest. An easy commute from Seattle, Port Townsend is a great location for a second home. As one of only 3-recognized Victorian Seaport Communities in the US, Port Townsend is home to numerous events and activities; including Centrum events like the Country Blues Festival, the NWMC’s Wooden Boat Festival, the Port Townsend Film Festival and many others. Come tour this amazing property and meet some of the craftsmen/women who have contributed to the restoration of this historic building.
Sat. Nov. 1 1-3pm Sat. Nov. 8 1-3pm Sat. Nov. 15, 1-3pm
111 Quincy Street, Port Townsend, WA
Available for Occupancy Spring 2009 • www.ClamCannery.com Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader
2008 PORT TOWNSEND HAUNTS
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HALLOWEEN Events
Fort Worden Spooktacular Returns Oct. 31
The fifth annual Fort Worden Area Parks Spooktacular event is Friday, Oct. 31, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Building 204 at Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend. This event is limited to children age 11 or younger, who must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Activities include a haunted hayride, storytelling, crafts, games, prizes and more. Support the food bank by bringing an item to donate for admission. Spooktacular Pumpkin Carving Contest entries must be delivered to the Fort Worden Commons east patio by 2 p.m. on event day. All pumpkins will be judged and then displayed around the park during the event. Pumpkin carvers should put their contact information on a sheet of paper inside a Ziploc baggie. Place this baggie inside the pumpkin so organizers can contact the winners. Call Carmyn Shute, 344-4436, for information.
Costume Parade for Kids Downtown Oct. 31 The 14th annual Port Townsend Main Street Downtown Trick or Treat and Costume Parade is Friday, Oct. 31. The event is open to costumed youngsters, preschool age through sixth grade, and their parents. The event typically attracts about 1,500 costumed participants. Participating children, who must be accompanied by an adult, gather by 3:45 p.m. under the Bank of America clock at the corner of Water and Adams streets. The parade starts at 4 p.m., led by a pumpkin orange truck moving in the direction of the Swain’s Outdoor store plaza. Everyone is asked to walk to the plaza. People may then turn around and start the Halloween candy collection at generous businesses. Look for businesses with a “trick or treat” sign in the front window. Water Street is closed to vehicle traffic from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Oct. 31 from Madison to Polk streets. The event is sponsored by the Port Townsend Main Street Program and participating merchants. Also providing help is the Port Townsend Police Department, Port Townsend Kinetic Festival High Priestess for Life Janet Emery and Jefferson County Parks and Recreation.
Haunted House Opens Doors in Hadlock The eighth annual Haunted House sponsored by Chimacum Lodge 343, IOOF, attracts ghouls and goblins from 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 29-31. Complimentary cookies, juices and coffee are served, along with candy for children. The lodge is located at 11323 Rhody Drive (State Route 19) in Port Hadlock.
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2008 PORT TOWNSEND HAUNTS
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