Sacramento river boat said to be haunted

Perusing the internet for ghost stories I came across this interesting one up in Sacramento (yes I know the website isn't called Weird Sacramento, but bear with me). The location is actually an old paddle wheel boat docked on the banks of the Sacramento River in Old Town.

The boat is named the Delta King of Sacramento and was built sometime in the 1920's and plied the Sacramento River between San Francisco and Sacramento from 1929 to 1940 and was used as a troop transport ship during World War II. After the war the boat fell into disuse and roamed the Delta without any purpose. In 1982 the boat sank near Richmond in San Francisco Bay and was there for over 18 months. Finally in 1984 the Delta King was brought back to Sacramento and underwent a $9 million restoration. Today it is a floating hotel with two restaurants, two fully functional theaters, and facilities for wedding use.

But like any old structure that has its share of history, the Delta King is said to be haunted. Patrons have reported hearing a little girl singing "ring around the rosey" and some have seen her running up and down many of the ship's hallways. She's said to be around 8 or 9 years old and has blonde hair and to have died on the boat in the early days of its use, sometime in the late 20's or early 30's.

One of the other ghosts that haunts the boat is said to be one of the former captains who committed suicide on the boat. Not much is said about the male ghost except that he likes to mess with employees from time to time and the few times he has been seen he was wearing a white shirt and dark pants and cap.

Ghosts have also been seen in the Delta King's two theaters. Not much is known but some speculate that it's either former performers or audience members that for some reason have decided to attend another show.

One of the things that I love about this location is the history involved with the boat and how even after it feel into disuse the city of Sacramento decided to restore it and make it a destination for people. The fact that it's haunted just adds to the history of it.

Porterville Memorial Auditorium rumored to be haunted

The Porterville Memorial Auditorium is said to be haunted by

the ghost of a little girl.

Photo courtesy of Reverbnation.com.

In the small town of Porterville, on the campus of the local high school, lies the Porterville Memorial Auditorium. Inside the building is the Frank "Buck" Shaffer Theatre, named after the school's long time band director, is said to be haunted by the ghost of a little girl.

No one knows who she is, but it's said that she was playing up on the balcony one day when she tripped and fell over the railing and died. Now it's said that if anyone is near the railing that she will appear and play tricks on them to get them to fall over the edge and die just as she did.

Inside the Frank "Buck" Shaffer Theatre. You can see the balcony

where it's said the little girl fell from to her death.

Photo courtesy of Reverbnation.com.

Another story says that backstage in the left wing near where several portraits are hung up on the wall, that their eyes would follow you as you walked by them. Whether this is some sort of paranormal activity or an optical illusion isn't know but still interesting none-the-less.

Are the stories of the little girl on the balcony true? It seems that almost every theater has its own ghost, like it is a prerequisite or something. It is interesting to note though that if you look at an index of haunted places throughout the county, theaters seem to be at the top of the list (bars and taverns run a close second). Why is this? Some paranormal researchers theorize that ghosts somehow feed off of people's emotions. What better place to experience the gambit of emotions; from happiness, sadness, and anger, than a theater? But perhaps the little girl is a vengeful spirit, upset over her untimely fate and tries to lure others to suffer the same fate as her.

Does the ghost of a woman haunt the Merced Theatre?

The Merced Theatre, where the ghost of a woman who

jumped to her death, is said to haunt.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

In the town of Merced, there are some rumors of the Merced Theatre being haunted. The legend goes that the a young woman decided to commit suicide by jumping off the peak of the tower after finding out her fiancé had been killed during the war. It's said her host has been witnessed by many people, where she asks if anyone has seen “Johnny.”

The theater opened on October 31, 1931 by the famous Reid Brothers who were prestigious architects based out of San Francisco. The theater cost around $380,000 and took nine months to build. Up until 2002 it served the Merced community before falling into a state of disrepair. Now it is currently being restored as it originally appeared. One has to wonder if the ghost of the young woman has been seen by any of the workers or is disturbed by the construction going on.

The Merced Theatre is scheduled to reopen sometime in the Fall of 2011.

Architect sees ghost and is now a believer

I love stories like this. A professional who has no belief in the paranormal has an encounter with a ghost and suddenly his view on things change. Apparently the architect that is working on the remodel of a thetear in Bristol, England has seen the original manager, Sarah Macready, who had worked there over two hundrend years ago and has haunted the place ever since her death.

The encounter was during lunch and he saw a woman with black hair wearing a white dress as he climbed the back stairs. As soon as he said something she disappeared. The architect, Andrzej Blonski, had never believed in ghosts before this experience, but does now. He also believes that the she is pleased with the work since she smiled at him when he first saw her.

But this isn't the only occurnece that happened to Blonski. He's also caught a whiff of a woman's perfume that smelled like lavender. Others have smelt this and some of those who have seen Macready associate the scent with her.

Macready isn't the only spirit who haunts the theater. There is also the ghost of a boy who died in the paint shop in an accident in the 1950's and an 18th Century actress, Sarah Siddons, has also been seen in the theater.

Full source: BBC Bristol

By Robin Markwell

The ghost of Sarah Macready appeared to Andrzej Blonski as he climbed the back stairs at lunchtime.

He says she was wearing a long, white crinoline dress, had black hair and a pretty face. When he tried to speak to her she vanished.

Mr Blonski told the BBC that he has never believed in ghosts and - prior to their meeting - was not aware of her legacy at the Bristol Old Vic.

"The thing that really got me was that she smiled - she was a friend and then she vanished," he said.

"But then I was really very, very happy - at the moment I'm quite emotional about it because I think that if there is a ghost, it's someone who cares about this building."

The architect believes that her smile is a sign that she approves of the current redevelopment work taking place in the theatre.

Andrzej Blonski says he has sensed ghostly presences on the stairs before, and caught a whiff of lavender perfume.

This distinctive scent has also accompanied some of her previous appearances since her death.

A security guard in the 1980s smelled lavender in the air while on patrol along the passageways below the auditorium. The Alsatian dog by his side froze and started barking.

The guard also says he heard a woman's voice tell him to "get out" and he felt her breath on his face.

Andrew Stocker, who gives tours of the Bristol Old Vic, said Sarah Macready's hard work was part of the key to the theatre's early success.

"She was an actress originally - she had an affair with William Charles Macready. He married her and he basically gave her the keys to the theatre and she worked here for over 10 years.

"She was a lady that ran this building seven days a week and she was an incredible lady."

The project manager from the team redesigning the Bristol Old Vic had a more shocking experience. Mr Blonski says that he was physically pushed. He ran away and now will not use the "haunted" staircase.

Sarah Macready is not the only spirit said to haunt this old playhouse. The ghost of a boy who died in an accident in the paint shop in the 1950s has been spotted as well as the 18th Century West End actress Sarah Siddons.

Mr Blonski says he feels the building is alive with its past: "It's got a very strong spirit - the spirit of the people who have passed through it and I connect to that. Somehow this place has got to me."