The Passport Lifestyle

From the outside, the Whaley House looks fairly ordinary. A well-proportioned brick structure with clean white columns and dark green window sidings proudly standing along San Diego Avenue in the historic Old Town San Diego, California. You wouldn’t believe that LIFE Magazine dubbed this “America’s Most Haunted House” in 2005, sparking immense curiosity by paranormal enthusiasts from all over.

The story of the Whaley House is one of paranormal intrigue and interesting San Diego history. The supposed supernatural secrets of this haunted hot spot aren’t just the word of Reddit sleuths and wannabe ghost hunters. In the 1960s, the U.S. Commerce Department even classified the Whaley House as haunted. 

As we continue to tell the tale of the Whaley family and their now infamously haunted home, we’ll not only uncover the paranormal intrigue that’s made the Whaley House what it is today, but also the important history of what this house once meant to San Diego.

History of the Haunted Whaley House

Noro via Save Our Heritage Organization

Thomas Whaley was the patriarch of the family, an entrepreneur who moved to California like so many during the Gold Rush. A successful businessman in San Francisco, Whaley soon migrated further south to San Diego.

Whaley was determined to root him and his family in San Diego, and in 1857, he built what is now known as the Whaley House. But Whaley made history, whether he knew it or not. His home was the first two-story brick building in San Diego. While it did indeed serve as a lovely home for he and his family, it was also San Diego’s first commercial theater, a county courthouse, and a general store. His home became a central meeting place for many in the community.

The Whaley House Museum

But tragedy would strike Thomas Whaley and his wife, Anna. Two of their children would die in this house. Their young son, Thomas Jr., died from scarlet fever, and their daughter, Violet, would take her own life. These deaths would have a profound impact on Thomas and Anna for the rest of their lives.

What About “Yankee Jim?”

The above history is that of the Whaley family, our main tenants and unfortunate recipients of death and despair. But there is a separate history, and albeit brief, plays an important role in the Whaley House.

Just before Thomas Whaley bought the land, there was a guy named “Yankee Jim” Robinson who showed up in town. Robinson was reportedly a thief and the townspeople weren’t too pleased with his desire for five-finger discounts. They took him to a vacant lot and hung him. 

That vacant lot was the land on which Thomas Whaley would build his family’s home.

Paranormal Activity at the Whaley House

The Whaley House Museum

If you haven’t gathered from the history of the Whaley House, there’s plenty of opportunities for hauntings. If you talk to believers of the Whaley House hauntings, they’ll point to not only Robinson’s ghost, but also those of Whaley family members.

The legends of paranormal activity actually start with Anna Whaley herself, who reported to have a strong, dark presence following her around. She also would hear heavy footsteps upstairs when she was the only one home. Was this the ghost of Robinson?

Fast forward to today and there are tons of reported paranormal occurrences. People have said they’ve heard baby Thomas crying and laughing throughout the house. Some report seeing the shadowy figures of Thomas and Anna, likely roaming their house where so much despair occurred. And visitors of the second floor often feel sadness and dread, believing it to be Violet’s ghost, who spent much of her time in isolation on that floor.

If those paranormal happenings aren’t enough to at least get you thinking about how haunted the Whaley House may be, consider the many unexplained reports of chairs rocking, chandeliers swaying, phantom piano music, self-opening and closing doors, the scent of baking bread when no one is working, cold spots, fleeting shadows, and disembodied voices and footsteps, all experienced without an obvious explanation.

The Ninth Step

Old Town Trolley Tours

While researching the Whaley House, we found one reported fact to be the most chilling. The funny part is that it’s centered around one step on the main staircase. People have felt an unexplained pressure and feeling of dread as they ascend to the second floor as soon as they cross the ninth step. The jury is still out on which spirit lays claim to the ninth step. Some believe it’s Anna Whaley reliving a traumatic event where an angry mob held her at gunpoint while others removed courthouse records. Some believe it’s Thomas Whaley watching over the house with his thick, black coat and wide-brimmed hat. Others believe it to be “Yankee Jim” Robinson, who was hanged at the very spot when the land was just a vacant lot.

The Whaley House Today

The Whaley House stands tall as one the most reported haunted houses in America. It welcomes tourists and paranormal enthusiasts to guided tours and paranormal investigations so all can experience for themselves the potential of what the haunted Whaley House has to offer. A site of paranormal intrigue and ghostly activity also serves as a historic reminder of the history of San Diego and the Whaley family’s contribution all those decades ago.