The year, 1852. The location, the future home of Thomas Whaley later to be known as the Whaley House. James Robinson, sometimes know as Santiago Robinson or Yankee Jim, a thief convicted of grand larceny in San Diego California was sentenced to death. Thomas Whaley along with a small crowd watch as James Robinson is about to be executed. Robinson's hands are tied behind his back as a donkey drawn wagon delivers him to the gallows. A noose is place around his neck as he stands fully upright in the wagon. Robinson struggles as long as possible to keep his feet on the wagon. Finally the wagon is driven away. Robinson struggles and swings back and forth he doesn't die right away. Slowly the noose strangles him to death. Several years pass. A opportunity comes along and Thomas Whaley purchases and builds a house nearly atop the exact location Robinson was hung to death. Not long after the Whaley family moved in the first ghost is reported. The Whaley family experience hearing the sounds of heavy footsteps. Whaley described them sounding as that of a large man wearing boots walking about the house. Whaley recalling the hanging years before concludes the foot steps belong to the ghost of Yankee Jim Robinson. Lillian Whaley the youngest daughter of the Whaley's lived in the house till 1953. Lillian had commented that she indeed felt the house to be haunted by the notorious Yankee Jim. San Diego Haunted SDH.
Thomas Whaley seems by some accounts to haunt the Whaley house as well. Some visitors to the museum claim to have encountered Thomas. June Reading ( now deceased ) was curator of the Whaley museum. She calimed that children would report seeing a man standing in the parlor area. Adults seem to see Mr. Whaley's apparition as well, usually in the upper landing area. Whaley's apparition is seen wearing a frock coat and pants, and suddenly fades away.
The ghost of Anna Whaley has been purported as well. Her ghostly apparition is usually witnessed in the downstairs rooms or in the whaley garden. In 1964, a young unknown news reporter witnesses the free floating drifting spirit of Anna Whaley. "All of a sudden I noticed something on the wall," reported. "There was something filmy white, it looked like an apparition of some kind, I got so excited I couldn't restrain myself! I flipped on the flash-light and nothing was there but a portrait of Anna Whaley, the long-dead mistress of the house." That new upcoming reporter, would later have his fame - Regis Philbin. - San Diego Haunted SDH sandiego haunted
Some Whaley Museum visitors claim to witness a woman in the Whaley courtroom. The woman described as having a darked skin complexion dark hair and eyes and wearing a full skirt touching the floor. The skirts textile print appears to be calico or gingham. The apparition is seen wearing a cap and gold hoop earrings. None of the Whaley family seem to match this description, however the Whaley house was rented out several times over the years.
A urban legend spread perhaps by a docent of the Whaley House Museum, is that of the ghost of a little girl. The story goes that a child playmate of the Whaley children ran into a low hanging clothesline and subsequently her neck was broken and she died in the Whaley backyard. Urban legend claims her name was Annabel or Carrie Washburn. Several psychic's, including Sybil Leek claim to have felt her presence. No Historic records of any child deaths at the Whaley house are known to exist. No record of a family named Washburn living in San Diego at the time exists either.
The Whaley house even has reports of phantom animals. A parapsychologist along with other visitors report seeing a mysterious spotted dog, perhaps a Fox Terrier, running down the halls of the Whaley House. The Whaley's did in fact own a terrier named Dolly Varden. - San Diego Haunted Sandiego SDH
The Whaley House sits as it did for more than a century. Quietly nestled on San Diego Avenue, the Whaley House hasn't changed much, but the City of San Diego has. San diego has grown up around the Whaley house becoming the second largest city in California. The Whaley House is a living piece of American history. Every day visitors from across the world come to the Whaley House Museum. Some visitors come for the rich historic tour, others come seeking the elusive haunting spirits from the past."You know a lot of people deny it because they can't see it. But there was something going on in that house." - San Diego haunted Sandiego SDH