Poway Dearborn Memorial Park Cemetery Ghost Haunt
Forward Dedication: To a fallen Paranormal investigator. Glenn Pitcher (1964-2009) of Pacific Paranormal Investigations. Glenn passed away in 2009 and is interred in Dearborn Memerial Park Cemetery. By the time I met PPI, Glenn had already passed. His friends and teammates honor his passing every year – a true testament of
the legacy he left behind.
Poway Dearborn Memorial Park Cemetery 14361 Tierra Bonita Rd, Poway, CA 92064
Dr. Louis Napoleon Hilleary, son of Alexander Hilleary and Sarah Morgan from Des Moines, Iowa moved to Poway, California in 1882. He set up residency as the first certified Doctor in Poway. His father Alexander (whom was of means) had purchased a large portion of land in Poway. Alexander offered the land to his son with the understanding he live there. As such, Dr. Hilleary married his love interest Francis Drew. They had four children: Sarah, Mary, Helen and Louis. Dr Hilleary’s philanthropy, prominence and stature secured the Hilleary family name in present day Poway. Of specific interest to San Diego Haunted was his donation of a plot of land for a cemetery in Poway around 1885.
The cemetery was named after the first person interred on the grounds, John Tyler Dearborn (B. Aug 8 1841 D. Jan 12 1886). Census reports list Dearborn as a grocer, miller, and land owner. A 1885 newsclipping links both Dr. Hilleary and John T. Dearborn as Poway landowners wanting to sell parcels of land. It was not until 1897 that an official cemetery map filing to the San Diego County Recorders office was made. As the years progressed, the cemetery would become the final resting place of Dr. Hilleary and his descendants as well.
Many years later an interesting news clip titled, “MYSTERY SOLVED” authored by Dr. Hilleary’s grandson (Louis Francis Hilleary Jr. age 9 Grade 5) was published in the Union Tribune November 12, 1939. The article claimed his father Louis Hilleary Sr. (son of Dr. Hilleary) had purchased a house that seemed to be haunted. Hilleary Sr. went to great lengths to find an explanation for the unusual noises that were heard throughout the house. The cause was wind blowing through a pipe in a bedroom wall.
Dearborn Memorial Cemetery a case for ghosts:
Recently it has come to light that some paranormal groups have been making a case for ghosts and/or paranormal activity at Dearborn cemetery. Two of these are meetup groups – Pyschicfixes, and San Diego Paranormal Eye (S.D.P.E) of San Diego, California. Both have hosted public meetups to explore the possibility of apparitional experiences. We at San Diego Haunted are hoping to see some future evidence posts from these groups as time goes on.