Colton Hall, built by Navy Chaplain Walter Colton (later a mayor and a judge), was the first public building constructed under the American flag. It was the site of the 1849 California Constitutional Convention as well as an execution spot: Convicted criminals were hanged from the second-floor porch balcony. Perhaps it is these doomed men whose ghosts have been felt by witnesses. Moving cold spots and the sound of footsteps also have been reported.
Colton Hall
Hollywood Pacific Theatre
The 1927 Hollywood Pacific Theatre, aka Warner Pacific Theater, is the largest theater in Hollywood and is believed to be haunted by one of the Warner Brothers. Harry, Albert, Sam and Jack Warner were responsible for the construction of the theater, as well as the first talkie film, The Jazz Singer. The ghost who resides here is Sam Warner, who died from a brain hemorrhage 24 hours before the highly anticipated first showing of The Jazz Singer. The other brothers dedicated a plaque to Sam, which hangs in the lobby. Witnesses have seen Sam’s apparition in the theater and in the offices, as well as pacing the lobby. He also is said to ride the elevators and move furniture in the offices. Security personnel are reported to be familiar with Sam’s doings, and they let him be–it IS his theater, after all.
Avalon Hollywood
Avalon Hollywood, a former theater built in 1927, has also been called the Hollywood Playhouse and the Palace Theater over the years. It once featured Fanny Brice’s radio show, the Baby Snooks Radio Show and Ken Murray’s Blackouts Theater Revue, then became one of the earliest TV studios housing the likes of This is Your Life and The Lawrence Welk Show. It is now a night club as well as a TV studio, and employees have had many encounters with several ghosts, including a piano player, a friendly woman who wears perfume, and a gentleman wearing a tuxedo.
Pantages Theater
Pantages Theater, named after Alexander Pantages, was once owned by Howard Hughes–and Hughes is thought to remain here in spirit to this day. According to theater legend, a 1990 break-in by vandals spurred the hauntings on the second floor where Hughes had his office. Witnesses have felt a presence, an unexplained breeze, or cold spots and seen a man’s apparition near Hughes’ office. The sound of desk drawers rattling and the smell of cigarette smoke also have been noticed. The Pantages is also haunted by a ghostly patron who has resided here since 1932. The lady died in the mezzanine during a performance, and her singing has been heard throughout the building. Alexander Pantages himself is also rumored to spend some of his afterlife at his theater.
Ayers-Allen House
The Ayers-Allen House is a private residence that dates back to the 1700s. It is believed to be haunted. Witnesses say the ghosts who live here are Revolutionary War or Hessian soldiers or a woman searching for her young son who was killed by British soldiers. Also said to be here are two Native American spirits who were unjustly hanged in a tree in the yard.
Easton Tower - Red Mill
Easton Tower is a stone and wood frame structure, once an irrigation pump, built in 1900 as part of a scenic park. It now abuts the Saddle River Bikeway. It was named after Edward D. Easton (1856-1915), founder and president of the Columbia Phonograph Company. It is sometimes mistakenly called the Red Mill because in the early 1800s a mill nearby was painted red, and many mistook it for the Easton Tower. Residents who live near the Tower say strange noises come from the building at night, and at least one witness saw a white apparition at the window.
Steuben House
Steuben House is a historic Revolutionary landmark. George Washington was headquartered here for 16 days in 1780. But it’s also known for a ghost who visited in 1951. Former resident Gen. F.W.A. Von Steuben, according to legend, paid a visit to his former home, sitting in a chair and having a conversation with a woman who was in the home at the time. The ghost asked the woman to tell him how the Revolutionary War was going, but when the woman told him that the war had been over for some 200 years, the flabbergasted ghost disappeared.
Piscatawaytown Burial Ground
Piscatawaytown Burial Ground is a graveyard that holds the burial sites of many Revolutionary War soldiers and other folk; graves date back to 1693, when two brothers died from eating poisonous mushrooms. But the graveyard also houses a witch, locals say. Mary Moore, buried here in 1731, was accused and put to death for witchcraft. Mary’s ghost is said to appear if you walk around her grave three times and spit. However, another tale says that two local boys stole Mary’s headstone years ago, so no one knows where to find it. The legend’s variations tell of several ways the boys were cursed and died for tampering with the gravestone.
Conant Park
Conant Park is said to be haunted by ghostly figures with no faces. According to legend, they drive a van and kidnap girls off the street, and when (if) the girls are released, they are far too frightened to explain what happened to them.
Marlboro Psychiatric Hospital
Marlboro Psychiatric Hospital opened in early 1931 and operated for many years, but not without problems. Rampant deaths at the hospital were frequently being investigated. An adjacent cemetery holds nearly 1,000 graves. Over 130 patients became ill from food poisoning in the 1970s, four of whom died. The hospital was closed in 1998 because of patient abuse and rampant spending practices. The building was then slated to be used for military training with explosives. Legends abounded about an abandoned slaughterhouse on the property and a resident “murderous farmer” who would lure victims and kill them. Witnesses claimed to see shadow people in the area until the slaughterhouse was torn down. Trespassing was such a problem that in 2013, the hospital was torn down as well.
