Redlands is one of the oldest cities in California and is one of those small communities that seem to hold their small town charm… except when it comes to being haunted. Redlands is considered by many to be the ultimate Ghost Town. The majority of the houses here are very old, Victorian in architecture, and come with a long, rich history that is the substance of many a ghost story.
One of the more famous Haunted Houses in Redlands is the Barton Mansion built by Dr. Benjamin Barton. Originally a ranch and vineyard, the Barton house is one of the oldest buildings in the Inland Empire. It has recently been refurbished, but for many years it was an extremely sinister looking, run-down mansion. It is made of brick, an uncommon site in Southern California due to earthquakes, and it is completely square with few features. During its run-down years, it was a challenge among many teenagers to find a way to the roof, and put their name on a certain stone. Part of the challenge was figuring out how to get up there, the other half was being brave enough to actually enter the intimidating house. The inside of the house was filled with rotting wood and weak staircases, while the floor was covered with a layer of newspaper pages. A scary looking place with a sinister prescience, usually on the third and fourth floors seems to be where most activity occurs. Closet doors push open cold temps wash over you, and when exiting the Mansion, a figure can be seen watching you walk down stairs from the third floor. Some visitors have witnessed a demonic face watching them and can be seen coming from a closet that suddenly opens. At certain points inside the Barton Road Mansion you feel watched, and definitely not welcome. The house was notorious for attracting squatters, hobos and of course this generated rumors of devil worshipers. It has been a prime location for ghost stories to take root.
According to some, the old Fox Theatre was also very haunted. The presence that resides here is reportedly a very violent one. The building has been boarded up for about 10 years and now has been renovated. The building it's connected to was once an opera house when Redlands was first founded.
Harris (Gottschalks) Department Store although it no longer exists was apparently haunted as well. In the women’s dressing room, it is said that patrons while changing clothes have heard women talking and late at night just as the store is closing, heavy footsteps can be heard on the roof and dressing room doors slam shut on their own.. Once, a security guard was sent up to the roof to check out the disturbances, but found nothing.
At the Redlands Hillside Cemetery, which is the oldest cemetery in the area with interments dating back to the mid late 1800's, many people have reported strange happenings such as car horns honking by themselves, lights blinking and even balls being thrown back over the walls after somebody has thrown them in. Incorporated in 1886, two years before Redlands became a city, the Hillside Cemetery is over 125 years old. With towering, odd-shaped gravestones and low hanging tree branches, it is indeed a macabre and scary place.
There is a home in Redlands called the House of 1,000 Stairs. It is probably the old Burrage Mansion which is a large house with 100 stairs outside and 900 stairs inside. The 28-room estate was built in 1901, by Albert C. Burrage for entertaining purposes. He used it for about two months a year and for only a few years. It included such extravagant features as a polo field and a glass-covered pool. After Burrage's death the house was used as a monastery until the 1990's. The stories say that nuns still haunt the place.
At Redlands Mariposa Elementary School, back in the late 50's or early 60's, a little boy named Billy was hit by a school bus. He was immediately taken to the nurse's office where he died. As he was dying, he expressed his desire to get back to school. Legend says that if you knock on the nurse's door, he will knock back or you will hear him walking in the room. Sometimes he will want you to play with him on the playground, but if you refuse, he will pick on you. Another story that everyone seems to agree upon is that a single swing at the swing set will sway back and forth at night as if an invisible Billy is playing by himself.
Morey Mansion in Redlands: The story of the mansion goes that David and Sarah Morey built the house for $20,000 in 1890 from their profits in the citrus industry. The house, which cost about 20 times more than other houses in the area, was built by ship builders who also worked for David Morey in one of his other ventures. About one year after David and Sarah moved into the house, Sarah died of a sudden illness. Grief-stricken, David Morey never stepped back into the house. David fell into a deep alcoholism and moved into the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego. Within a year he had committed suicide and was found hanging in his room.
Many guests have reported paranormal activity, from hearing objects falling and loud bangs in other rooms, without finding any reason, to having door knobs rattling in the middle of the night. There are also reports that doors will open and close, and the sound of children can be heard playing. This lovely mansion was once a bed and breakfast, but it is now under private ownership. Apparently for good reason many of the guests to the Bed and Bread complained to the then owners of several apparitions including a little girl, an old man, who was once a caretaker for the mansion and a young boy have been seen, and although most sightings seemed friendly in nature they still scarred off a lot of the clientele. The Morey Mansion is another one of Redlands more famous estates. It is widely considered to be one of the more beautiful homes in Redlands.
Prospect Park, on the outskirts of Redlands, is reputed to be haunted by several different ghosts. Prospect Park is a botanical garden featuring orange groves, flowers, bamboo and an outdoor theatre stage. Originally owned by the Smiley brothers, it was donated to Redlands by the Smiley family 80 years after the founding of the city.
The more well-known rumors of Prospect Park have to do with mountain lion sightings. However, there are still those other ethereal rumors. There are stories of devil worshipers chanting and sacrificing animals in the park, as well as stories that it is a place where bodies are dumped under its thick foliage. There are also stories about a girl being raped and murdered behind the stage with her ghost being seen during the winter nights. Another account is that it was actually a girl who was raped and murdered on her way home from high school in the early 1970s, her body being dumped in one of the orange groves. Other activities around the theatre include people hearing steps run across the wooden stage and seats in the theater folding up.
In the actual orange groves of the park there are accounts of people walking through them after dark, seeing an old man who acts as a guard of the grove and chases out anyone he sees.
The Woman in the Window at Kimberly Crest is named for its famous occupant, owner of the Kimberly Clark Paper Company, this mansion is one of the most well-known estates in Redlands. It is located adjacent to Prospect Park and is a fine example of the French Chateau style of the early 1900s.
Kimberly Crest was owned continuously by the Shirk family, and occupied by Mary Kimberly Shirk until her death in 1979. Apparently, the story goes that if you go to Kimberly Crest after hours, you can see Mary in the top floor window, sitting in her rocking chair.
At the University of Redlands, Merriam Hall the ghost of a man in army clothing wanders the bathroom apparently the land that the university is on, was once owned by Civil War veterans. Allegedly, there have been many reports of people seeing boots in the next stall with, of course, no one else being in the bathroom. Also, at night, girls have seen a reflection of a man in an army uniform in the bathroom mirror.
The Greek Theatre on campus is also haunted by a spirit known as the White Lady. The story goes that there was a female student named Marianne, who was the lead at a play in the theatre. She received rave reviews for her opening performance, however never made it to the second night. The story goes that she actually died in a car accident a few days before the opening night and it was her ghost that received the rave reviews.
The White Lady is said to still remain: there are reports of the smell of perfume being present late at night and dressing rooms becoming suddenly cold without explanation. Other reports claim that the Marianne will pull dresses off costume racks, can be seen floating above the stage curtain and that she has a habit of disturbing stage lights.
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