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“My mom and dad went to Santa Barbara and they stayed at this old hotel, it wasn’t really known for having ghosts but my mom is super susceptible to ghosts. They checked into this room and my mom already got pretty bad vibes from it. She felt uneasy. When she went to sleep she kept having nightmares and then she woke up and on top of her there was this man with a hat and glasses and a suit. She started screaming and my dad woke up and he couldn’t see him. And she kept telling the ghost “Go away you’re not wanted here” and he did go away. And then the next night she saw him again but he was standing in the corner watching her. She told him to go away and he finally went away for good. She says that the ghost was dressed like he was from the 1800s.”

Context

The informant heard this story from her mom right after her parents came back from the trip. The informant trusts her mom and is very close with her mom so she believes she’s telling the truth. The informant made a point to talk about the clothes that the ghost was wearing. The ghost was dressed like he was in the 1800s. That could have some significance. 

Analysis

I don’t know why a man from the 1800s would haunt the informant’s mom. The first thing that comes to my mind is the Gold Rush that happened in the 1800s. Gold was discovered in California in 1848 and this spurred a lot of development in areas, including Santa Barbara. Maybe the ghost was a businessman who had moved to the area and passed away. Maybe the ghost was looking for the gold and he’s haunting the area because he still wants the gold. It’s interesting that the informant’s mom felt uneasy from the beginning because it was as if she could sense something. Maybe the informant’s mom had some sort of unknown connection to the ghost.

After further research, there are a few spots in Santa Barbara that are prone to paranormal activity. Some of these locations are the Santa Barbara County Courthouse, the Lobero Theatre, the Santa Barbara Inn, the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. I don’t know if any of these locations have anything to do with the informant’s story, but there is proof of paranormal activity in the city.