Tag Archives: ghost

Haunted School

Age: 22

Context: My friend told me about how, in Spain, kids would make up rumors about the school being haunted.

Text:

“People would say that my, like, the school when I lived in Spain, people said that the school was haunted. Um, because it was a really old building, but I don’t know if I believed all that. But this one girl was like really like specific about it and she was like, oh yeah, I saw ghosts going down the stairs one time, but she was just drinking a glass of water menacingly. And I was like, bro, that’s not even scary.

There was like legends about the school, I think. Someone said that it was a peanut factory, and another person said that people who have peanut allergies don’t go to our school, because of the peanut factory.

The other one was, we were like, we were like 8 or 9. But some other people said it was like a hotel for royal people, like royal people that stay at the building. It had like a courtyard. I think it had like tiles and stuff.”

Analysis:

I’m humored by this story because of its drastic variations of the same setting. As we discussed, it’s wild how legends become so imaginative and varied. These children grew up believing these stories, and it sounds like some of them even went out of their way to justify their beliefs by tracking the buildings’ history. Following the theory of diffusion, it’s clear that this has possibly evolved and slightly changed through word of mouth, with each class entering and exiting the school. I’d be curious to hear the current legends of the school today to see if any of them sound similar to what my friend shared.

Mystery Man on Tecate Ranch

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Age: 28

Text: Interviewer – “What kind of ghost stories have you been told, told yourself, or know? Where did you learn them?”

CB – “There is a one specific ghost story for my family. A long time ago they used to own a ranch in Tecate. Near the southern edge of property was an old graveyard. According to my mother local cartel would double stuff the graves there with people they are getting rid of and one of those victims stayed around. Sometimes late at night, you can see him standing out the side of the road like he was waiting for a ride, for the afterlife or to a job you’re supposed to go to nobody knows. My mother swears she saw him once when they were out hunting rabbits in the evening. Normally, they weren’t allowed in the area at night because of the cartel, but she could see the access road from the hilltop and swore there was a man there that her sister couldn’t see.”

Interviewer – “Have you shared this story with anyone else outside of your family?”

CB – “Nope. Not really.”

Interviewer – “Thank you for sharing it with me, then.”

Context: This ghost story was told to CB by their mother, detailing the events of their own upbringing and paranormal stories. This being one of the many stories that their mother shared, usually ending with multiple spines of cacti, though with this ending in a much more supernatural atmosphere, unsure of what she saw was actually there or not. The story itself, until me, was only circulated within the family’s own folk group of believers and nonbelievers, whether it be something spooky to be feared or silly to be laughed at.

Analysis: Stories of the paranormal run deep within areas of burial, death, or where spirits would be inclined to seek revenge. Given how the circumstances of the cartels pressence within CB’s mother’s story lines up, the tale aligns itself with others of its kind where the point of origin is a crossroad of death. Additionally, CB’s mother’s perspective aligns with an environment which would encourage one to become more naturally accepting of the paranormal, supernatural forces, or spirits/apparitions. Given the setting, an old graveyard with a trouble history of unrest at night all with only one other person, CB’s mother, regardless of whether she actually saw something, would be automatically more inclined to agree that she did due to the mood and environment. Furthermore, attaching stories to the deceased is a classic trope of ghost stories, imposing their own subtales onto the larger tale at large, whether it be a woman in white, lonely hitchhiker, or in the case of CB’s mother, a victim of the cartel waiting for a ride to work.

El Padre Sin Cabeza (The Headless Priest)

Age: 54

Text:

Informant: “Years ago, around 1150, they killed a bishop in Leon, Nicaragua. They stabbed and decapitated him. It’s said that a lot of people have seen a tall spirit with a cassock that priests use and doesn’t have a head. They see it walking near churches and cemeteries when people are walking by at night and no one else is around.”

Context:

The informant was taught this legend as a teen by their grandma while living in Nicaragua. It follows the story of a bishop who was stabbed and decapitated and goes around haunting churches and cemeteries.

Analysis:

El Padre Sin Cabeza is a legend as it’s a story set in the past that can’t be verified. There’s no proof that a priest was murdered in 1150 and now haunts churches and cemeteries. Yet, many people believe it to be true and older generations will swear that they have seen him. In Andrew Peck’s article, “Tall, Dark, and Loathsome…” he writes that “legends are less about individual texts and more about communication—they are discourses on belief.” This legend follows that mindset as people don’t seek evidence of it being true, but rather find community within sharing the belief.

Niles Canyon Ghost / White Witch

Age: Gabrielle Vella

Text:

Informant: “My legend is the Niles Canyon ghost, or, I’ve also heard White Witch. A ghost of this woman who some say that she died by a car crash in Niles Canyon or that she was a hitchhiker. Either way, she’s a ghost and haunts the area and it’s in Niles Canyon near Fremont, and I live in Union City, so I live in the area. I grew up going over there a lot. I’ve never seen her personally, but the people who have, say that she’s wearing 1920s style attire, usually a dress and it’s typically white. That’s usually what I hear. I know some other people say that she was going to prom or to a wedding or something. That’s not what I’ve heard most often. Most often I’ve heard that she was a woman who was hitchhiking and got into a car accident and so she haunts the area, but I think there’s a certain spot she doesn’t go passed. I think there a toll in the area, like a toll you have to pay and she doesn’t go past that.”

Context:

The informant is a 19-year-old college student, originally from Union City, CA. They first heard the legend from their grandma.

Analysis:

After researching this legend, I found that the Niles Canyon ghost is a story told about a woman who died in a car crash in Niles Canyon, alongside her boyfriend. The accident is said to have taken place on February 28th. The year is unknown. Every year, the ghost supposedly walks on the road and asks passing cars for a ride to San Francisco.

The story of the Niles Canyon ghost most closely resembles a legend in folklore. It has the component of a story told by a community that is often believed. In this case, people in neighboring cities, such as Fremont and Union City have heard the legend and belive it to be true. The story is set in the real world, Niles Canyon, CA. We know that the ghost is from a certain time period, the 1920s. All of these elements combined draw most similary to an urban legend.

‘Star of India’ Ghost

Age: 20

Text:

Informant: “In 5th grade, everyone went to the Star of India which is this big ship for our maritime unit in 5th grade. Basically, the ship is docked in the harbor, I don’t think it actually sails anymore. While we were there, the guys that were running the whole thing were telling us ghost stories and there was one where a really young kid fell from one of the masts and so around that area, he haunts that place. We would go out in shifts throughout the night and just do random stuff, like make some food or the other people would go look at the stars. It was said that if you were out there at 2 A.M., you could hear the mast creak and that was supposed to be him haunting the ship.”

Context:

The Star of India is a historic ship located in the Maritime Museum of San Diego, CA. It’s open to the public to tour. The informant learned about the legend while attending their 5th grade field trip. It’s said that a few passenger’s died while on the ship and now allegedly haunt it. The story gets told to employees and passed on to visitors.

Analysis:

The Star of India is the world’s oldest active sailing ship. It was built in 1863 and embarked on numerous voyages. In 1927, it was purchased by people in San Diego where it has since been restored and remains in the city. By definition, this haunted ship is considered a legend because the story is based on a location in the real world. Employees are taught to share the legend with each other and visitors, keeping the stories alive. It also has a supernatural element being that it involved multiple ghosts.