Skagway Haunted House - HauntedHouses.com (ALASKA)

Skagway - Old Gold Rush Town

Locartion:

With looming, snowcapped mountains as a backdrop, Skagway has been a port town since 1897, and can be found in the most northern part of southeast Alaska, about a 100 miles north of Juneau. Skagway today is still the farthest northern port along the inside passage.

This spot for the town was chosen for some very good reasons. Because of it's location, it can make some money on the shipping business. It was a convenient spot to drop off folks from Seattle, on their way to the Klondike in search of gold. Also, the weather was pleasing, if you didn't mind the sometime strong winds. Known as the garden city of Alaska, the winters are not bad, according to northern standards, and the Spring can see temperatures in the 1970's, all because of it's latitude and the benefits brought by the Japanese currents.

Description and History:

Except for it's paved streets, Skagway appears physically today much like it was in 1897, when it sprang up because of the turn of the century Klondike Gold Rush. The town's population in 1897 was 700 residents, that swelled to around 20,000 in 1898. Interestingly, by 1899, the population went back down to 700 people. Because the town never burned down or fell apart, it became part of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. The 700 living people who now stay here as permanent residents work to keep the town's historical appearance, taking building maintenance seriously and often wear period costumes. The town's number one income source comes from tourism during the summer, when several thousand visitors are dropped off by cruise ships, or fly in by plane. Some hearty souls do come up the road from British Columbia to Whitehorse in the Yukon and then travel back down route 2 to Skagway.

History of Manifestations:

Many of the ghosts found here come from wild gold rush period of 1897-'98, when lawlessness was rampant, corruption and evil doings were commonplace, and many people suffered unexpected, unhappy deaths because of the horrible situations that existed or were allowed to take place. To top it all off, a diphtheria epidemic swept through town, killing a lot of children. With people coming to bad, sudden ends, their dreams also were snuffed out. All these situations are ghost-making ones.

1) First Haunted Dwelling: The Red Onion Saloon (Building on the far left of above picutre)

Address: 205 Broadway, PO Box #271, Skagway, AK 99840

The Red Onion Saloon was originally built to be a whorehouse. This white, with dark trim building has two stories, with a storefront window. The first floor was & is now a saloon, and the second floor has 10 small rooms, which were called cribs. In 1898, the ladies of the night working at this establishment serviced their customers there. Now, an office, some dressing rooms for employees, and a refurbished bedroom, called the Madam's Room, now occupy this second floor.

Ghostly Happenings on the Second Floor - Caused by at least one female presence, who is sometimes hostile toward men.

* Foot steps were heard upstairs, when no one living was up there. A spooked employee called the police, who also heard running feet and pounding on the 2nd floor. When he and other officers went up to investigate, he saw a shadow go down the hall and slip into the Madam's Room, but found nothing visible there.

* Cold patches and areas upstairs have been felt by employees.

* The Strong aroma of perfume, permeates and travels along the 2nd floor hall.

* Some unseen presence likes to be helpful, and waters the living plants on the second floor, when no living human could've done this chore.

* A shadowy form of a woman has been seen watering non-existing plants in the Madam's Room.

* A musician who once lived on the second floor for a short period, while playing downstairs in the Saloon, awoke one night to seeing a shimmering light in his room, and he had a very strange sensation.

* One of the local town leaders has felt twice in the hall a strong presence, in sort of a hostile mood.

2) Second Haunted Dwelling: The Golden North Hotel - Yellow building in the middle of picture.

Address: 3rd & Broadway PO Box 343 Skagway, Alaska 99840

The Golden North Hotel is a three story building and sports a corner cupola facing the street. Rooms 14 and 23 are known to have most of the manifestations.

Room 23 is the favorite haunt of a pretty, young woman entity, nick- named Mary by the staff. She had died there of pneumonia, while waiting for her beloved to return from the gold fields, & while trying to hide from the local ruffians as well.

* Mary has fully appeared to various hotel employees, mainly the chambermaids and maintenance men.

* The owner and one of the maids both together saw Mary standing by the window in room 23, looking out of the window.

* A hotel guest singer from Juneau, had his girl friend take his picture while standing in the then empty third floor Hall. Imagine his surprise when the picture was developed to see standing right next to him, a detailed apparition of a young woman, known as Mary!

* Other people who were visiting room 23 have felt the sensation of being choked, like if one was suffering from pneumonia.

B) Room 14 is another favorite haunt of either Mary or another ghost, perhaps both!

* The full apparition of Mary has been seen in room 14 as well.

* A grayish light form moves around the room at night.

* While staying in the room, some hotel guests have felt really sick, to the point of almost passing out. Then, a grayish light form appears to them, and gradually fades away. The guests then suddenly don't feel sick anymore.

* Four ghost hunters spent the night in Room 14. The next morning, they found a ring around the tub, that wasn't there last night, as if some unseen entity took a bath. They had not used the tub at all.

3) Third Haunted Dwelling: Eagles Hall

Address: Fraternal Order of Eagles PO Box 181, Skagway, AK 99840 //// Phone: (907) 983-2234

Eagles Hall was created by linking / stitching together two old 1890's hotels

The second floor seems to be the favorite spot for several friendly ghosts, who make their presence known by moving cold spots. People have felt the presence of these unseen entities, keeping them company on the second floor.

4) Fourth Haunted Dwelling: The Mulvihill House - Is included in the town's walking tour.

Address: Skagway Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 194, Skagway, AK 99840

This "graceful, Victorian residence" was built in 1904, and was the home of the "Mul" Mulvihill family from 1914 to 1949 Mul was the chief dispatcher for the White Pass & Yukon Railroad, and kept a telegraph key in his house.

Manifestations Reported by past owners: The entity is believed to be "Mul" Mulvihill

* Doors throughout the house opened and closed by themselves.

* Some unseen entity, liked to walk up and down the stairs, with heavy footsteps.

* The sound of a telegraph key could be heard clicking away

5) Fifth Haunted Dwelling: The White House - Now fire-damaged and abandoned at the edge of town, since 1988.

Originally, built as a private home, it became a hospital during World War 2, then a small hotel, a daycare center and then became home to various families.

Manifestations:

* A commercial fisherman and his family were staying there. He and his wife awoke one night to see a detailed apparition of a woman, standing at the foot of their bed.

* Their three year old daughter happily chatted away with an apparition in the kitchen, who matched the description of the woman they saw in their bedroom. This gentle woman apparition is believed to be the woman who used to run a daycare in this house.

Still Haunted?

Yes Indeed!

Most of these haunted dwellings are still haunted, though the ghost in the Mulvihill House has been very quiet since the new owners moved in. It is theorized that he likes the new people in his house.

Photos from... skagway.org