LOCATION:

El Campo Santo Cemetery, is only a few blocks from the Whaley House, in the Old Town San Diego Historic Park.

ADDRESS: El Campo Santo Cemetery, 2400 Block of San Diego Avenue, San Diego, California 92110.

DESCRIPTION/ HISTORY:

El Campo Santo Cemetery was a Catholic Cemetery that was started in 1849. Many early founding San Diegans were buried in this Cemetery. It is presently only a fraction of its original size, containing now only 447 visible graves. This cemetery once included the area that is now the commercial district of Old Town. It once included all the land up to Old Town Avenue.

However, as the city grew, some graves were moved to make room for the living, though sometimes roads and buildings were built on top of some graves, which also happened in San Francisco around the turn of the century in the Richmond District. This practice in San Diego started in 1889, when the living decided to build a horse-drawn street car line through the cemetery, right over 18 existing graves. This street car line eventually became a road, San Diego Blvd. In 1942, it became a modern, paved road.

Many paved areas / buildings located near or around the cemetery have graves underneath them, which caused problems for the living.

MANIFESTATIONS:

It is never a good idea to build over existing graves; it is like building structures on a old battlefield. (See Georgia story)

1) Businesses and houses in the surrounding areas of the cemetery have had their share of poltergeist phenomena, which is disturbing and annoying.

2) As entities are fascinated with electricity and gadgets, many businesses and houses had unexplainable problems with their lighting, electrical power, appliances and alarm systems.

3) A variety of apparitions have been seen hanging around within and on the outside of the brick walls which surround the small remaining graveyard.

b) Indian / Hispanic apparitions on occasion tour the graveyard, gliding around above the graves.

4) As people have visited the graveyard, they have reported walking through freezing cold spots.

5) People who park their cars in the parking lot in front of the graveyard often have had trouble starting their cars.

PSYCHIC RESEARCH:

02/15/03 - CSGR went with a team to investigate the graveyard. While no EMF readings were found along the walls, a jump in the readings happened in the middle of the cemetery. Team member Psychic Virginia Marco saw a young boy, trapped and confused. Also a grave digger entity was seen, who visits the place, according to Marco's report.

STILL HAUNTED?

Yes, but not as active as it was in '93 - '96

Dennis William Hauk reports in 1996 that the nearby businesses and houses were pooling their resources to have an exorcism done in the graveyard and surrounding property.

2003 - Psychic Virginia Marco was able to help the little boy find his way to the light. The CSGR team reports a fairly peaceful cemetery, which basically has calmed down a lot since 1996, after ultrasound equipment found 18 graves (mostly children) under the pavement behind the cemetery and 20 graves( all ages) in the parking lot in front. Two plaques memorializing these graves were hung in the front and the back of the cemetery.

However, like the grave digger, other spirits visit the graveyard. Sometimes in groups, according to the pic found on ORBS link below.

Sources: Case #: HI021503-02 - CSGR * GoThere.com * Orbs

The National Directory of Haunted Places, Dennis William Hauk, 1996, Penguin Books

Pictures taken by Tom Carr