|
(Back to California Haunted Index)
El Campo Santo Cemetery
HauntedHouses.com
Haunted
Place - El Campo Santo Cemetery
ADDRESS:
2410 San Diego Avenue
San Diego, California 92110
Web Link * (619) 220-5422
LOCATION:
El Campo Santo Cemetery is only a few
blocks from the Whaley House, in the Old Town San Diego Historic
Park.
DESCRIPTION AND 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 Boulevard 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 an old
battlefield. (See Georgia story)
-
Businesses and houses in the surrounding areas of the cemetery
have had their share of poltergeist phenomena, which is disturbing
and annoying.
-
As entities are fascinated with electricity and gadgets, many
businesses and houses had unexplainable problems with their
lighting, electrical power, appliances and alarm systems.
-
A variety of apparitions have been seen hanging around within
and on the outside of the brick walls which surround the small
remaining graveyard.
- Some entities fool the living into thinking they are
part of the costumed employee staff who dress up in period costume.
While other apparitions appear with only the top of their form
showing. They disappear quickly when approached.
- Indian/Hispanic apparitions on occasion tour the
graveyard, gliding around above the graves.
- As people have visited the graveyard, they have reported
walking through freezing cold spots.
- 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
picture found through the ORBS link below.
Sources:
GoThere.com * Orbs
The National Directory of Haunted Places,
Dennis William Hauk, 1996, Penguin Books
All photographs © copyright Tom
Carr
|
