South Rim Ghost

“ ‘Tis done,--the morning miracle of light,--

The resurrection of the world of hues

That die with dark, and daily rise again

With every rising of the splendid Sun!”

 --stanza from “Daybreak” section of The Grand Canyon by Henry Van Dyke

Living in Flagstaff, Arizona while in college I had the opportunity to visit the South Rim of the Grand Canyon several times.

When the railroad first began to bring tourists to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon they built a hotel in 1905 located 30 yards from the rim.

This hotel, El Tovar was designed to look like a European Hunting Lodge. It sits in the center of Grand Canyon village.

Today this 109-year old lodge with its charming antiques and artwork is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Friends and I would drive up just to see the sun rise over the canyon. We would leave Flagstaff in the evening-- sleep in our cars and then wake up just in time to see this spectacular view.

During one trip another visitor viewing the sunrise told us this ghost story.

The Leaping Waitress

It is said under El Tovar’s U-shaped parking lot there is a grave. One legend states there is a body here another states it is cremated ashes.

These remains are of a young Irish immigrant who came to the Lodge in the mid 21^st century to work as a waitress year-round.

Coleen’s flashing eyes and red hair always caused a stir--especially when the summer seasonal help were hired on.

A new worker, a college student from Los Angeles caught Coleen's attention. David was tall, handsome and had a good sense of humor.

After the pair met they became inseparable during their free time. The breakfast staff often saw them sitting near the rim watching the sunrise.

Colleen’s friends noted how happy she was--for she had fallen in love with David.

But her happiness did not last. Over Labor Day weekend she found David packing. He told her he was eager to return to the university he attended.

As he finished packing he barely spoke to Coleen. In shock, she told him the news that she had been holding back--“I am pregnant.”

He turned to her carelessly and stated, “Get an abortion.” He threw his duffle bag over his shoulder and as he left he announced, “I can’t support you or a baby.”

Realizing David had just used her, Coleen could not cope with his cold rejection.

The next morning she went to her and David’s favorite spot near the canyon rim and as the sun was rising she leapt to her death.

Since her suicide most witness accounts are similar to the one below.

In the early morning I saw a pretty young woman with long red hair blowing in the breeze walking up to the canyon rim in front of the El Tavor Hotel.

Then just as the sun rose--she jumped. When we rushed over to look down--there was no trace of her.

Haunted Presidential Library

When I was doing research recently about a haunting that occurs in California, one contact, I talked to on the phone with mentioned another place that is haunted nearby.

President Nixon resigning just
before he was impeached
for the Watergate break-in.

I had heard since former President Nixon’s death that he haunts his presidential library but this caller told me about another ghost that is seen on the property as well.

The Nixon Presidential Library and Birthplace is located in Yorba Linda, California a short 43-minute drive from downtown Los Angeles.

This complex includes Nixon’s library, a museum, gardens and his birthplace home.

Shortly after Nixon was buried on the property rumors began to spread about unusual paranormal activity.

A night watchman gave the first report. He saw a thick hazy green mist hovering around Nixon’s headstone.

Several months passed, then late one night a guard saw the figure of a man entering the front door of the president’s Birthplace Home.

Birthplace

When he went to apprehend this intruder he was surprised to find the door was locked. He felt no “living person” could have entered the home.

In the Presidential Library, again late at night, other guards began to hear rapping noises in the area that displays the Watergate Tapes. The cause for this sound was never found.

Presidential Library

The mornings after these rapping sounds were heard these tapes would always malfunction.

Since this area was renovated in 2007, these tapes no longer malfunction but the plasma screens that are a part of the newer Watergate display, go down randomly without explanation.

Visitors to the center also report strange occurrences.

Witnesses report seeing, out of the corner of their eye, a fleeting glimpse of someone walking around the center. When they turn no is there.

Others have reported feelings of unease or discomfort while standing near Nixon’s grave.

In the library and museum buildings, visitors have reported cold drafts. One witness reported being touched by an invisible cold, clammy hand.

Yet others have reported an unidentifiable buzzing sound or an unpleasant odor that wafts through the air.

Richard and Pat Nixon's
gravestones.

The surprising story told during my phone conversation involves the former first lady--Pat Nixon.

Pat Nixon

She passed away ten months before her husband, in June of 1993. Pat is also buried on the property.

Her ghost is seen near where she is buried. Witnesses have watched as she enjoys the rose gardens that adjoin her gravesite.

Tolling of the Bells

A Canadian resident of Prince Edward Island told this 1st person account in the 1950s.

My wife and I moved to Charlottetown in October of 1953. It was my first time on the island but since we both had relatives on the island it felt like a homecoming.

A few weeks after moving into our new home I was awakened one night by the tolling of a church bell.

When I heard the sound I sat bolt upright, I noticed goose bumps forming all over my arms. My wife awoke and then quizzed me on what was wrong.

I couldn’t put into words what I was feeling. A strong sense of dread overtook me as the bells continued to toll slowly… two, three, four more times.

Noticing my confusion she stated it was probably just a midnight service somewhere.

Still uncomfortable, I lied back down. A sense that something was wrong overwhelmed me.

I sat back up as the bell tolled two more times, five, six… my wife impatient announced over the sounds, “Go back to sleep for heaven’s sake.”

The bell continued to toll, seven, eight…then all was quiet.

A knot of unease had formed in my stomach and I had trouble getting back to sleep. I shivered at one point feeling the proverbial sense something had walked over my grave.

I awoke the next morning feeling that the tolling of the bell held some kind of unfathomable significance.

After breakfast, I visited the local dry goods store. As I paid for my purchases I noticed a cousin of mine huddled in a group of men at the back of the store. When he spotted me he waved me over.

The group was having an animated discussion about the bells heard the night before.

My cousin asked one man standing to the side to catch me up. The group became silent as this man started to speak.

When I heard the bells ringing at St. John’s I went outside in my undershirt. My neighbor was already outside.

We both agreed it was probably just teens playing a prank. We headed toward the churchyard.

As we arrived the bell rang for the fifth time. We spotted 3 women standing framed by the church door. They all wore white and they appeared to be glowing.

Wondering who they were we approached but the door slammed shut as we drew closer. My neighbor grabbed the door handle but it was locked.

We peered in a window and saw one of the three women walking up the stairs that led to the belfry. The bell then tolled for the sixth time.

Within moments the minister arrived and unlocked the door. When we entered there was no sign of the women on the ground floor.

The bell tolled for the seventh time as we headed for the belfry stairs. At the top we discovered the room was empty. The bell rope was tied firmly in place even though the bell was still vibrating.

As we searched the church from top to bottom we heard the bell ring once more--for the eighth time. We found no one in the church.

The bell was now silent. We left the building mystified by what we had heard and seen.

As this man finished retelling this story several others in the group wondered aloud if the sound of the church bell could possibly be a harbinger of some kind-- warning of a disaster.

Later that day I went down to meet my wife’s cousin at the dock who was arriving for a visit. It was a chilly day and I waited for hours but the ship never arrived.

Once at home, I got the same feeling of dread I had felt the night before as the church bell tolled. I told my wife something was wrong.

She told me I was being silly and that the steamer had probably just had mechanical problems and was waylaid for repairs.

The next day the news that came was grim. The ship had sunk en route to Prince Edward Island. All eight passengers onboard--including my wife’s cousin-- had died.

Later, I remembered the church bell had tolled eight times. The last three rings tolled just after the two men had seen the three glowing women.

Three of the eight people who died when the steamer sunk were women.

Did all eight victims toll their deaths?

Lucille Ball’s Ghost

Lucille Ball started her acting career in the movies as a “glamour girl.” Films such as Ziegfeld Follies in 1946 showcased her beauty.

However, it was her role as Lucy Ricardo in the hit television series I Love Lucy that aired from 1951-56 that she created with her husband Desi Arnaz that highlighted her natural physical ability and genius for comedy. This show made her a huge star.

Episodes from all 3-television sitcoms that Lucille Ball starred in are still shown in syndication around the world--which is a tribute to her talent.

When Lucille Ball died during surgery, on April 26, 1989, at the age of 77, she was still living in her home located at 1000 North Roxbury Dive in Beverly Hills, California.

Lucille purchased this home when she was married to her first husband, Desi Arnaz.

What Lucille Ball house looked like.

Gary Morton, Lucille's second husband, sold the house several years after her death. The new owners had the house torn down. 

A friend of Lucille's drove past the property to see the home one last time. Walls were missing, and he could see Lucille's old bedroom. He then noticed a tall, slim redhead peering through the fence at the what was left.

She turned toward him, and he realized it was Lucy. She looked upset and confused. She then walked around the south corner of the house and disappeared.

Despite the fact, Lucille's home was destroyed there still have been reports of several strange happenings. It is felt Lucille Ball’s ghost haunts the new house that replaced hers.

Most of the activity occurs in the attic.

Lucille‘s ghost is said to be playful but seldom intrusive. It appears she hangs around because she loves her old neighborhood.

Her ghost is sometimes impulsive. One recent owner of the Roxbury home stated that her spirit spends a lot of time rearranging furniture and boxes that are stored in the attic.

She has never physically damaged anything but a variety of noises have been reported emulating from the attic. One witness claimed she heard the sounds of a party going on upstairs.

Another witness, a family member of the new owners stated she heard the I Love Lucy theme song playing softly in the attic--she listened to this song on more than one occasion.

Ball’s presence has always been accepted as being a natural part of the home. When it was suggested to the owner that an exorcism should be performed, he stated he could never do that to “Lucy.”

What new home looks like.

The home was put up for sale in 2010.

Lucille Ball’s ghost is also said to haunt the Hart building at Paramount Studios. This studio was once Desilu Studios-- where the I Love Lucy show was produced.

Night watchmen at this studio have reported seeing her spirit in this building’s upper floors. Her present is always surrounded by the scent of a flowery perfume.