Haskell House

Haskell House : Haunted barracks at Fort Mason in San Francisco. Haskell House, also known as Quarters Three, has a long reputation for ghostly activity. An APPARITION of a man in a long black coat and top hat is believed to be the ghost of U.S. Senator David C. Broderick, who was mortally wounded in a duel with David S. Terry on September 12, 1859.

The two dueled over politics; Broderick was an abolitionist and Terry favoured slavery. Prior to the duel, Broderick stayed at Haskell House. After being shot by Terry, he was returned to the house, where he died of his wounds three days later. Many tenants have felt an invisible presence in Haskell House, especially in the kitchen, as though someone were watching them.

Lights in the dining room go on and off by themselves, footsteps are heard, and the toilet downstairs flushes by itself. Pictures fall off walls, objects tip over, and eerie shadows move across walls (see also : Shadow People). A painter working on a window reported being pushed out the window by something invisible.

SEE ALSO:

• Haunted California
• Haunted United States of America

FURTHER READING:

• Richards, Rand, ed. Haunted San Francisco: Ghost Stories from the City’s Past. San Francisco: Heritage House Publishers, 2004.

SOURCE:

The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits– Written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley – September 1, 2007