The Ghostly Tales of San Jose

By Anna Lardinois

Ghost stories from the Capital of Silicon Valley have never been so creepy, fun, and full of mystery!
Stay alert! Ghosts lurk around every corner. Even the most unexpected places might be haunted by wandering phantoms.
Did you know a ghostly bride stalks the corridors of the Sainte Claire Hotel? Or that a spectral janitor still carries out his duties at Overfelt High School? Can you believe that at the La Forêt Restaurant, long-dead miners from the New Almaden are rumored to appear in rooms they once called home?
Pulled right from history, these ghostly tales will change the way you see San Jose forever, and have you sleeping with the lights on!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Children's Books
• Release date: Mar 18, 2024
• ISBN: 9781540260154

Anna Lardinois

Anna Lardinois tingles the spines of Milwaukee locals and visitors through her haunted, historical walking tours known as Gothic Milwaukee. The former English teacher is an ardent collector of stories, an avid walker, and a sweet treat enthusiast. She happily resides in a historic home in Milwaukee that, at this time, does not appear to be haunted. Visit her at www.annalardinois.com to find out more!

Book preview

Welcome to Spooky San Jose!

There is no doubt about it—San Jose is one spooky city!

San Jose is the largest city in Santa Clara County. And some think it is also the most haunted! The city was founded in 1777, but the tales of strange happenings in the area go back even further.

The city is famous for many things. It was California’s first state capital. It is the home of Silicon Valley and the world’s largest Monopoly board. And, the city’s ghosts are going to knock your socks off!

In this book, we’ll take a look at some of San Jose’s most spooktacular spirits. Together, we will explore the Winchester Mystery House®, discovering why it was under construction for thirty-eight years, and why more than twelve million people have toured this strange house!

We’ll also take a look at a cemetery so terrifying, we probably shouldn’t have included it in this collection of stories. There is an otherworldly entity so frightening that it is practically guaranteed to give you nightmares.

Other tales included in this book feature spine-tingling schools, theaters where the show continues after death, and a hotel where a few of the former guests have never checked out. Not to mention, a haunted house that looks just like any other house. Well, on the outside. The inside is a completely different story …

So, are you ready to meet San Jose’s ghosts? If so, turn the page. That is, if you dare to encounter the amazingly abundant paranormal activity lurking in the shadows of San Jose.

Mystical Mary and Her Mansion

The Hayes Mansion has a strange history.

If you’ve ever gone to the Edenvale Gardens Regional Park on the south side of the city, you have probably seen the Hayes Mansion. The large Spanish revival building with a red tile roof sits just outside the park. Built in 1905 as a home for the Hayes family, today this stunning structure serves as a hotel. But the most famous member of the Hayes family never lived in the home. Well … at least not while she was alive.

Mary Hayes-Chynoweth was meant to live in the elegant mansion’s sixty-four rooms with her grown sons, Jay and Everis, and their families. Mary should have played in the home’s grand solarium with her grandchildren and strolled through the marble-tiled hallways, but she never got the chance.

Mary might not have lived in the famous mansion named after her family, but she did live on the property. Previously, the family had had a huge 22,000 square-foot mansion on the land. They lived there for eight years before fire destroyed the home. In 1903, the family started construction on what is now the Hayes Mansion. Mary watched while the grand home was being built, but she died before the home was completed.

You might be wondering where the family’s