Bakersfield, California is one town that has a very diverse range of paranormal activity. It seems as though there is just about every type of paranormal activity happening here that you could ask for.
There are ghostly women lamenting their lost love, poltergeists throwing objects around, a statue with precognitive abilities and even a ghostly german shepherd dog!
Join us as we explore the most haunted places in Bakersfield California.
1. Central Park
Central Park in Bakersfield is said to be home to a woman in white. The majority of reports from those who have seen her suggest that she is most likely to appear in the early hours of the morning, just before daybreak. She is usually seen walking along the canal.
There are rumors that a female corpse was discovered during renovation work at the nearby foundry, having been shot. Locals believe that this could be her spirit, wandering the park in search of help.
2. Garces Memorial Circle
According to local legend, the statue of Father Francisco Garces, which stands in Garces Memorial Circle, will offer a warning before any significant accidents!
The Garces Memorial Circle is, in fact, the spot where there are quite a large number of accidents. Still, many people have reported seeing the statue’s hands moving or hearing the Father uttering a prayer right before an accident.
3. Kern County Museum
Kern County Museum is one of the most haunted places in Bakersfield, thanks to several resident ghosts. It is actually home to several ghosts in the various areas of the museum. For example, The Pioneer Village is apparently the site of some residual haunting with visitors describing the sounds of some long-forgotten birthday party echoing inside the building!
There are also reports of unexplained sounds and apparitions close to Weill House. Finally, The Norris School, which is also a part of the museum, is apparently haunted by a former teacher who can be heard writing on the blackboard. Visitors have described the distinctive tapping of chalk on the board.
4. Gaslight Melodrama Theatre and Music Hall
The Gaslight Melodrama Theatre and Music Hall actually dates back to the 1970s, but it was originally a toy store when it was built. However, as the neighborhood began to get a little bit sketchy, the business started to trail off, and in a couple of years, he ended up losing his store. Distraught at losing the business he ended up hanging himself in the attic.
The building was later transformed into a theatre, but it has been haunted by his ghost ever since! People often report feeling someone brush past them on the stairs when there is nobody there!
He has also been blamed for breaking mirrors and messing around with costumes. Actors and audience members have reported seeing his apparition walking across the stage, and there have also been weird shadows reported in the female dressing room.
All of this combines to make the theatre one of the most haunted places in Bakersfield.
5. Bakersfield Californian Building
The Bakersfield Californian Building is home to the local newspaper and also a ghost dog! Apparently, the German Shepherd used to come to work with his owner nearly every day and remain by his side at all times.
The dog and his master are both long dead, but according to the current staff in the building, the dog has stuck around. The dog apparently wanders around the building, always searching for his master.
Staff members have also reported seeing other spirits in the building, including an old editor and a former security guard who are apparently still working even after their deaths.
6. The Padre Hotel
There have been reports of many different types of activity, and it seems that there are certainly more than just one or two spirits who have taken up residence here! Guests have reported being pushed by unseen hands, and some have even described actually seeing ghostly apparitions in the hotel.
One of the most commonly spotted apparitions is the ghost of a young girl dressed in 1920s or 1930s clothing. She is known to giggle a great deal and often leaves small child-sized handprints on mirrors and doors. Different explanations have been offered up as reasons that the hotel might be haunted.
Some believe that most of the ghosts are people who perished in a fire at the hotel in the 1950s, while others say that some of the spirits are tied to the hotel after committing suicide by jumping from the roof.
During renovation work in 2008, the spirits seemed to get really stirred up. In fact, many of the workers said that they were touched and pushed or that they witnessed poltergeist activity! [BOOK A ROOM]
7. Club Paradise
Club Paradise is a name that conjures up a pleasant location, but the story here is quite the opposite. Club Paradise was actually one of the most haunted places in Bakersfield, and it is all down to a somewhat malevolent spirit who seems to have an intense dislike for the staff!
The entity is well known for locking the storeroom doors and trapping employees inside. Employees have also seen items move across the bar, had things thrown at them, been pushed, and a few say some unseen being has inappropriately touched them! The club was eventually renamed Club 902, but that is gone now, and the Liberty Career College stands in its place.
8. Kern County Kids Shelter / Sinaloa Mexican
The Sinaloa Mexican Restaurant is housed in a more than 100-year-old building that was the Kern County Kids Shelter. It is considered a paranormal hotspot and one of the most haunted places in Bakersfield.
The building was originally constructed in 1901, and it is thought to be haunted by the ghosts of some of the children who lived and quite possibly died here.
9. Bakersfield High School
Bakersfield High School apparently has three different hot spots where paranormal activity occurs. The first area is the Quad, which, according to school legend, sits on top of what was once an unofficial graveyard.
There was once a hospital nearby, and when patients without families passed away, the employees would bury them in the ground where the quad is now. Some students have reported catching glimpses of ghostly figures wandering around the area. Could these be the ghosts of those buried beneath the ground?
Another of the hot spots in the Bakersfield High School is the Harvey Auditorium, which is haunted by a construction worker who was accidentally killed while the property was being built. He apparently fell from the rafters and ended up crashing through several floors. His apparition is now seen around the spot where he died.
The final haunting involves the ghosts of two former students of the school. It is not clear what exactly happened to this young couple, but they always appear together. The boy is usually wearing his letterman jacket while the girl is dressed in an old-fashioned formal gown. They are often seen standing on the bleachers, and students have also reported strange cold spots around the school.
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