Hauntingly familiar
People settle in the San Juan Islands off the Western Washington coast for a variety of reasons. Some like the slow pace, others fancy farming. Some enjoy the serenity and natural beauty, and still others simply hang around – even after they have passed. Both island guests and locals have allegedly experienced hauntings and strange occurrences that can’t logically be explained. Most of these stories center around the following places on Orcas Island and San Juan Island. With Halloween upon us, you might want to check them out.
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On a tour of the mansion at Rosario Resort on Orcas Island, Christopher Peacock, local historian and musician, talks about Alice Rheem.
Her husband, wealthy industrialist and inventor Donald Rheem (of Rheem hot water heater fame), purchased the Rosario property in 1932 and sent Alice to live there while he remained in California.
Peacock speculates that Donald bought Rosario just to have a place to send her because she was an alcoholic, quite a party girl and caused him too much trouble. Dressed only in a bright red nightgown, Alice often rode her Harley Davidson motorcycle to Eastsound, where she would play cards at the corner store.
Island locals didn’t appreciate Alice’s antics, but that didn’t stop her. Although she died of alcohol-related causes in 1956, there’s evidence that she remains at the mansion.
Jefferson Davis, in “A Haunted Tour Guide to the Pacific Northwest,” says that in the 1980s a resort employee stayed in Alice’s old room. The worker saw a shadow cross the wall and move toward her, and she felt fingers caress her hand. She left the guest room around midnight.
A new employee who needed to stay overnight in the Rosario mansion said that when she was in the bed, it shook dramatically. Then she felt something touching her. She grabbed her coat and ran.
Guests at Rosario have heard footsteps that sounded like they were being made by high heels when no one was around, and they have seen shadows when nothing was there. Others have reported seeing Alice Rheem’s likeness carrying a dog in her arms.
Peacock gives an organ/piano concert and history presentation at the Rosario every Saturday night through the offseason.
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At the Orcas Hotel, situated above the Orcas Island ferry landing, the past is never far away.
The hotel first opened in 1904 under the ownership of William Sutherland. At that time, he and and six members of the Van Moorhem family moved into the facility, including Octavia Van Moorhem, who was renowned for her superlative cooking.
In her book “Coast to Coast Ghosts,” author Leslie Rule (daughter of true crime writer Ann Rule) says: “The Orcas Hotel is home to the ghost of Octavia, who can be heard pacing on the upper floor.”
Although hotel owner Doug Tidwell hasn’t actually seen the ghost of Octavia himself, he’s heard plenty about her from his guests. People who have no knowledge that his hotel might be haunted have described strange occurrences.
About six months ago a guest staying in Room 9 reported that he turned off the overhead light and heard the definite click of the switch. As soon as he sat down, the light went on again.
The same happened with the water faucet in the bathroom; he’d turn off the water and leave, then the water would start running again.
Another guest lasted three minutes in Room 9 after checking in. She told Tidwell that the spirits were too much for her and she needed another room.
One guest was looking in the mirror when she noticed a woman standing behind her. When she turned around, the woman was gone.
The Orcas Hotel ccupies a place of honor on the National Register of Historic Places. People stay here while hunting, fishing, sailing, kayaking, horseback riding, biking or hiking over Orcas Island’s 56 square miles.
At least the ones who don’t get scared away by a ghost.
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Over in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, one popular visitor’s attraction is The Whale Museum.
Some of the unnatural happenings there might be because of all the marine life skeletons on display. But some islanders don’t think so.
In 1895, Richard Straub killed his neighbor on Blakely Island, then rowed to Friday Harbor and turned himself in. His trial was held in the Oddfellows Hall (now The Whale Museum) instead of the County Courthouse so the public could buy tickets to the event.
On the day of his execution Straub thanked the people of Friday Harbor for their hospitality since his arrest and noted he felt no malice toward anyone. Some of the witnesses to the hanging watched from the second floor of the Oddfellows Hall.
Experiences with The Whale Museum ghost have been reported for more years than anyone remembers.
“Perhaps Mr. Straub just isn’t ready to move on from that Friday Harbor hospitality,” says Robin Jacobson, a former museum director.
In 1979, Noreene Ignelzi, who now lives in Newport, Ore., worked as a building supervisor when The Whale Museum was being built. She frequently slept upstairs in a loft area during the construction.
One night she woke up and saw a tall man with dark hair standing in front of the door. The man she described could easily have been Straub.
A current museum employee says that she has often felt a positive presence when she is in the building alone. She likened this to a feeling of being watched over in a good way.
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Tacoma’s John McMillin discovered the Northwest’s richest lime deposits near Roche Harbor in the 1880s. To accommodate his customers and guests who wanted to see the mining operation, McMillin built the Hotel de Haro in 1886.
Ada Beane worked as his personal secretary/bookkeeper and had her own cottage next to the family home. When Beane died, she was cremated and her ashes were kept in one of the McMillin son’s offices.
When her remains were later interred in the family crypt, The Mausoleum, not too far from the hotel, the paranormal activities began. For some reason, Beane seems to be troubled since she was moved to the crypt with the rest of the McMillin family.
Could she be angry with John McMillin? Was she more than his bookkeeper?
Beane’s ghost is said to be active in several parts of the hotel. One night in the gift shop an employee watched as several glass shelves shattered. Others have seen a storeroom door open on its own.
People say that on a night with a full moon they have seen the McMillin family sitting around the table at The Mausoleum, laughing and talking. Others recall sitting at the table and even though there is no roof, rain doesn’t fall on them.
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There also have been strange happenings at the University of Washington Labs dining hall in Friday Harbor. Windows and doors open by themselves and shapes can be seen out of the corner of your eye.
According to Robin Jacobson, public relations manager for the San Juan Island Visitors Bureau, the Kalakala, a streamlined ferry that is now retired, ran through the San Juans for a period of time.
And guess what? The Kalakala is thought to be haunted.
One of the spirits said to haunt the ship today is John Martin, who worked on the Kalakala in the 1950s and didn’t feel appreciated.
In 2002, a group of ghost hunters held their first field trip aboard the defunct vessel and came away with strong feelings and even some photos in which they detected orbs and mists.
There also have been reports of women giggling and laughing aboard the Kalakala when nobody was around except the man who heard them.
These are some of the tales of ghosts on the San Juan Islands. True or not, they make for some interesting stories and help travelers get acquainted with the islands’ rich history.