History and Mystery of the Whaley House: Old Town, San Diego

by dean glass

Built in 1858, the Whaley House is one of the oldest structures in San Diego, and is considered to be one of the most haunted houses in America. The story of the pioneering Whaley family tells the history of early San Diego. With over 125 vintage photos and illustrations, old California comes alive. The History & Mystery of the Whaley House illuminates the history of the pioneer Whaley family and their magnificent 1850s brick mansion, dispelling myths and providing rediscovered facts and information about this popular tourist destination, and of the spirits known to inhabit it. Journals, letters, historical documents, dozens of fascinating historic photographs, and other ephemera culled from the Whaley House archives by SOHO staff help convey the legend of this remarkable historic house museum. It is one of six historic museums and sites SOHO operates.

Genres: Nonfiction

90 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2016

Reviews

[Brendan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's informative without seeming too much like school. Biographical snippets on the more relevant Whaleys. Plenty of photos of the Whaleys and the house (both exterior and interior). There's a section on the hauntings, and that's probably what the house is famous for. But its history is interesting and varied without that element: oldest brick building in Southern California, first theater in San Diego, an early county courthouse, U.S. Navy warehouse, kindergarten, city and county halls of records, dairy, gambling hall, etc.

"According to several sources including the Travel Channel's Most Haunted in America and Life Magazine, the Whaley House is the number one most haunted house in the United States."

[Elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an well-done and updated guide (c2016) to San Diego's Whaley House, with many family photos bequeathed to the Save Our Heritage Organisation in 2010. Also, excerpts and information from the journals of Lillian Whaley, the youngest daughter of Thomas and Anna Whaley, are included. There is a photographic house tour and discussions of the history and hauntings of the famous home. Contact Save Our Heritage Organisation 2476 San Diego Avenue, San diego, CA 92110 for more information.

[Angelique Garza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I live in San Diego and have seen the Whaley House in person multiple times. This book perfectly captures the history behind this historical building. Probably will end up reading again lol

[Kate Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 3.5 🌟

We visited the Whaley House last month and I bought this in the gift shop. While I admire the historical significance of the house, I must admit that the big draw for me was the paranormal aspect. With a subtitle of "America's Most Haunted", there was a surprisingly small fraction of pages dedicated to the supernatural in this book. While the photos, family history and San Diego history were indeed interesting and worth reading, I was hoping for more accounts of the hauntings. I received more information on both the evening tour of the home, and the Ghosts and Gravestones tour. I would still recommend this book to anyone who visited the home and wanted to know more, fans of California history, and fans of the Old West. That being said, if you too read this books in hope of personal accounts of the "spooks" as Lillian Whaley called them, I'd like to share a little spooky story from our trip. As many paranormal experts say, children are often more susceptible to spirits. My son was with us and as we were exiting the house he waved and said "Bye Tommy!" The tour guide had not talked about Tommy Whaley by name, but he was the son of Thomas and Anna Whaley who sadly died at 17 months old due to Scarlet Fever. It was quite odd but definitely made the tour. If you are in San Diego, I highly recommend seeing the home.