“Haunted Houses of California: A Ghostly Guide To Haunted Houses & Wandering Spirits” by Antoinette May

With Halloween coming up this week I have the deep desire to explore and tour haunted houses. I love haunted anything! So I picked up a book to survey my local options here in the San Francisco Bay Area. Given its fabulous history, combined with the abundance of old victorian mansions, the Bay Area has no lack of haunted house history. My book, “Haunted Houses of California: A Ghostly Guide To Haunted Houses & Wandering Spirits” does indeed guide me as I consider many options based on the various parts of this great big state. For an easy ride I can choose from a list of local regions: San Francisco, San Francisco Bay Area, The Wine Country or Central California.  As I read about the ghost sightings I have to admit they really draw me in. I buy it all and want to believe it with all the fun and craziness of Halloween. It’s great fun to read about the ghosts that live on as the result of a family history and its always wealthy homes, just to really spice it up.

Haunted Pacheco Pass

I note that included among the haunted houses is a pass. I have driven through beautiful Pacheco Pass many times as part of my getaway routine to Mercey Hot Springs on the other side. Once I read about the Mexican and Spaniard battles of the past that have returned as road side images (or real people from the past), creating personal panic, then fast driving and in the end, too many accidents to ignore. I begin to wish I had not read the stories about my lovely Pacheco Pass.

Of course there’s the infamous Winchester Mystery House, the country’s oldest mansion which I have toured. It’s as much fun as one would expect, if not more. Sarah Winchester spent her life running as far West as possible and building as many complex barriers from the evils (and deaths) of her husband’s Winchester rifle as she could. The house is a fascinating experience, one that’s not to be missed. You actually expect a ghost to appear- it’s so incredible.

A tour of the restored Rengstorff House will offer no mention of it’s ghosts or hauntings

The haunted house stories are all so riveting but I was most interested to learn of the Rengstorff House. Rengstorff’s an exit off of 101 that cuts through Silicon Valley, and takes one to the Google headquarters. The house has quite a spooky history with the success of Henry Rengstorff and the house having had two different lives of high-profile active family members. Sadly it was left vacant for decades, gathering stories of neighbors who spotted a woman with long hair staring out at the Bay or hearing cries from within the dilapidated house. The house has since been relocated and restored, now open for tours yet there’s no mention of its haunted history on the website. I wonder if the original location was what is now the Google complex.

The air feels and smells like fall here in San Francisco so I can’t help but curl up with a book on haunted houses to enhance my Halloween experience.

• Read my story of a cocktail party at a real haunted house not yet mentioned in any book.
• A recent book review of “Erasing Death” tells of how physicians are bringing people back to life.
• Read about a “widows walk” like the one on the top of the Rengstorff house.