Piercing the Veil

It’s November, a month of gratitude. Among the many things, I’m grateful for are being introduced to new authors and making new friends.

I was honored to meet the charming Charles Spratley at the Gaslight Steampunk Expo in San Diego this past October. He presented on Villa Montezuma, a historic home built in 1887 for concert pianist and spiritualist Jesse Shepard. He is the vice president of the Friends of Villa Montezuma, a historian, a tour guide, and a magician who has worked to preserve the history of Southern California. His interests include spiritualism and the paranormal.

Charles L. Spratley and me.

In Charles’s book Piecing the Vail: Exploring San Diego’s Haunted History (Schiffer Publishing, 2012), he looks at the history behind the ghost stories associated with several historical sites in San Diego County. So, this isn’t “a ghost story” book but rather a historical book looking at the real people and events behind the hauntings.

Piercing the Veil: Examining San Diego’s Haunted History

I, like many, enjoy a good ghost story—but how many of these stories are just that, only stories?

Charles examines the history behind the hauntings and brings to light where stories have been changed or exaggerated. Some have been altered for the sake of entertainment. As he explains, “. . . there is something far more sinister about some ghost stories than the gruesome deaths associated with the haunting. They are effectively changing history, creating people who never existed, altering family histories, and producing misconceptions. History becomes legend, which becomes urban legend, and is lost.”

Charles describes several local sites, including the Whaley House, the Julian Hotel, the San Diego Maritime Museum, and the Hotel Del Coronado (The Del). Without glorifying the violence associated with these stories, Charles’s narration moves smoothly from the well-known ghost story to the facts about it that can be proven. And when no evidence can be found to show the persons existed or the events happened, he calls it unlikely to be true. Where he can find proof that the persons and events are historical, and there are credible reports of paranormal activity, he leaves it to the reader to decide if the haunting is real.

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  The Whaley House

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  The Julian Hotel

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  The Hotel Del Coronado

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  The San Diego Maritime Musem

I enjoyed reading Piercing the Veil and found my knowledge of San Diego’s history enriched. Perhaps parts of these tales may find themselves included in my stories. I found the chapters on the Maritime Museum and The Del especially fascinating.

The Maritime Museum holds a special place in my heart. I worked aboard the Star of India as a tour guide and gift shop clerk for ten years. It was also where I met my husband. I was familiar with two of the stories included in Charles’ book and even talked about them as part of the tours I led. At that time, there were little to no discussions of ghosts on the Star of India. I can say that I personally never experienced anything supernatural.

The Del is another story. This Gilded Age hotel has been a jewel in my memories. It was where we celebrated my grandparents’ fiftieth wedding anniversary, as well as the location for my senior prom.  But more recently, I have visited here three times in the past year.

Last November, the day after Thanksgiving, my husband and I took my father for a drive to Coronado, and we wandered around the grounds of the grand hotel. At a spot between the building and the herb garden, a sense of fear and confusion overcame me. I took a few more steps, and the feeling was gone. Later that day, we purchased a book about the history of The Del, where I first learned of Kate Morgan, a young woman who died by suicide in 1892 and is said to haunt the hotel.

Kate Morgan’s room at the Hotel Del Coronado

Then in April, for my sixtieth birthday, my husband treated me to a stay at The Del. To say I was thrilled to find our room was just a few feet from Kate’s room was an understatement. As we strolled around the hotel, we passed the same spot, and again I felt the same sensation as before.

This past month, I returned to The Del to attend an Evening with the Spirits led by Charles. We visited locations in the hotel where unusual events have been recorded, including Kate Morgan’s room. One of the last stops was where Kate’s body was found—it was the place where I had been overwhelmed with fear and confusion. I took a deep breath and gave the space a wide berth. I didn’t want to experience that a third time. Before that moment, I didn’t know this walkway was associated in any way with the death of Kate Morgan. And, no, I didn’t tell anyone at the time.

In keeping with our theme of reading, writing, and a good cup of tea, what tea would best go with this book? Charles tells me his favorite tea is Lady Grey. That’s a lovely choice and among my favorites. Like Earl Grey, it’s black tea with bergamot oil, but with the addition of citrus peel and sometimes floral touches like cornflower or lavender. These additions give the tea a lighter flavor.

Bison Betty gives Piercing the Veil two hooves up.

My recommendation is to get a copy of Piercing the Veil, make a pot of Lady Grey, and settle into your favorite chair. You’re in for an interesting trip into the ghostly history of San Diego.

Until next time, the door is always open, and the kettle is on the boil.