Merced has its fair share of ghost stories

Halloween is around the corner, but October isn’t the only time I enjoy a good ghost story.

Ever wondered what places in Merced are rumored to be haunted? The Courthouse Museum has made it easy to find out.

A bonus of checking out the museum’s new exhibit is getting to read all the fun ghost stories, curated by longtime docent Herb Wood.

Some of the stories he shared are ones he heard long ago. Others are more recent. Some ghost stories have varyingversions.

“With ghost stories, they’re not all cut in stone,” Wood said.

Though he witnessed a peculiar incident years ago when he lived in the Midwest, Wood says he doesn’t believe in ghosts.

Even if you don’t believe in ghosts, these stories are a bit spooky and fun for the Halloween season.

Q: Where have there been ghost sightings in and around Merced?

Here’s just a sample of some of the ghost stories Wood shared in the exhibit.

Everett, the museum’s ghost

Wood said he didn’t think the museum had a ghost until recently.

But docents recently heard a couple notes played on a piano when no one was in the area.

And, a service dog that visited the museum recently became uneasy near an organ where a ghost is said to hang out. The ghost, who sometimes appears shadowy and other times is more clear, has mutton-chop sideburns.

The ghost hangs out near an organ by the Chinese room in the museum. The door to the room has an upside-down lock plate above the doorknob, an old technique used to trick ghosts and keep them out.

Greenbriar’s smoking ghost

The Greenbriar house is a well-known Victorian home on 21st Street. At one point in its history, a man was known to sit at the bay window in the kitchen and smoke his pipe, which smelled pretty strong. He sat at the window to smoke to try not to irritate the other residents with the smoke, the story goes.

Though it’s been many years since he’s lived there, passersby have reported they still smell his tobacco. If the man’s ghost does hang out at the window, it hasn’t caused any issues.

Fairground Pavilion ghost

Ghost stories at the pavilion apparently stem from unexplained electrical outages. Two ghost stories have resulted from the temporary outages.

The first theory is that a ghost of a man who died in a boxing match remains in the pavilion, where matches were held during World War II. In one match, a boxer was beaten so badly he later died.

Others have said the ghost is that of a teenage girl who fell over the mezzanine, broke her neck and died during an event.

Billiards ghost

A UC Merced graduate mentioned to Wood that some Cue Spot pool players believe a ghost interferes with their shots, possibly someone who didn’t pay a debt after losing.

“It’s also possible (the graduate) wasn’t a good shot to start with,” Wood said, laughing.

But the ghost story sounds better, right?

Ghost at Snelling’s 6-Mile house

The 6-Mile house is named for its location along the Snelling Road curve 6 miles from the Southern Pacific Railroad line. It was a stop for stagecoaches running from Merced and Snelling. These days, there are just a few trees in the location.

Back in the buggy days, the dirt road had gravel in only a few spots, including where the stage stop was at 6-Mile house. The residents of the home heard footsteps outside in the gravel but never saw anyone. It remains a mystery, according to Wood’s story.

Arthur, the B-29 bomber ghost

There apparently is a resident ghost named Arthur in a B-29 bomber at Castle Air Museum. No one knows much about Arthur. The plane is made of parts from three salvaged planes, so Arthur could be from anywhere.

Arthur seems to be a friendly – even helpful – ghost. A volunteer said someone, or something, handed him a wrench while he worked on the plane. But another man working on the plane wasn’t in reach.

Merced Theatre

One of Merced’s most popular historic buildings has its fair share of ghost stories.

One ghost who is rarely seen or heard supposedly calls for “Johnny” and leaps from the theater tower. During World War II, the story goes, a woman received devastating news that her lover was killed overseas, so she committed suicide by leaping from the tower.

There have been several other ghost sightings inside the theater.

In the upstairs area leading to the balcony, there have been sightings of a woman in a long, white, flowing dress. There have also been sightings of an older man dressed in 1940s clothes, including a fedora. He hangs out near one of the original chairs upstairs, where he apparently died of a heart attack.

A projectionist who worked at the theater in the 1940s and ’50s has reportedly been seen by a theater employee. But, the employee only saw the man’s legs.

The theater’s cleaning staff has reported seeing a man with red hair and a red beard backstage. When the figure was spotted, he ran straight through a wall. A small child has also been seen riding a tricycle downstairs and in the walkway.

In 2000, an employee saw the figure of a young woman in the lobby, even though no one was in the theater. The figure, who had hair and clothes from the 1950s, watched the employee from the concession area. How creepy is that?

Whether they’re good ghosts or troublemakers (may we call them poltergeists?), Merced seems to have plenty. Enjoy your Halloween, and have fun telling your own ghost stories!

This story was originally published October 23, 2016 at 2:54 PM with the headline "Merced has its fair share of ghost stories."