San Diego Field Trip: The Whaley House!

Imagine this: You’re all the way across the country on a work trip, it’s your last day away from home, and you have a good few hours to pass until you have to head back to the airport. So you pop onto the website of the local historic district to see if there’s anything of interest, and, holy crap, there is! There’s a historic house with your name on it. Literally.

 

Sounds far-fetched, right? But that’s exactly what happened to me this past Friday, the last day of a work trip to San Diego. You see, that city’s Old Town - known as the birthplace of the state of California - is the site of a building called The Whaley House.

 

The Whaley House, as seen from San Diego Avenue

Had to capture the moment!

 

To be honest, the existence of the house is one of those fun facts that I had learned many, many moons ago – probably in a late-night Google session early in my genealogy work - but the info had long since fallen back out of my head. But as soon as it came up in the list of attractions on the Old Town San Diego website, that memory popped back into my head and I did one of those things I normally only read about in books: I gasped out loud and startled the person sitting next to me on the shuttle bus I was riding. And I immediately knew what I’d be doing for the second part of my afternoon. (The first was go to the beach – as a born-and-raised Philadelphian, I’ve gotta take whatever opportunities I can to see the Pacific Ocean, right?)

Obligatory beach photos:

But back to the Whaley House. If you’ve heard the name, you’re either a fan of San Diego history, a genealogist, or - quite possibly - a paranormal enthusiast. Why the latter? Because the Whaley House is known as “the most haunted house in America.” I won’t recount the building’s whole history - there’s plenty written about it on the internet, and there was even an archaeological dig conducted at the site by San Diego State University.  But, the long story short is that it was built in the mid-1850s by a man named Thomas Whaley, a transplant from New York by way of San Francisco who was inspired to come west by the California Gold Rush.

Two photos from their timeline of the building's history.

Over the years, the brick building that he constructed was not only home to his family but also hosted a granary, a store, a theater, a school, and a courtroom, and was the site of several executions.

The theater on the second floor

The courtroom, which is still occasionally used!

A recreated holding cell from the earlier days of the courtroom's history.

It’s that latter fact, and several tragic Whaley family incidents in the household, that lead to the “most haunted” moniker. Apparently the family – and others, over time – felt, saw, or heard the lingering presence of those who departed in or around the building.

I’ve got no comment on the haunted part – I didn’t see, hear, or feel any evidence of that, nor did I want to! And really, I was too preoccupied with the sheer novelty of exploring this building that had my family name all over it, and wondering if it’s possible that through some turn of fate – or, perhaps more accurately, through some series of historical decisions – that I might be distantly related to the people who lived here.

 

There were family photos throughout the space:

 

Violet Eloise Whaley

George Hay Ringgold Whaley

Anna, Anna Amelia, Frances, and Thomas Whaley c. 1858.

...history about the family’s European origins (perhaps to be taken with a grain of salt):

...information about the archaeological dig that excavated a cistern and well, a privy, and several sites near the kitchen:

 

...and lots of furnishings to help tell the story of the public and private functions the building served between the 19^th and 20^th centuries.

 

I took my time wandering through, taking lots of photos along the way, and stopping to read anything there was to be read. From a material culture standpoint, this is perhaps my favorite period in American history, so I really enjoyed looking at the furnishings and some of the smaller items, like this revolver that was owned by Lillian Whaley.

 

Yes, this revolver is as tiny as it appears!

My walk-through of the main building only took about 45 minutes, even though I was reading everything, taking lots of photos, and texting my family about the experience in real time, as it’s not particularly large. Afterwards, I chatted with the staff for a few minutes about what I know about my Whaley line (Georgia roots that may have come from South Carolina) and speculating on what a possible connection to Thomas Whaley could look like (perhaps my ancestors were enslaved by one of Thomas’ ancestors or relatives who stayed on the East Coast and migrated South?). 

I’m glad I now have the Whaley family history they provided as a reference point, though of course we know I’ll continue to walk my own research path rather than trusting outside information.

Now, you know I had to visit the Gift Shop at the end of my visit. I picked up a magnet for myself, and a variety of pins to share with my family.

But if you’re wondering if I got a discount because I shared a name with the historic owners of the house, the answer is no, no I did not.

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Are you a Whaley who has visited the Whaley House in San Diego, what did you think? And did you / do you know your connection to that branch of the Whaleys? Share in the comments below!