Real Haunted Houses

Real Haunted House

Hotel del Coronado

San Diego, California
By Shannon Reinbold-Gee

For a hotel as grand and large as the Hotel Del Coronado in California, it seems a pity it hosts only one ghost. But once you’ve heard the tale of this tragic young woman, perhaps you’ll understand why in some cases one is enough.

The Hotel Del Coronado, affectionately called “The Del,” sits overlooking the San Francisco Bay, dominating the beach with its brick colored roofs and sharp white walls. A true American beauty, it remains a stunning and sprawling example of the traditional wooden Victorian seaside resort. Opening in 1888, the Del has hosted such famous folks as “Lucky Lindy” (Charles Lindbergh), Thomas Edison, Charlie Chaplin, Humphrey Bogart, Brad Pitt, L. Frank Baum, Babe Ruth, President Benjamin Harrison, Madonna and King Edward VIII (at the time only the Prince of Wales). The Del was also used as a backdrop to Marilyn Monroe’s 1958 movie “Some Like It Hot.”

But one of the Del’s most famous guests has never checked out and rumors still circulate about her identity. Kate Morgan was supposedly a grifter working the rails in the late 1800s with her husband, Thomas. The two set up poker games on trains all across the country, pretending to be brother and sister so that Kate could use her wiles to help blindside the playing men. They were gifted cheats, but it seems (according to somewhat reluctant eyewitness testimony) they got into a lover’s spat and Kate drifted into the Del, signing in under the name of Lottie Bernard (a passenger on the same train she had recently ridden). Logging in to the Del just before Thanksgiving of 1892, “Lottie Bernard” carried no luggage and looked to be in poor health and a poorer state of mind. She essentially told the staff not to worry about her—she claimed her brother (a Dr. M. C. Anderson) would arrive shortly with her luggage. He would take care of her.

And perhaps “Lottie” truly believed her partner in crime would come to her rescue, but even after several days, he had not appeared. Lottie just got sicker. Distraught, she got transportation into San Diego where she made the biggest decision of her life. She returned to the Del. Returned to room number 3327 (then room 302). The next morning she was found dead on the stairs outside the Del, shot by the pistol she had purchased the day before in town. Nicknamed “the beautiful stranger” by the papers, her identity was finally revealed. But why did she and Thomas quarrel? Why the sudden separation? Police found quinine when they searched her possessions, leading some to believe she had been pregnant, and realizing her life could not continue in the same manner once her condition showed, she decided to try a home abortion. Or perhaps Kate wanted to settle down with a family and Thomas had other plans… Either way, the story seems to end the same way—in tragedy.

Recently, a medium located in San Diego claimed to have contact with this famous ghost and said that the ghost is truly Lottie Bernard and not Kate Morgan at all. Supposedly Lottie stays on at the Del waiting for her real story to be told.

Regardless of who haunts the Del, several odd things are often reported. People have claimed to see a woman dressed in the proper period and style as Kate paging through books and walking the halls. Lights flicker on and off in Kate’s room and the sheets and blankets are played with. In the gift shop, the Marilyn Monroe merchandise used to literally jump off the shelves when it had a prominent place, but stopped its crazy behavior when it was moved to a less visible location. Was Kate angry with sharing the spotlight or might she have had a jealous streak because of some anonymous blonde bombshell making things difficult while she was still alive and with Thomas? Unfortunately we will probably never know, and it seems the more research done into Kate’s story only raises more questions—not more answers.

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Joyce says:

September 26, 2005, 4:57 am

What a beautiful Hotel this is. I encourage all to travel to this place of mystery. I stood by the room, where Kate Morgan stayed, I felt such sadness. I was told Marilyn also is a guest that has never left.

Marian Smith says:

November 14, 2005, 9:21 pm

I have read on the truth about Kate Morgan, and also have been to the Hotel del Coronada. It is reported that she took her own life and not in her room but on the stairs outside the hotel, and was found by one of the workers there in the morning. She was quite depressed over her husband leaving her and had hoped he would follow and meet her at the hotel. But since he never arrived she became more depressed and took her own life. Some would like to believe that her husband did kill her but the facts say different. It is true that she still is at the hotel, for I’ve felt her looking out the upstairs window and I believe she is still waiting for her husband to come join her.

Paaaaaaaaaaaaaatttttttttttttt says:

November 19, 2005, 11:44 pm

i have been here too, and it seems normal..

jose ruiz says:

March 1, 2006, 1:48 am

poz dejen me presento cabrones por que poz soy conocido pero pos tanto haci que digas que todo el pinche mundo poz no por eso chingen a su puta madre pa los que no me conocen y prosigo pendejos con esta historia de terror que me paso a mi en el pinche hotel este weyes hay les va pendejos resulta que un pinche dia cabron me llamaron pa matar a un wey que mi jefe el distinguido sr arellano felix hombre de principios y moral poz digamos que le estorbaba el pendejo del D.E.A no se que putamadre quiera decir eso pero poz mi jefe me explico que era un agente del senor de los anillos y que poz ya tenia pueto el pinche ring de coke y que era malo para nuestra organicacion apegada porcierto a los mejores valores familiares que hay en este pais digo pos antes de que me salga de la historia mmmm chingao perenme dejenme leo otra ves eta madre por que ya me perdi a ya o.k y poz llego no al pinche hotel y se sintio el mal presente no o no perenme es que estaba un pinche tubo de swege roto y casi se me sale el pinche lunch que me trage en el mc donalds que por cierto me recuerda que el pinche payaso del magdonals es del demonio por mi casa de seguridad donde guardamos la droga hay un mac donals y en la madrugada se aparece el pinche payaso queriendo encontrar un pinche palo pa quedarce tuerto el wey neto cabrones yo ya me lo tope al puto y se clavo el wey un pinche bat por el ojo de payaso y nomames me acorde de el grandioso jugador de baisball pete rose cuando quebro el pinche bat pero poz bueno eso no es ni a qui ni alla pero poz pense que era informativo pa advertirles raza cuidao con el pinche payaso ni lo miren bueno siguiendo con lo del ajente del D.E.A que me mandaron quebrar poz llege al hotel no y busco su cuarto cuando de repente se aparece un pinche fantasma cabron neta neta wey ya se wey dices no mames pero neto que si wey era el fantasma del ex procurador de sinaloa y ya se wey te preguntas que putamdre hace el fantasma del exprocurador de sinaloa wey poz resulta wey que este cabron hizo un pacto con satanas por que del pinche susto poz me dio miedo cabron y poz que le marco a mi jefe sr.arellano felix y poz le digo al vato que poz aqui hay fantasmas y que creen wey poz me dice no mames cuales pinches fantasmas y ya no awitao y todo poz le digo como estuvo el pedo del fantasma que mirujie con mis ojitos de maton que tengo no y me dice que de seguro hiso un pacto con satanas o con el senor de los anillos del D.E.A y que me los quebre a los dos weyes pero que para hacegurarme que si se los lleve el payaso pero no el del mc donalds sino el feo que les corte los huevos y se los lleve al chamu y que se los trage la pendeja pa asegurar que si se murieron no vato y poz que crees que no pendejo hay te va el pedo
poz resulta que no era ningun fantasma el pendejo este del ex procurador de sinaloa sino que el pendejo lo tenian en lo que le llaman una identidad escondida pa protejerlo pero poz pensandolo bien no tuve ninguna pinche experiencia con fantasmas en el pinche hotel pero me contaron que despues que me despache a estos cabrones ya se aparecen dos lloronas que gritan hay mis huevos y el otro grita oh mi testicles ese me imaguino que es el pinche ajente del D.E.A ale raza no mames wey tanta mamada ma que no juera fantasma ni pedo asi es la vida pero poz ultimadamente chingen a su madre putos y al wey de esta pajina cuidate puto por que ya sabes mucho y te voy a pizar puto ha y dile a tu madre que un dia de estos me la pizo ala cabrona xbitch te preguntas por que lo del xbitch wey poz pa que veas que no soy culero te digo pendejo dicen que tu jefa tiene una ***** mutante wey hay te lo dejo de tarea pendejo pinche peping tom ale puto
me despido de uds desde culiacan pendejos y no se les olvide comprar una estampita de malberde o si pueden una pinche camisa con la himagen de vato y unos huaraches y un cinto piteao de cuero de burro pa que les quede putos de mierda van a morir putos muerte pendejos jajajaj putos todos los que leean esto
adios
hasta la verga putos

jose ruiz says:

March 1, 2006, 1:52 am

que pedo puto por que bloqueas las mamadas que puse de tu jefa wey que vergas como la protejes wey deja que salga con los compas wey chingao o que la quieres pa ti puto chales pinche sick puto de mierda te voy llevar a king kong pa que te ponga una pizada y te quede el culo como cueva pendejo jajaja tu culo parece cueva tu culo parece cueva puto de mirda tu mama piza conmigo

anjelica says:

March 15, 2006, 7:47 pm

this is not the true story. I KNOW IT! the real story is the woman checked in to the hotel under a false name one night with no bags. later that night, she walked to the beach and shot herself in the head.

TAG says:

March 18, 2006, 10:52 pm

Sorry to burst everyone’s bubbles, but Kate was NOT deserted by her husband – it was the other way around – she ran away with another man.

Tom Morgan was a rural mail carrier in Burchard, Nebraska at the time of her death and I have the PROOF – the original telegram Tom received from the San Diego coroner advising him of her death.

Tom was my grandmother’s brother.

Victoria says:

April 15, 2006, 11:56 pm

but we all don’t know anything now do we…but what if it was the opposite way where she shot her husband the shot herself…you never know….What IF

Victoria says:

April 15, 2006, 11:57 pm

but we all don’t know anything now do we…but what if it was the opposite way where she shot her husband then shot herself…you never know….What IF

Dreamz says:

April 19, 2006, 12:09 am

That’s not how the story goes. You see, Kate Morgan and her husband traveled around the country by train. Kate and her husband we gamblers. Kate was a very beautiful woman and the men found it hard not to look at her, Kate would often pose as her husbands sister and flirt with other gambling opponents, Kate’s husband would sneekingly come about and cheat his way into winning the other persons money. When one day the couple had an argument, the two made up, Kate’s husband told her to take a train to the city of San Diego and check in at the hotel “Del Coronado” and he would then later meet up with her. Kate checked into the hotel under a different alias and stayed at the hotel for the amount of 1 week. She waited desperatley for her husband, often Kate would hardley ever order any room service, and some days never come out of her room at all. Finally, Kate came to the conclusion that her greatest love was not comming back for her, in destrot and with nothing left to do Kate Morgan shot herself in the head on a staircase outside in the back of the hotel. To this very day and how legend has it Kate Morgan’s ghost walks the grounds of the hotel still waiting for her husband to come for her.

jemen says:

May 2, 2006, 11:09 am

hello i live rite by it i see the lady all the time i messed around with her too!

jemen says:

May 2, 2006, 11:12 am

SHERMAN LIVES PUTOS!

CBT says:

June 2, 2006, 9:49 pm

I stayed at Hotel Del Coronado 2 times and i went to bthe top floor and saw her ghost and the real story is that her and her husband got in a fight and she said meet me at the “Del”. She waited and waited and he never came to the “Del” so she took her own life and shot herself

lang says:

July 4, 2006, 9:26 pm

shut up jose ruiz. stupid mexican

Nate says:

July 25, 2006, 6:19 pm

Ik ben belg, dus versta je dit ook niet

I sayd “I’m Belgian, so you don’t understand this”

Whaaaaaat up says:

July 26, 2006, 12:48 am

who gives a F*** if your Belgian

Cherish says:

September 2, 2006, 12:57 am

I will be going to the del Coronado on the 16th for my cousins wedding hopefully I will see the ghost that would be kinda neat.

Ruby says:

September 30, 2006, 4:45 pm

dont be sayin N E thing bout mexicans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jane says:

October 28, 2006, 2:10 am

PPL WAT IS THE REAL STORY,ALL OF YOU HAVE DIFFERENT SUGGESTIONS(WHICH SOUNDS MORRE BETTER THAN WHOEVER WROTE THIS THING),NEXT THING U KNOW ALL OF U WILL B COMBINING THOSE STORIES

Jada says:

October 29, 2006, 7:24 pm

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