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.
58 comments on this haunted house. Share your story »
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Bonnie Vent says: |
September 25, 2008, 2:49 pm |
We have been researching this case for over 2 years. We have spoken to the Beautiful Stranger who tells us she is Lottie Bernard. This has be proven by very deep research not available on the net. For more information on this case please go to: http://www.sdparanormal.com/page/page/507340.htm
Thx so much,
Bonnie Vent
Spirit Advocate
San Diego Paranormal Research Project
http://www.sdparanormal.com
JAYDEN says: |
September 27, 2008, 4:47 pm |
OKAY PEOPLES HERE IS WHAT I THINK I THINK SHE WAS WORRIED AND DEPRESSED BECOUSE SHE WAS PREGNET AND DIDNT HAVE MONEY DIDNT EVEN HAVE LUGGAGE WHEN SHE CHECKED IN THAT HOTEL MAYBE SHE WAS SCARED HER BABY WASNT GONNA HAVE A GOOD LIFE BECOUSE NO MONEY THE KIDS FATHER WASNT EVEN THERE AND SO SHE COMMITED SUCIDE BUT THATS JUST MY OPINION.>=] DONT DIE TONIGHT
Raymond says: |
October 11, 2008, 3:33 pm |
Hey, did anyone READ this story? The hotel overlooks San Diego Bay not San Francisco! What a hoot (no pun intended). Everyone is focused on the ghost and no one sees the obvious error with this story. Oh well, no one cares.
Happy Halloween 2008.
jared says: |
October 14, 2008, 4:20 pm |
it is San Diego Bay… not San Francisco Bay…
Mr Dracula says: |
October 20, 2008, 10:00 am |
Youv people are silly talking about haunted houses my house looks just that and it is not haunted at all!!!!!:)=
Dracula Dom
kristinia says: |
October 24, 2008, 1:41 pm |
hey this **** isnt scarey you want to see scary **** look at the damn mirror
pancho says: |
November 3, 2008, 12:42 pm |
its not scarry
Jason says: |
November 22, 2008, 3:29 pm |
http://www.paranormalknowledge.com
We cover what Realhaunts.com doesn’t!
Harley962 says: |
December 28, 2008, 11:55 pm |
I was wondering when someone was going to mention the locale. I went back to read it again to make sure of what I read. Technically it does not overlook the San Diego Bay either. It faces the Pacific on the ocean side of Coronado Island. It is an awesome and grand place. One of those “if these walls could talk” places. There is a book ‘Somewhere In Time’ that takes place in San Diego at the Del. The Movie, ‘Somewhere In Time’, is set at The Grand Hotel on Mackin Island, Michigan. Good Story either way.
Harley962 says: |
December 29, 2008, 12:02 am |
That would be The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan
Kimberly says: |
January 25, 2009, 10:16 pm |
The Hotel del Coronado is indeed a beautiful old hotel, looking out over the ocean. However, it looks out onto the San Diego bay and NOT San Francisco!
Spooked! says: |
March 25, 2009, 6:02 pm |
My husband and I stayed at “The Del” last January for our sixth anniversary. I didn’t see the ghost but I did have creepy vibes and felt as if someone was watching me from the window of the top floor when I was walking out on the beach. I was unable to sleep both nights because the door of our room kept moving and shaking. My husband wasn’t bothered by this, he slept like a baby. We heard a child crying in the room next door and when we called the concierge to complain he said that we were the only guests staying on our floor. That totally bugged me out!
We also got into a crazy fight because my husband went into a fit of jealous rage and it actually scared me a bit. This had NEVER happened before! I blame it on the ghost.
Overall it was an awesome trip. The hotel is very beautiful and old. You can explore the entire resort at your leisure. The coolest spot is the third floor where Kate Morgan stayed before committing suicide due to a broken heart. The hallway is extra wide, which makes the third floor super creepy. You feel like you’re in a scene of The Shining!
I highly recommend visiting the Hotel Del Coronado. You can relax of the beach, have an amazing gourmet brunch, get a massage and possibly see a ghost!
lick-a-dick says: |
June 22, 2009, 2:37 pm |
i stayed there for 109 days. the first day i was there,i felt a tug on my man-gina hair;so i stayed there another week…
the next week i felt a hand rubbing my butt,when i turned around though,nobody was there…
i took a shower 5 weeks later.i reached down to get my coconut shampoo and when i looked up i saw her face.
she had a mustache,a beard, she had no boobs,her hair was shaved off.she looked like brittany spears!then she turned into dust and i found that it was GUNPOWDER!i looked around the room and found 4 bra’s lying on the floor.later that night i put them on and masterbated with them.
Jimmy says: |
July 3, 2009, 8:47 pm |
In the 2nd paragraph it says that the hotel overlooks San Francisco bay, IT should say San Diego Bay.
Charles Haycox says: |
September 28, 2009, 9:36 pm |
My wife and I went to the Hotel Del Coronado to meet friends for a wedding. My wife and I arrived to the Hotel early Friday monring around 1:30 am. Our reservation was messed up due to the computers down. The Hotel was quite and reminded me of the Shinning. It was a very nice Hotel. We went to sleep that morning and I felt very weird as if someone was in our room. No big deal, I chalked it up to being in a new place. I did not know of any of these stories until the next evening when we met our group. They only said a women was died in the hotel by suicide in the 1800’s. I thought, I am from Vegas and people die in hotels all the time. My wife and I went back to our room around midnite and found our room’s bed not made and a message on the phone with flowers and a card thanking “Gail”. I could not retreve the message on the phone. At 4:00 am I woke up for not reason and loooked at my wife who woke also, kinda weird we both just opened our eyes and looked at each other. I said that was weird why did you what up, she said I don’t know. The celin fan was slowly turning and I got up to and checked my watch. it was exactly 4:00 am. We were in room 3324. After about 10 minutes trying to go back to sleep we heard a crying/laughing and a loud bang. We went back to bed and checked out the next day. My if went into the gift shop as I was waiting in velet. She opened the book on the drive home. I asked her to look up incidents about 4am and she said oh my God there are several. So that’s my short true story. The hotel made a beliver out of me “goose bumps” nice hotel though.
sue says: |
September 30, 2009, 4:44 pm |
the hotel del does not overlook san fransico bay!!!! it is on coronado island nin san diego
SunnySDGirl says: |
October 29, 2009, 3:36 pm |
My absolute favorite place in San Diego. I grew up staying here with my family every Christmas Eve. Amazing experience every year. I am trying to get my office to have its Christmas Party here this year, teehee =)
I most certainly believe of its hauntings though. I had formed a very good relationship with some of the storekeepers…amazing things they had to say.
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Gocho says:
September 21, 2008, 5:30 pm
The Hotel Del does NoT overlook the San Francisco Bay seeing as it is in Coronado and Coronado is in San Diego, WAY FAR from San Francisco…