The 5 Creepiest Paranormal Places In Pleasanton

PLEASANTON, CA — Many of the historic buildings along Main Street in Pleasanton are rumored to be haunted by wayward spirits. Whispers of hauntings have helped make five of the locations famous throughout the East Bay for their eerie, sinister and sometimes mischievous otherworldly residents.

Pleasanton, a quiet suburb of the San Francisco Bay area, was not always so quiet or pleasant. Originally named Alisal when it was established in the 1850s, the tiny town drew a colorful mix of settlers, scoundrels, prospectors, ladies of the night and even a few bandits.

In its early days, Pleasanton was nicknamed “the most desperate town in the West” and was also a popular stop for gangs and drifters continuously passing through and mingling with the locals and prostitutes, which prompted the occasional drunken skirmish.

Sickness, shootouts and debauchery inside the many brothels and 19 bars led to many untimely deaths in the small but wild town and likely sparked the rumors of the hauntings and the paranormal, according to officials with the Museum on Main.

The popular Gay 90s Pizza Company, which is one of the most haunted and spiritually active, has a curious mirror with the word “Boo” forever embedded inside of it. Many have reported seeing a “blue woman” who used to run a brothel peering out from the window above the entrance.

“There have been many sightings and experiences over the years and many people have ghostly encounters while on the Ghost Walk [tour],” Museum on Main officials told Patch.

The Pleasanton Hotel, which was one of the oldest buildings on Main Street, is believed to be haunted by a woman who was murdered. Handles Gastropub, located at 855 Main St., stands in the footprint of the Pleasanton Hotel. The unnamed prostitute, who was believed to have been stabbed to death in 1870, is said to have met her tragic end at the hands of a jealous customer in the hallway just to the right of the mirror.

In 2015, a photo taken in the lonely hallway during one of the Museum on Main’s annual Ghost Walk tours seemed to show the shape of a person peeking out from inside the corner of the same mirror at the end of the hallway behind the actress’ shoulder as she spoke to those on the tour.

A year later, the ghostly shadow figure was captured on camera in the same location. The eerie photo was taken from the same spot during daytime hours. All of the unexplainable photos were shot in the empty upstairs hallway above Handles Gastropub.

“People on the Ghost Walk often feel sudden chills in this location,” museum officials said.

The nearby Blue Agave Club was featured in 2014 on ABC’s 20/20 as one the most haunted properties in town. Employees have reported items being moved and a cacophony of abnormal sounds throughout the building. The ghosts at Towne Center Books have been known to move books in the youth section of the store.

Employees at the Museum on Main said the museum itself is said to be haunted by a woman who floats across the bathroom mirror to make herself known.

See Also:

• Livermore’s Creepy Landmarks, Legends And A Curse
• 5 Spooky Tales About The Famous Winchester Mystery House
• Unnerving Hotel Shadow May be One of Pleasanton's Legendary Ghosts
• Haunted? Why East Bay's Black Diamond Mines Are So Spooky To Some

Photo via Pixabay