Unnerving Hotel Shadow May be One of Pleasanton's Legendary Ghosts

PLEASANTON, CA — A year after a spooky hotel apparition curious about a group of amateur ghost hunters made a surprise appearance, another, or possibly the same, ghostly shadow figure was captured on camera in the same lonely Pleasanton hallway this week. The eerie photo was taken from the same spot one year later during daytime hours.

The photos were shot in the empty upstairs hallway above Handles Gastropub, located at 855 Main St., in a building that stands in the location of one of Pleasanton’s original hotels. An 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.

A long, shadowy figure can be seen in the lower corner of the mirror about 15 feet back from the wall. This is not the first time the ghostly shadow has been caught on camera. In 2015, a photo taken 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.

The next day, Patch returned to the hallway to try to duplicate the photo, but to no avail. However, a shadowy figure showed up in the lower part of the mirror in one of the photos that were taken in the empty hallway.

One year later, while researching the ghosts of Pleasanton, a third photo, taken with yet another camera and by a different photographer, caught the shadow shape, which appeared slightly lighter and just a few inches back from the shadow in the 2015 photo.

Pleasanton, a quiet suburb of the San Francisco Bay area, was not always so quiet or pleasant. The city is well known around the East Bay for its many hauntings. Home to settlers, scoundrels, prospectors, ladies of the night and bandits, it was originally named Alisal when it was established in the 1850s. In its early days, Pleasanton was nicknamed “the most desperate town in the West” and was also a popular stop for gangs, bandits and drifters continuously passing through and mingling with the locals and a 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.

Many of the buildings along Main Street are rumored to be haunted. The Gay 90s Pizza Company has a curious mirror with the word “Boo” forever embedded inside of it. Many have reported seeing a “blue woman” peering out from the window above the entrance to the pizza restaurant.

A longtime employee at the Rose Hotel said paranormal activity has been witnessed in the basement and in one of the rooms. Hotel staff never reveal which room is said to be haunted but they firmly believe they have otherworldly guests in residence. Towne Center Books and the Blue Agave are both said to be popular haunts for local ghosts.

Those interested in learning more about Pleasanton’s rich ghost history may still have time to snag tickets to the annual ghost walk tour this month.

See Also:

• Tickets Available for Annual Pleasanton Ghost Walk

2015 photo courtesy Paige J., 2016 photo courtesy Autumn Johnson/ Patch