Mansions, Hollywood, Celebrity psychics, black eyed kids…?
California is home to many things, but not all of them are pleasant.
Abandoned homes and buildings are scattered throughout the state and many residents have begun to notice peculiar looking children calling these empty buildings home.
Photo credit left: flickr/arthakker right: flickr/nanihta
Updated 2/9/2020 – The below list includes locations which are considered the most dangerous due to sightings of Black-Eyed Kids, also known as “BEK”.
Ten Abandoned Buildings in California Haunted by Black Eyed Kids
10) Drawbridge – Fremont, CA
Photo credit: flickr/shawnclover
Known as the only ghost town in the San Francisco Bay area, the abandoned town of Drawbridge, abandoned in 1955, now lays in decrepit ruins.
Recently, a few Californians have come to visit the ghost town and witnessed black eyed kids wandering between the remaining structures.
When the visitors got closer to the group of children, the kids ran into the surrounding wetlands and sunk beneath the water.
They did not re-emerge during the thirty minutes the brave visitors remained at the ghost town.
9) The Murphy Ranch – Los Angeles, CA
Photo credit: flickr/skizz
The notorious Murphy Ranch was built during the 1930s.
The Stephens family, who built the ranch, intended to use it as a base for the Nazi regime.
It was finally abandoned in 1990 and today, only a few exterior walls remain.
An L.A. photographer went to the site in 2014.
There, he claims to have witnessed two young children with pitch black eyes, following him as he walked around the premise.
Terrified, the photographer hurried back home.
If he is to be believed, his encounter with the children caused him to suffer a series of nightmares about them that lasted for a month.
8) Hollydale Insane Asylum – Downey, CA
Photo credit: opacity.us
Once a facility for TB patients, the hospital was abandoned decades ago when a cure for Tuberculosis was discovered.
Rumor has it that an anonymous police officer was there one day for training purposes when he claimed to have seen a girl with solid black eyes on the second floor.
When he slowly tried to approach the strange little girl to find out what she was doing there, she would clap her hands together.
The moment she did so, the officer’s flashlight would turn off.
He told his friends that anytime he showed fear, she giggled manically.
7) George Air Force Base – Victorville, CA
Photo credit: flickr/buzzygirl
Once used as a base during World War II, the site was abandoned during a peaceful lull during the early 90s.
Rumored to be haunted, a group of paranormal investigators supposedly went to capture EVPs.
But instead they found a teenaged boy with black eyes, following them behind structures.
It’s said that when one of the group members started to ask him questions, he could mimic her speech to a T, all with a creepy smile plastered on his face.
6) Thomas Cleaners – San Jose, CA
Photo credit: flickr/lostsanjose
Thomas Cleaners is an abandoned dry cleaners located on the mostly abandoned Monterey Highway in San Jose.
It is said that a young couple went to explore the plethora of abandoned buildings in the area, they came across a young girl crying outside of Thomas Cleaners.
The young woman kneeled down next to the girl, but when the girl raised her face, her eyes were as dark as night.
When the woman did not run in fright, it is rumored that the mysterious girl spit blood into her face.
- Related: Beware Colma: The Town of the Dead
5) Lake Elsinore Country Club – Lake Elsinore, CA
Photo credit: southerncalifornian
Most of the Elsinore County Club has burned down, but it’s been said that a few structures still remain.
When a group of friends went into the area on a dare, they did not foresee meeting anyone there.
As they turned a corner on the property, it is said that they came across a group of teens with matching pitch black eyes.
When one of the friends attempted to intimidate the group of strangers, one of the black eyed boys threw his hand up.
It’s said that each friend blacked out for an extended period of time, and could no longer figure out where they were.
4) Kelso Depot – Kelso, CA
Photo credit: flickr/Vishal Majithia
Once the site of a hotel where a man is said to have hung himself, the Kelso villa has been abandoned for many years due to financial strain.
It has been said that an adventurous couple visited the depot recently for a romantic rendezvous.
As they got back into their car to leave, the woman screamed when she saw a black eyed child hanging from the roof of their car.
Soon, the entire vehicle was surrounded by black eyed kids and they barely managed to escape.
It’s been said that the woman has developed an irrational fear of vehicles since then.
3) Airplane Boneyard – Mojave Desert, CA
Photo credit: flickr/Non Paratus
This bizarre airplane graveyard is the site of many airplanes that were abandoned post-Cold War and taken apart for scraps and parts, along with newer planes that would meet a similar fate.
It’s rumored that an aspiring Air Force pilot went to visit the site, trespassing, as a means for gathering inspiration and to admire the aircraft.
What he found, however, is said to be a group of pre-teens with intense eyes the color of coal.
Horrified, he quickly fled the scene.
But he swears that for the following week, every time he looked at his reflection in the mirror he had the same colored eyes as the creepy youngsters.
2) Potter School House – Bodega, CA
Photo credit: flickr/cv_dusty
Abandoned for several decades, the empty school house is now known as the location Hitchcock used when filming The Birds.
It’s rumored that a die-hard Hitchcock fan went to explore the site recently.
When she crept into the school room, it’s believed she heard a disgusting slurping sound coming from the corner.
When she used her phone to flash light into the area, she claims to have seen a black eyed young man with his mouth around the neck of a corpse, draining him of his remaining blood.
1) Rispin Mansion – Capitola, CA
Photo credit: flickr/the_k
The once magnificent Rispin mansion was built in 1922 by a prominent man in real estate.
Decades later, a large fire destroyed a majority of the house and the remainder has been left to slowly deteriorate.
Rumor has it that several Capitola residents have seen a handful of black eyed children wandering the estate around 3AM. Some even claim to see haunted dolls in the surrounding area.
It’s been said that when a local man decided to attempt to explore the building, his neighbor noticed he never returned.
Many believe that said neighbor found the man in the abandoned house, hanging from a dirty bedsheet.
Around his neck hung a piece of old cardboard that read, ‘the blackness made me do it.’
Conclusion
Exploring empty buildings and facilities can be fun and games, until a black eyed child is encountered.
When that happens you best run quickly…or that child could be the last person you ever see.
More Haunted Places in California
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