Looking for unique things to do in Bakersfield?
This is what you’ve been searching for.
Gracing the corner of 18th and H streets in Bakersfield, The Padre Hotel is a luxury Western-themed hotel.
Built in the late 1920s, it became a hub for the famous nightlife on Union Avenue.
It’s even known as the professional birthplace of Johnny Carson.
Photo credit: flickr/David Seibold
Updated 6/4/2021 – However, from the 1960s onwards, its history began growing dark.
There were rumors that the owner had connections to organized crime in Chicago, but nobody has been able to prove them to be true.
It gained a reputation as a ‘lover’s leap’ or suicide point.
And now, it’s the forever home of many entities that took their last breath there.
The Ghostly Children of The Padre Hotel
Photo credit: flickr/g-a-n-g-s-t-e-r
Many children died at this famous Bakersfield hotel in the 1950s, especially during the fire on the 7th floor and the earthquake that trapped them in the basement.
Though it’s been decades since these tragedies, the ghosts don’t seem to be going anywhere any time soon.
Throughout the halls and in your room, you’re bound to hear the giggles of children or come across the ghosts themselves.
The staff reported seeing a little girl wearing 1920s clothing with a hat and gloves, staring down at them from the banister.
But these sprites are more mischievous than malevolent.
“Long Island Medium” Theresa Caputo was contacted by one of them while staying at the hotel in 2012.
It told her that the children like the hotel, which is why they run, sing and dance in the hallways.
But don’t underestimate the ghostly children of The Padre Hotel.
They’re capable of making physical contact if they want.
The biggest proof of this is a mark on a wooden panel at the hotel’s café.
The hotel’s employees have repainted, sanded, and varnished it several times already.
But every time they try, the mark would just pop right back up.
The Other Spirits at this Bakersfield Hotel
Aside from the children, there are many entities that haunt The Padre Hotel.
But you can’t trust these to just pass by you without harming you.
If you brush against them at the lobby, third, seventh, and eighth floors, they’ll do their best to terrify you.
But while some are harmless enough to walk behind the living and project long, dark shadows, there are many who bide their time, waiting to attack them.
A woman who checked into room 704 had a feeling that she wasn’t alone when she returned to her room after midnight.
Wherever she turned, she could hear a rustling sound closely behind her.
It wasn’t until she lay down for the night that she saw a sinister-looking face peer down at her from the roof.
It smiled crookedly and bore into her soul with pitch black eyes.
Another guest who checked out in a hurry told the reception that he woke up to the sounds of spurs dragging on the floor.
The next thing he knew, a “transparent” cowboy was leaning down, stroking his cheek.
When he tried to shake him off, the man ran and jumped out of the window.
Looking down, the guest found no body.
Who or what he possibly saw was the cowboy who committed suicide at The Padre Hotel after being jilted by his lover.
Address
1702 18th St
Bakersfield, CA 93301
United States
