The former haunted and historic Catherine Hotel located at 708 Crescent Avenue in Avalon, California is going, going... gone. Demolition is occurring and another slice of Avalon lore will soon to be replaced by a more modern building; it is gone, but not forgotten. Thats progress and it sucks! The following information is from our books Haunted Catalina and Haunted Catalina II... May the spirits rest in peace. The following historical synopsis was provided by our friend Jim Watson a former bookstore manager at the Catalina Island Museum; and, former manager at the Catherine Hotel. Watson has a videography/documentary business called Channel Catalina and is currently working on a film entitled, Ghosts of Catalina. The origins of the Catherine are almost as mysterious as the hotel itself. The building was originally constructed as the Sunset House sometime after 1894. Very early in its history, the building became known as the Sunset Apartments. The buildings continued to accommodate apartment dwellers until the late 1950s. The building is visible in the background around 1918. By 1957 building permits referred to the building as the Sunset Apartments. During this time, Don Davies took over ownership and began extensive renovations on Halloween of the same year. By 1958 the name had changed to the Jade Pagoda or Pagoda Enterprises and was run by Don Davies the former Police Chief of Avalon. Around 1961, owner Don Davies left the island and the restaurant closed down. By 1965, a new restaurant called the Pagoda was in business based their full page advertisement in The Islander newspaper, and was apparently run by a Chinese family. Around 1966, Catherine Pettit purchased the building and renamed the business venture, The Catherine Hotel. Pettit died on Halloween 1970. After that managers at the Catherine seemed to ebb and flow like the tide. Some lasted days, a few stayed around for a month or two, and a very select few lasted a year or so. Why, you may ask? Perhaps it was the ghosts of the building who constantly made life miserable for management and staff; at least, that’s our theory and that of former manager Jim Watson, who actually lasted from 2005-2007, and unheard of stay for a manager. When Jim took over, he began to see and hear strange and unexplainable things, and staff also provided their share of experiences that would fill a book. The authors have been researching the hotel since 1973, and have had numerous personal experiences pertaining to the paranormal side of the building. To date, and based on several low-keyed investigations, interviews and psychic impressions, there seem to be five active energies inside the building: two men, two women and one child. Psychics have sensed a drowning victim and at least two deaths in the hotel, with most of the energy falling into the positive interaction realm. Simply put, those sensitive in such matters suggest that a majority of the energies they have encountered in the hotel are people who liked the place while they were alive and continue to return. There are at least two unsettled energies inside; an unhappy man who was involved in love triangle, betrayal and possible murder; and, a young female who may have been murdered or extremely traumatized. Numerous people have reported seeing or being touched by a young girl, around 6-8 who is looking for a parent and a man in a uniform who dislikes certain people. Apparitions are usually rare, but the girl, man and a younger woman are often sighted in the bar area and kitchen. One psychic interviewed after a walk-through of the building stated, “I can’t believe the amount of energy inside. When I first went in, I could see quite a few spirits as well as sense unresolved emotional issues inside. There is a lot of confusion and uncertainly with some of the spirits; some just don’t like human intrusion. I heard male and female voices and the sounds of children playing, although I witnessed no children. Perhaps this is imprinted energy for long ago. I felt as if one female child was looking for her parents. There was quite a bit of spirited energy from the 1890s to the 1950s energy on this spot. There was also a strong sense that someone was accidentally killed inside and the death was covered up”. Another sensitive individual picked up on the spirit of a man around 5’ 9” tall and in his 50s. The phantom man was wearing a cap and uniform, and he strongly indicated that this was “his” place. His apparel seemed to be related to a former occupation, and there was a sense in this man that something had gone wrong with his marriage; and that he might even have had an affair. He is an opinionated individual and he doesnt like taking no for an answer. He sported a mustache and may have been Navy or something to do with sailing. He wore black boots, a military-type jacket, and was stocky. He also smoked and left that scent as his spiritual calling card. This man doesnt really fear anyone, and when he dislikes someone, he lets them know it. The sensitive picked up on another man, who was shorter, had a friendly disposition, and wore jeans and a plaid shirt. He may have been an early owner or manager and he wanders through the upstairs rooms, the kitchen and bar. He enjoys daydreaming and looking out the window at the ocean. A female guest heard 1940s music playing in the hallway. She emerged from her room, and walked down the corridor to try and find the source. As she got closer to one of the rooms, the music faded away. As she headed back to her room, the music began playing again. She got on the phone and called the manager and said the noise was keeping her awake. The manager politely told the woman that the room she was referring to was unoccupied. Another guest reported seeing an elderly woman in a gown float through a wall, and also witnessed a young girl in pig-tails stare at her before dissolving. A male encountered a young female apparition who seemed to be flirting with him, beckoning him to follow her; then walked right through the door to a guest room. Another guest sensed that a phantom female had a strong attachment to the building and may have died inside. The same female sensed a flirtatious woman inside who likes men and enjoys toying with their affections. A male guest walking down the second floor corridor walked through a small area where a strong scent of sweet perfume engulfed him. After getting the chills, he took a few steps forward and the smell dissipated. He tried to find out where the scent was coming from, but the smell of perfume had completely vanished. A young child, who was walking out of her room, told her Mother that someone had just pulled her hair; there was no one else around but the Mother and child. Jim Watson, who managed the building, related a story about a psychic who came to sing with a band one night at the Catherine. She was completely unprepared for the haunted environment she was walking into. She reluctantly asked if anyone there had died on a Halloween because she could see the spirits dressed up in crazy costumes. She said the dominant spirit, a male, hounded her because of the loud blues music they were playing. Additionally, a teacher named Denise, a friend of Jim Watson, with her “gifted” friend Vivian, visited the Catherine Hotel while staying in Avalon. Vivian was given the full tour of the hotel without anyone revealing any details about the haunted nature of the building. She initially picked up nothing during the walk through; however, when Watson left, Denise and Vivian remained at the patio bar for a drink. When Vivian walked back into the Catherine from the patio, she was immediately overcome by an intense, agitated, nauseating feeling. It began precisely when she crossed the threshold into the hotel and it stopped the moment she stepped out again onto the patio. She was not able to identify a gender or age, but she most assuredly picked up on the energy inside the building. One staff person witnessed a little girl playing in the lobby, and then standing in front of a television in the bar. After the television was repeatedly changed by something unseen, a young girl was finally seen materializing and changing the channel from CNN to the Cartoon Channel before dematerializing. Other times the channel would be on one station, and a staff person would leave the room and come back to find that the Cartoon Channel would be on. Watson stated that beginning around January of 2006, he began to notice that the motion sensor light in the hallway outside his room (Unit #102) was turning on for no reason. There was no one there and although the light was outside his open window he could not hear anyone walking by or running when the light came on. This happened several times for a couple months. The light seemed to come on three or four times in a night at 20 minute intervals. One particularly active night, Watson hid a small X-10 surveillance camera and pointed it at the light and the hallway. He decided that he had to find a cause for the lighting problem; and perhaps catch a potential burglar. The hidden camera took a picture once every five seconds. When Watson checked the images that were sent to his computer he noticed that he captured something paranormal on the camera. One image seemed to pick up on a figure of a spirit standing in the doorway. There was no one else there at the time but Watson. The current manager has been confronted by a young phantom woman who was standing outside on her porch one night nervously wringing her hands and trying to whisper something to her. Also, Janet and her boyfriend regularly see a black smoke whirling around the downstairs area. Janets predecessors, Roger and Kathy Connelly, also often witnessed the black smoke phenomena, and Roger also saw an imposing male phantom sitting at the bar; it was his first paranormal experience. After that even, he could no longer sleep in the building and would stay in their other apartment at the Bird Park. According to Watson, the spirit often referred to as the “Man in uniform,” may be Donald Ethan Davies, the former manager and/or owner who remodeled much of the place in the late 1950s and changed it from the Sunset Apartments to the Jade Pagoda restaurant. Davies was the Avalon Chief of Police (theres our man with a uniform) for one year in 1955 before being asked to resign by the City Council. He remained on the island where he remodeled the building and managed the restaurant for years. He served in the U.S. Army photo (theres another uniform) in the 178th Field Artillery Unit of the 41st Brigade; the first U.S. military unit sent overseas at the outbreak of World War II. His unit fought in New Guinea and the Solomons; some of the worst fighting of the war. His unit was the first fighting unit to be specifically trained for jungle warfare, which was nicknamed The Jungleers by allied forces. According to some historical accounts, the enemy named them the Butcher Brigade, because they never took prisoners. He died of cancer in 1983 and is buried in Nevada. Perhaps his spirit, feisty in life, remains behind in the building he helped remodel. There are so many ghost stories associated with this building that it would take a stand alone book to detail all of them. Suffice it to say, that that when you enter the building, you will never be lacking in companionship; either human or those who remain behind to spend an eternity inside this historic haunted hotel.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 20:01:40 +0000
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