An Eerie University

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This is the time of year, with Halloween and Day of the Dead approaching, that people start to think about “spooky stuff.” Well, I’m here today to give you some of that “spooky stuff.”

 

Let me share a story from my book Haunted Long Beach 2: the odd and unusual in and around Long Beach, California.  Here’s the Table of Contents. It includes many different topics, including the final chapter about how to get rid of ghosts. However, it’s not just ghost stories; it also describes some events you could describe as “paranormal.”

• NATIVE AMERICAN HAUNTINGS
  HAUNTED HOSPITALS
  GHOSTS OF THE RANCHO LOS CERRITOS
  RESIDENTIAL & BUSINESS HAUNTINGS – Downtown, Alamitos Beach, Bluff Park, Belmont Heights, Carroll Park, Central Long Beach, North Long Beach, Lakewood Village, Wilmington, Lakewood, Signal Hill (includes map of these locations)
  GHOSTS IN PUBLIC PLACES
  THE “SPIRITS” OF AVIATION
  CEMETERY GHOSTS
  GHOSTLY GOODBYES
  GHOSTBUSTING

The book begins with: Native American Hauntings many of which occur around Cal State Long Beach and the Los Altos area which sits on the ancient Indian village of Puvungna, which many Native Americans believe is where the world began.  If any of you do decide to take a walk around campus, let me read you an excerpt from the book describing what you might run into:

“Students, especially freshmen, at Cal State Long Beach are frequently told to expect the unexplainable when walking the college grounds at night. It seems an eerie fog often envelops the campus closest to Bellflower Boulevard. Interestingly, it is seen when atmospheric conditions are not conducive to creating a foggy environment.  It’s said that if you stand in this mist and listen closely, you can still hear Native American drumming and chants echoing through time.”

A former student wrote me about the eerie experiences he had while attending the school in the 1980s. He and his friends sometimes saw odd distortions of light that “sparkled like fire,” strange mists and other oddities while returning to their dorm rooms from class or late-night parties. Frequently these strange occurrences were accompanied by a sudden chilling breeze in the middle of an Indian summer heat wave.

Cal State Long Beach AND Los Altos encompasses a large tract of ancient and sacred Puvungna, which may explain why the campus continues to experience the odd and unusual.  Many believe at times the door between the past and the present opens.

Well, that door may be opening. In 2019 dirt was removed from a nearby construction project onto a Native American burial site on campus near Bellflower Boulevard. One Native American leader said Puvungna was like their Jerusalem, and was upset that the land was being disturbed.  SO…Will those buried there make their presence known… upset that their final resting place has been tampered with, and voice their concerns? Or will they be happy that the extra dirt adds further layers to protect their final resting place?

I haven’t received any indication of recent eerie phenomena on the site, so perhaps all is well in the ghostly realm of CSULB. But then again, if you have noticed something strange or spooky, please let me know! I’ll be available to hear any stories, talk about Long Beach history and sign books at this year’s Cemetery Tour from 11-2, Saturday, October 29th.  I’ll be in the Author’s Tent along with other local writers. I hope to see you there!