The Roman Catholic El Campo Santo Cemetery was established in 1849 and is located on San Diego Avenue in San Diego’s Old Town. One of the graves here is that of Yankee Jim Robinson who was hung at the site of the Whaley House, two blocks away as well as many of Old San Diego’s founding dignitaries.

477 bodies were buried here, but not all of them are within the walls of the cemetery!

In 1889 a horse-drawn streetcar line was built through part of the cemetery, which later became San Diego Avenue. In 1942 it was finally paved over, leaving as many as 18 graves under the street and sidewalk. Look down on the sidewalk outside the walls, and even into the street – be very careful not to get hit. Use the zoom on your camera phone – and you’ll see many brass markers embedded in the sidewalk and road marking known graves.

People who leave their cars parked in front of the cemetery (on top of the many graves) often find them hard to start afterwards until they are towed off of the grave. Car alarms can often be heard from cars parked here, set off by unseen hands. Buildings build next to it, some with graves on their own property line, have reported electrical problems for decades and ‘mist’ moving through the walls.

People visiting the cemetery report feeling an icy chill when they walk through some spots. Some describe the chill as if walking through a freezing, unknown presence. In the evenings, what looks like a Hispanic or Native American can be seen floating just above the ground. A misty, glowing figure can sometimes also be seen drifting along the sidewalk, just outside the cemetery wall.

Figures that are seen here are often mistaken for park employees that dress up in period costume. These ghostly figures, however, quickly vanish without a trace, unlike their living counterparts. A woman in a white Victorian costume appears, then disappears along the south wall. Some figures that glide through here are only partially visible. It is not unusual to hear someone report seeing only the upper torso of a man or woman.

The most widely seen apparitions in El Campo Santo cemetery are an Indian or Hispanic man in 19th-century clothing. There is also a woman also dressed in period clothes. The man is said to float above the ground.

Those who fool around or are disrespectful to the graves have been known to be scratched.

Try To Scare Me

Haunted Places, Legends and Ghosts

El Campo Santo Cemetery : San Diego, CA

El Campo Santo Cemetery : San Diego, CA

Login