THE STORY
Reported Haunting
Russian Hill has longstanding local ghost stories involving apparitions, unexplained activity in historic homes and a nineteenth-century account of violent poltergeist-like phenomena.
Russian Hill is one of San Francisco's oldest neighborhoods and takes its name from graves believed by early settlers to have belonged to Russian sailors. Over the years the neighborhood has accumulated a collection of ghost stories involving historic homes, unexplained cold spots and apparitions seen along its steep streets. One nineteenth-century account from the area described violent poltergeist-like activity in a Russian Hill residence, including objects reportedly moving or flying through rooms. These stories are part of San Francisco folklore and are not presented as verified paranormal events.