THE STORY
Reported Haunting
The Leland Stanford Mansion is associated with reports of paranormal activity connected to California's early political history. Visitors have described apparitions, phantom footsteps, unexplained voices, and shadow figures inside the restored mansion. Staff members have also reported unexplained occurrences after hours.
The 1800s Leland Stanford Mansion is 19,000 square feet in four stories, and was fully restored in 2005. It is a state park and a venue for upscale legislative functions. It is said to be haunted by Leland Stanford’s 15-year-old son, Leland Stanford Jr., who died of typhoid fever while studying in Italy. The teen’s ghost appeared to his father and asked him to build a university for men; hence Stanford University’s founding in 1891.