When people think about San Francisco, we are reminded of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz,
trolly cars and Full House.
But what if I told you that this Golden city also has some pretty terrifying urban legends
and ghost stories rooted in its culture?
How’s it going YouTube?
I’m your host Landon Dowlatsingh and welcome back to another most amazing video.
Before we get started, i want to know, what is your favourite city in the whole world?
Let me know your answers in the comment section below and let me know what top 10 video you
want to see next.
Alright, let’s dive into our list of the top 10 scary San Francisco Urban Legends.
The Pioneer mother statue starts this list off in at number 10.
This creepy statue is located at the entrance of Stow Lake.
It was built in 1914 to honour the pioneer women of the Old west and it was placed in
Golden Gate Park in the 40’s.
But this isn’t a regular statue.
There are a ton of rumours about this statue being able to move on its own.
Witnesses have said that they can see the woman’s head move from side to side as if
she is looking for something.
Maybe she’s looking for her missing child?
It is also said that she will change her facial expressions and sometimes she will distort
her face to look like a hideous monster.
Sounds like I’ll be staying far away from this statue.
There are also stories about seeing a phantom shape of a third child statue but when you
come closer, it disappears.
Oh and you can even hear the sounds of evil children laughing if you get too close.
http://wildsftours.com/haunted-stow-lake-history-san-francisco/
The tunnels of Chinatown brings us to number 9.
Apparently, there are a ton of secret tunnels buried deep under Chinatown and residents
of Chinatown used them to get to their hidden opium dens and gambling rooms without being
caught.
There’s been a ton of speculation that these tunnels were once a really shady tourist attraction
while others still say that it was used for illegal activity.
But due to an earthquake, it is believed that these tunnels are now blocked off by fallen
debris.
But who knows, maybe someone found a way in.
So we may never know what might be lurking inside of these tunnels.
https://cafemystery.blogspot.com/2010/02/san-francisco-chinatown-secret-tunnels.html
Mary Ellen Pleasant haunts us in at number 8.
She was a former slave who came to San Francisco in 1899.
Eventually she was able to open up her own restaurant where she would pick up stock tips
from wealthy businessmen who ate there.
She was so clever that she was able to use these stock tips to make herself rich.
She built a very nice Mansion on Octavia street where she lived with her business partner
and his wife.
But his is where things got ugly.
She was accused of pushing her business partner down the stairs and killing him.
She was pressured to move out of the city and she quickly lost all of her savings and
died a few years later.
Wow, talk about bad karma.
So now it is said that her spirit haunts the commemorative park on Octavia and Bush st.
and if you stand on the plaque and politely make a wish, it will be granted.
But beware, Mary Ellen Pleasant will throw rocks at your head if you do not show her
the proper respect.
https://www.kqed.org/news/11700225/the-ghost-of-a-legend-how-a-san-francisco-civil-rights-icon-was-made-a-monster
The Pinecrest Diner brings us to number 7.
This restaurant sits on the corner of Mason And Geary and there is a sign that reads “Best
Breakfast In San Francisco.”
I can’t vouch for the food there because I’ve never been but if you like your eggs
poached, then you should probably never eat here.
That’s because this restaurant refuses to make it because of an urban legend that has
been circulating around.
Apparently a murder took place at this diner in 1997.
The cook shot and killed a waitress and rumor has it that earlier that day, the waitress
yelled at the cook for making poached eggs when they aren’t even on the menu.
According to the legend, the chef was so angry that the next morning he came to work with
a gun.
The cook never admitted that the eggs were the cause of his murdering rampage but the
restaurant refuses to serve them to this day.
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Cook-Shot-Waitress-Over-Egg-Order-Police-Say-3239897.php
Up next in at number 6 we have the Golden Gate Park Ghost.
It is said that if you drive your car through Golden Gate Park at night with your headlights
off, a police officer will pull you over and give you a ticket.
However, when you go to pay for the ticket it will be invalid because the police officer
doesn’t exist.
According to the legend, this cop lost his life in the line of duty in this park but
his spirit is still on duty.
He roams around the park and approaches people who have committed traffic violations.
So even though this is probably just an urban legend, a lot of people in the area said that
they’ve run into him.
So the next time you find yourself driving in Golden Gate Park at night, you might want
to obey by the traffic laws just in case, or you might be pulled over by this phantom
cop.
https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/02/the-ghosts-of-golden-gate-park/
Golden Gate Bridge moves onto this list in at number 5.
Since 1937, more than 1,500 suicides have occurred on the Golden Gate Bridge.
Police have tried to prevent suicides from happening on thie bridge by closing pedestrian
access after 6:30pm and they’ve even assigned officers to patrol the walkway.
But, the tormented souls of the dead jumpers continue to haunt this bridge even till this
day.
It is said that on dark, foggy nights, the spirits can be seen roaming along the walkways
and searching for their next victim.
Witnesses have reported hearing screams and feeling pulled towards the edge of the bridge.
https://salishsea.typepad.com/blog/2006/11/urban_legends_o.html
Alcatraz prison brings us to number 4.
Given the amount of prisoners who spent many years on this lonely, cruel island, there
are a ton of angry spirits that are haunting this old prison.
There are reports of shadowy figures, weird mist, cold spots, a strange little girl, purple
faces and ever a large yellow cat.
And they are pretty noisy too.
If you visit the prison, you’ll hear moaning, sobbing or screams for help.
They can even move objects, and if you’re unlucky, you might even feel one of them brush
past you.
It is also said that you will feel cold chills and feel like something bad is going to happen.
And if you value your life, you should never visit 14D.
And that’s because an angry spirit is trapped inside of the cell and if he gets a hold of
you, you will probably never make it out alive.
https://skeptoid.com/episodes/4444
Sutro Forest suicides takes us over to number 3.
Well it looks like San Francisco has their own version of a suicide forest just like
Japan.
Even though this forest looks like a beautiful spot to have a picnic, it has a very dark
history.
Between the years 1899-1908, several bodies were found dead in this forest.
This forest is so big and dense that it became and ideal location for people to commit suicide
without being seen.
Because the forest is so thick, it is believed that there are hundreds of bodies that still
have to be found.
And according to the local legend, the ghosts of these bodies still linger in the forest
and you can hear bones breaking and whispers if you walk in this forest at night.
http://www.paranormal-encounters.com/wp/ghosts-san-franciscos-suicide-forest/
The Sutro Bath Ruins bring us to number 2.
On the west side of San Francisco there are stone ruins with crumbling stairs and old
buildings that are said to be incredibly haunted.
The Sutro baths are said to be cursed and this belief is still perpetuated today.
But the most prominent urban legend surrounding this area is about a strange tunnel that can
be found within this area.
Those brave enough to enter the cave have reported seeing a strange creature hiding
in the cave.
There are scratch marks on the walls, piles of animal carcasses and bones left behind,
you can even hear unexplained noises and footsteps echoing throughout the tunnel.
And apparently this creature doesn’t look like its from Earth.
If that wasn’t enough, another urban legend says that this cave was the place where people
would perform dark satanic rituals that involved human sacrifices.
I don’t know about you guys, but I’m thinking that we should close off this tunnel and never
speak of it ever again.
https://amyscrypt.com/san-francisco-sutro-baths/
The Lady of Stow Lake tops this list in at number 1.
This lake can be found in Golden Gate Park and this urban legend is about a mother who
took her baby to the park in a stroller in the early 1900s.
She stopped at a park bench to rest and she began chatting to another woman.
But she didn’t realize that the stroller started to roll away and crashed into the
lake.
Once she realized that her baby was gone, she began to panic as she frantically searched
for her baby.
The mother was last seen going into the lake.
So those people who are brave enough to visit the park at night might run into this devastated
mother who is still searching for her baby.
It is said that she now haunts this lake and she will terrorize people into helping her
search for her baby.
But be careful, she might even try to pull you into the water to help her search.