El Campo Santo Cemetery

Located in Old Town San Diego Historic Park, El Campo Santo Cemetery was built in 1849 and used until 1880. The half-acre burial ground was originally much larger, but to make way for modern roads and new buildings, much of the cemetery was paved over - however, the bodies were never moved. The desecration of these graves is believed to be one reason the cemetery is haunted.

El Campo Santo Cemetery, founded in 1849 as a Catholic burial ground in what is now Old Town San Diego, contains only 477 visible graves today—but many more lie forgotten beneath the streets and sidewalks. In 1889, the city made a fateful decision that would create one of San Diego's most haunted locations: they ran the streetcar line directly through the cemetery rather than around it, disturbing dozens of graves. While some remains were relocated, an estimated 18 to 48 bodies remain entombed beneath San Diego Avenue, paved over and forgotten.

The desecration created intense paranormal activity that continues to this day. Among the most notorious spirits is James "Yankee Jim" Robinson, a horse thief hanged in Old Town in 1852. His grave emanates intense, unsettling feelings, and witnesses frequently report a tall, dark figure looming near his burial site. Robinson's spirit is particularly aggressive—visitors often feel his malevolent presence before seeing his imposing apparition.

Antonio Garra, the Cupeño leader executed by firing squad in 1852 for leading a rebellion against American settlers, also haunts these grounds. A Native American spirit has been seen floating just above the ground, though whether this is Garra or another of the many indigenous people buried here remains a mystery.

An unidentified female apparition in a white Victorian dress frequently glides along the south wall before vanishing. Nine-year-old Anita Gillis, who may have died of scarlet fever, is said to haunt both the cemetery and the nearby Whaley House. Visitors often leave toys, books, and stuffed animals at her grave.

Parked cars have become particularly susceptible to the cemetery's supernatural energy. Vehicles frequently experience spontaneous alarm activations, difficulty starting, and other unexplained malfunctions—as if the disturbed dead beneath the pavement are making their displeasure known. Visitors commonly report sudden temperature drops, the sensation of being touched by unseen hands, disembodied voices, and unexplained footsteps.

In 1996, the local community hired a priest to perform an exorcism, hoping to bring peace to the tormented spirits. The ritual reportedly decreased the paranormal activity, though El Campo Santo remains one of San Diego's most haunted locations, just blocks from the infamous Whaley House.