GEORGETOWN, Calif. —
The streets of Georgetown whisper old secrets after dark, but inside the 169-year-old Georgetown Hotel, those whispers become voices—and some don’t come from the living.
During a recent overnight investigation by a small paranormal team, strange electromagnetic readings, voice box responses, and flickering lights pointed to the presence of at least one spirit who identified herself as a prostitute—“a lady of the night,” passing through town long ago. Her energy seemed strong, intelligent, and perhaps still seeking closure.
“She wasn’t just a shadow or a noise,”
said investigator John M., who co-led the two-night investigation.
“She was responding to direct questions. When we asked if she was hurt on the job—those lights went off twice.”
Built in 1856 during the height of the Gold Rush, the Georgetown Hotel has long been rumored to harbor residual energies from its past. Originally a stop for miners and wayfarers, Georgetown was founded in 1849 by George Phipps and flourished with saloons, Masonic halls, and three hotels—one of which still stands today. Though the hotel was destroyed by fire twice, it was rebuilt in brick and iron in 1896, and the spirits, it seems, stayed behind.
The ghost team’s second night yielded even more intense experiences. With only two members awake—John and newcomer Claude Dixon, a self-proclaimed skeptic—they conducted solo interviews with EMF detectors and a spirit box.
“I used to think ghost shows were staged,”
said Dixon, a Marine veteran.
“But when you ask a question and the lights flash in response—not once, but over and over—it’s hard to write that off. I’m telling you, it was real.”
Among the clearest moments was when the team asked if the spirit was a sex worker. The EMF reader flashed almost immediately. When asked if she was hurt in the room, again, the meter reacted.
“It felt like she was trying to tell us something,”
said Dixon.
“Maybe her story never got told. Maybe she wanted to be heard.”
The investigators also interacted with what appeared to be a male spirit, described as angry and “trying to get lucky,” suggesting a spectral echo of the hotel’s wilder past. They estimate at least ten distinct presences remain within the building.
While skeptics may still scoff, both investigators said the hotel’s atmosphere and the intelligent responses they recorded were beyond coincidence.
“It wasn’t just bumps in the night,”
said John.
“It was a conversation.”
Georgetown Hotel remains open to overnight guests, and while the staff make no formal claims of hauntings, they have acknowledged previous paranormal investigations and the building’s colorful history.
As Dixon put it with a chuckle,
“Come stay for a night. Bring a flashlight. And maybe a prayer.”
