Ghost Stories

Be sure to check the Stockton Record article and Letters from Guests, too!

Every town has its ghosts. In this respect, Mokelumne Hill has not resisted keeping up with the Joneses. And all of the ghosts, it seems, are located at the Hotel Leger.

To beef up the image of Old Mok, not to mention stimulating its nascent tourist potential, a tract or brochure has been introduced: Places to See and People to Meet in Mokelumne Hill. Just to add a certain panache and a flair for the romantic, the pamphlet has proven a chip off the "Psychic Reader's" block:

"The ghost of Leger, who was assassinated in the Hotel in 1879, has been seen in the saloon and in many of the Hotel's thirteen rooms, which are furnished in period antiques. Other ghosts in the Hotel include the Lady in White in Room 2 and a young boy in Room 3."

An item in the Calaveras Chronicle casts doubt on the authenticity of Leger's assassination. George Leger died March 13, 1879, but not from a bullet fired into him: "Mokelumne Hill mourns. The public has suffered an irreparable loss and the entire community joins in an universal lamentation. George W. Leger, one of our oldest and most esteemed fellow townsmen, one of the noblest men that ever breathed the air of heaven, is dead. He expired Thursday afternoon after a short illness of two days, regretted and mourned by all who will read this paper. We frankly admit that we are not adequate to the task of writing a fitting tribute to the memory of the deceased."

George Leger's grave is located in the Protestant cemetery.

At right is a picture of Louise Leger's tombstone (click for a larger image.)

More recent, and possibly more authentic, claims of ghostly sightings describe George Leger wandering
Room 7, a woman crying for her child
in Room 2, and a child playing by the fireplace in Room 3. A former owner
of the Hotel Leger describes seeing smoke and fire in the bar area multiple times, when no fire was present
upon closer inspection.

Skeptical?

Come visit us and
decide for yourself!

HAD A GHOSTLY EXPERIENCE AT THE HOTEL LEGER?

We'd love to hear from you -- send us an email with your story: hotelleger@aol.com.

Be sure to check the Stockton Record article and Letters from Guests, too!