Sunday, May 13, 2007

Georgetown Castle

There are a million stories about this place.

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The city's Department of Planning and Development doesn't say much about this property:

This house is reported to have been constructed in 1902 for Peter Gessner. Information regarding Mr. Gessner has not been obtained.


However, the arts department is more forthcoming: "Peter Gessner ran the Central Tavern in Pioneer Square, but moved his operations [to Georgetown Castle] after getting sued for letting minors gamble. He committed suicide in the house a year later."

It's unclear to me who owned the house from the time of Gessner's suicide in 1903 or so and the purchase of the house by Dr. Willis Corson in 1912. But I think Gessner--or someone else--may have owned it prior to 1902 (the city's site says, "This property may pre-date the construction date identified on assessor’s records and is worthy of additional research to determine a more accurate date of construction and original ownership."). Reportedly, the house was a brothel (until Dr. Corson bought it in 1912?).

At this time in Seattle's history, Georgetown was basically the red-light district for the area. This was decades before Boeing Field was built, and the Georgetown's main employer was the Rainier Brewery. So, naturally, Georgetowners didn't cotton to the temperance movement underfoot.

The front page of the Port Townsend Daily Leader from August 5, 1905, reports on a "War on Saloons" in Seattle.

War on Saloons to Be Commenced

SEATTLE, Aug. 4

The first systematic blow at the liquor traffic of this city and state came two days ago when Edward H. Cherrington, the newly appointed superintendant of the Anti-Saloon league, arrived in this city. He is from Ohio, where he was instrumental in stamping out of existence thousands of liquor shops. He began work here at once.

A determined warfare will be waged from now on, until every drinking place in town has been expurgated. The support of all classes will be asked. The politician will be asked to take a hand in the good work and if he fails the next election will only be a mockery for him. He will be flaunted before the people as an enemy to decency and an advocate of the wrong.

"We will not stop until every booze joint in this city is put entirely out of commission," said Mr. Cherrington this morning and meant it.


The local History Ink society explains how Georgetown was just far enough from Seattle to avoid the increasingly harsh liquor laws from the time and therefore became a party town:

[Georgetown] became a convenient destination for revelers from Seattle, earning Georgetown a reputation for being "wide-open." As many as 24 saloons operated 24-hours a day and advertised attached lodging arrangements. The opening of The Meadows Race Track lured more visitors. In 1908, Seattle embarked on a campaign to limit saloon licenses and to disperse its red-light district, which only helped business in Georgetown. [...] The Rev. Mark A. Matthews (1867-1940) called Georgetown, "the cesspool of Seattle" (Robinson).


I wonder why Gessner committed suicide. His new business must have successful. Does anyone have any idea what happened?

Anyway, let's move on to the next owner. The DPD statement again:

It is known that after Dr. Willis H. Corson retired from his service in 1912 as Superintendent at the King County Hospital, he resided here with his wife, Grace.


That statement also doesn't mention that the "King County Hospital" where Dr. Corson worked nearby was actually the "King County Almshouse and Hospital." Yes, a poor farm. It can be seen in the distance in this photo from 1918.




Conditions sometimes got a little nasty at the poor farm/hospital.

Tuberculosis patients were housed in tents on the grounds until 1911. By the 1920s, the hospital was so crowded that patients' beds lined the corridors.


Not surprisingly, the institution had its own crematorium. (Is that the smoke stack that can be seen to the right of the trees in that old photo above?) While Dr. Corson was enjoying his retirement in the Castle, just three blocks down the street, many of his former patients were going up in smoke.

This partial list of Finns who died in King County from 1916-1918 shows many, many cases of tuberculosis. And it looks like most of them were cremated at the hospital/poor farm.

SELO, JOHN -- Born June 23, 1883, Finland. Died Jan. 29, 1917, King County Hospital, Seattle, Wash. Cause of death: pulmonary tuberculosis. Single. Laborer. Father: Thomas Selo (b. Finland). Mother: Mary (b. Finland). County cremation at Georgetown, Seattle, Wash.


I'm guessing that Dr. Corson can be seen in this ghostly photo, date unknown.

Anyway, we're talking about Georgetown Castle, not the old poor farm.

Another story about the place:

A crazy old lady has been seen choking herself with one hand and hitting witnesses with the other. Her eyes have been said to 'burn like coal'. The lady is believed to be a Spanish woman who killed her illegitimate babies and buried them under the porch.


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It sounds like these paranormal investigators had a crazy evening at the place. First they list some of the many ghost stories associated with this house, then they tell of their hair-raising experience, in which "Every team member left this investigation with some sort of inexplicable personal experience. It is our consensus that with all the stories from the past and our own evidence collected, that this site is not only one of the most interesting and historically significant locations in Washington, but one of the most supernaturally active."

I'm not going to list the stories here, because I can't even sort out all of the historical facts, let alone all the crazy tales.

What I can tell you, however, is that the front garden is gorgeous. The owner, who I met when I toured the house last summer, is doing an amazing job with her creepy old house.

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Update 6/8/07: The Friends of Georgetown History have posted an article about this house here.

Update 7/9/07: See photos I took inside the castle here.

16 comments:

chuck b. said...

My aunt had a creepy old house when I was a kid. I always wanted her to sell it and when she did (when I was 20) I felt sad. Nothing ever gave me the creeps like being alone in her house.

chuck b. said...

How much more gregarious I am at the end of the day, after a glass of wine than I am first thing in the morning, even before coffee.

I wanted to say that I used really freak myself out at my aunt's old Victorian in downtown Sacramento by imagining ghosts of crazy old hags wielding stake knives suddenly coming around the corner. Lots of steep staircases, and narrow, twisty hallways in that house. Perfect for ghostly old hags.

JvA said...

Chuck, have you been to Winchester Mystery House in San Jose? You must go next time you have the opportunity.

Anonymous said...

I remember that house! I lived at 6621 Carleton Ave. I grew up as a kid into my mid-teens. when we first moved to Georgetown, the kids in the neighborhood had so many creepy stories. my best friend and i snuck into the house and heard noises. as we left we seen an old lady with light brown/white hair looking through the window. anyways, i always seen people move in and out. i wasn't really sure why but i just figured it was because it was haunted or something. until our neighbor couple of houses down [across the street] purchased i. Everyone thought she had guts to buy a raggedy old haunted house. When we moved to Renton she was in process of remodeling and now that i look at it now ... it brings great memories and a smile to my face because that house is being saved with all its history luring inside it =]. Thanks Linda!

Jose said...

^ To the above comment, are you Jackie or Oscar? Im pretty sure you are

Anonymous said...

I just saw the house this past weekend at the Georgetown Garden Show 2009. I too, lived on Carleton AVE at 6629 Carleton AVE until 1966 then my Dad built our family home on top of the hill near St George Church on Hudson ST. As kids, walking home from school, we were SO SCARED to even walk on the same side of the street as The Castle! We would cross the street before we ever got to the house. Even when we got near it and were on the other side of the street we would RUN past it! It was in horrid condition back then and always looked like a haunted house to me. Who are you Linda? Do you remember the Alonzo girls (all six of them)? Just wondering....ardiemclean@hotmail.com. Georgetown was a wonderful neighborhood in my day. We walked everywhere, caught the bus to "Downtown" and got to play outside till the street lights came on. Back in the day....

Molly said...

I just saw this place on some television show. They said that Gessner committed suicide because soon after he and his wife moved into the house, she left him for his business partner. The show said he killed himself by drinking carbolic acid. Ouch, to say the least.

irishred5 said...

According to a Travel Channel show " Most Terrifying Places in America" Gessner committed suicide in one of the back bedrooms of the house after his wife left him for his business partner by swallowing acid and suffered a horrific death. The baby buried under the back porch was supposedly a result of an affair by the wife of one of Peter Gessner son's which the son killed and buried under the porch.

Anonymous said...

i always heard this dude killed his wifes newborn because the kid wasn't his!!!!!!!!! he gots anger issues

Anonymous said...

it was on 13 most terrifying places in america a travel channel show it was the fourth part(as they call it)they said his wife had an affair and became pregnant with this other guys child and her husband killed and buried the newborn under the fount porch. then committed suicide. i kinda want to go there and see it for my self...

Unknown said...

At the time of Gessner's death there was a suspicion that Ward had murdered him, considering the fact that the bottle of carbolic acid and the cup used to drink it was found in another room.

Unknown said...

At the time of Gessner's death there was some suspicion that he had been murdered by Ward, a suspicion that was buoyed by the fact that the bottle of carbolic acid and the cup used to drink it were in a different room from where Gessner died.

Anonymous said...

My mom and I had the opportunity to go in the house while it was vacant when I was a kid! I've been crazy about that house ever since! It's amazing inside as well as out and what I wouldn't do to own this house!

Unknown said...

Hey Tito

Unknown said...

Hey Jose do you still live in Georegtown

Unknown said...

This beautiful then and now house has held me captive as long as I can remember. I took many pictures when it stood empty over the many years in between occupants and sometimes caught immsges in the old house. It interests me greatly. Somehow I feel very connected and care about it very much. Wish I could go inside now that it is Lovejoy restored.