A mother lode of phenomena at the Gunn House
Written: May 13 '06 (Updated May 21 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Haunted, rooms beautifully decorated with antique furniture
Cons: Not very handicap accessible; I miss the restaurant that used be on the premises
The Bottom Line: This hotel offers a great deal of historical character and wonderful hospitality, as well as a chance of seeing a ghost. Recommended for either adventure travel or a romantic getaway.
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| adriennefoster's Full Review: Gunn House Hotel |
After my plans for staying at the Gunn House Hotel were hosed in March of 2004, I continued looking for another excuse to spend a weekend in Sonora, California. Although the Gunn House is an attraction in itself, I wanted to have something a little more specific to pursue while in the area. It finally came in the summer of 2005 when the Sierra Repertory Theatre produced the stage version of The Full Monty. I love that movie and was curious about how the live musical production was handled. Little has been written about the Gunn House, but I was tipped off during a previous visit to the Gold Country a couple of years before. Ghosts are numerous in this part of the Golden State, so it seemed worth following up. When I finally stayed there, I was surprised this hotel has been missed in the many published collections of California ghostlore. Aside from the Gunn House being a very beautiful, pleasant, and romantic bed & breakfast hotel to stay, it had reports of paranormal occurrences that were mesmerizing. Whether or not a guest believes, the Gunn House has a great deal of historical character, pleasant atmosphere, and friendly staff.
Built in 1850, the Gunn House Hotel is Sonora's oldest two-story adobe structure, which was originally erected for a physician, Dr. Lewis C. Gunn, who had succumbed to the lure of the gold rush. After failing as a prospector, he found a living by returning to his practice and starting a local newspaper, which had its office located on the ground floor. His wife, Elizabeth, and four children eventually joined him from Philadelphia, but Elizabeth never enjoyed being a frontier wife. Among other things, the content her husband's newspaper ran provoked so much controversy a mob of angry readers burned his printing press. After spending several years in a home that was luxury by the standards of the Gold Country, the Gunns sold it and moved out of the area. Immediately after the Gunns left, the adobe's trail of ownership is a bit muddy. Toward the end of the 19th century, the building was used as a women's hospital. In 1913, the Bisordi family acquired it and converted it into a boarding house style inn, the Rosa Italia Hotel, which grew popular for the cooking of its matriarch, Josephine. Margaret Dienelt bought the property in 1962, renamed it the Gunn House Hotel, and added a pool area. Mike and Shirley Sarno, who came out of retirement after owning and managing the Moss Beach Distillery, purchased the hotel in 2002 and extensively refurbished it. If anyone should be well poised to deal with phenomena, it would be the Sarnos.
I first learned the Gunn House was haunted when a friend and I took a meal at the Washington Street Steak House in Sonora. We mentioned we were on the lookout for ghost folklore at Columbia State Historic Park that weekend, so our server told us the staff claimed to witness paranormal activity at the B&B across the street. She was unable to relate any specific stories to us, but I had always found the old structure fascinating whenever I passed it. I had even taken a meal at Josephine's California Trattoria, the restaurant on its premises, a year or three before. Although I could find nothing on the Gunn House in any of the more popular books on California ghostlore, hearing local rumors was validation enough for me. I put it on my mental list of hotels to visit.
My Gunn House experience
A fringe benefit from my original plans being snuffed in 2004 was that I had already learned after making my previous reservation the most haunted room was 11, but even then I remember two or three people at the other end of the line trying to decide which one had the most activity. How should I interpret that? Be that as it may, when I want to book a haunted room, I prefer to reserve it by phone so I can emphasize my request. After I finally decided what weekend I wanted to book the second time around, I asked for room 11. Apparently, there was no conflict in granting my wish as the person at the other end was immediately agreeable. I gave them a Visa number and was all set to go for that weekend in July.
Although Tuolumne County does have a small airport, I do not know of any commercial airlines using it. Of course, I've never been there, so anyone interested should contact the area's Chamber of Commerce. Most visitors come to the Mother Lode by car. When sightseeing this region, it becomes difficult using anything else unless taking an organized tour. Coming from the San Francisco Bay Area, it usually takes 2-3 hours to reach Sonora. Russell and I took the eastbound Highways 580, 205, and 120/108 to northbound 49. Highway 49 overlaps Washington Street, which runs through the historic district of Sonora. Once we reached Washington, however, we needed to turn right, which was a section that just misses sharing with 49, for the Gunn House Hotel.
The Gunn House is certainly easy to find. It's a large structure perched on a hillside and from Washington Street and has a bit of a Spanish Colonial look, despite its brick red paint. It also has a couple of good signs to identify it. The tricky part was parking. We found a parking lot on its north side. There was a bit of an incline between the street and the front door, so we didn't take our luggage when we climbed up the slope to find the main entrance.
There is no big lobby at the Gunn House. The front desk can be found in a room about the size of an average American living room. There were no problems with our reservation. The young lady there took an imprint of my card and gave us each a real key to our room. She also advised us to park in the lot behind the hotel, since it would be more convenient for us. When I asked about the ghosts, she said, "I hope not. I only just started here and I'd have to quit if there are." We grabbed some of the literature for local attractions and she led us to our room. Good thing. There was no easy direct route. We seemed to circle the premises with all of the stairs, little corridors, and balcony walkways. It probably would have taken a half hour for us to found it on our own. It made me realize that, as with most historic hotels, this would be a poor choice for people with limited mobility. The back parking lot was definitely more convenient to our room, but the finding the driveway leading to it was easy to miss. It was only large enough for one car and not as well marked as the hotel itself is.
Room 11, on the other hand, was beautiful. It was more spacious than I have come to expect of historic hotels. The top half of the walls was painted a deep brick red with a floral stripe of wallpaper bordering the top edge by the white textured ceiling. Below the white chair railing was a different design of floral wallpaper. There was green floral print wall-to-wall carpeting. It was furnished mostly with antiques that were still functional as well as decorative. It had two queen beds with floral print spreads and three nightstands. A big water pitcher and wash basin was set on an old fashioned marble-topped washstand. There was a writing table with a vanity mirror on the wall above it. Four chairs were supplied, two of them adequate for dining or writing, a third was overstuffed, and the last was a gorgeous chaise lounge. A trunk was pushed up against the wall outside the bathroom. A thundermug was strategically placed in a corner by the by the air conditioner. Several pieces of art and mirrors hung on the walls. A TV was braced a bit high on the wall, but it was on a mechanical arm that allowed some adjustment. The décor just blended together very well, in addition to providing an excellent feel for the Old West. It's highly doubtful that the local hotels looked as good as this in the 1850s, though.
The bathroom, however, did not—and I'm quite pleased about that. I prefer to keep that water pitcher and thundermug as ornaments and I'd rather not have to go to the back of a barber shop for a bath. The bathroom was painted white with striped wallpaper under the chair railing. The floor was tiled. A mirror with a gilded gold frame hung over the sink. The small ceramic tub had a showerhead with glass doors. Never knowing what to expect at a B&B or historic hotel, I was surprised to find some complimentary toiletries. We were supplied with soap, shampoo, lotion, and a cloth for removing make-up. There were no tissues, but I had my own.
Living in room 11 had some minor snags, but nothing particularly irritating. Whenever I crossed the room to the closet or bathroom, I felt a slight downward slope in the floor. (That's something I tend to be more sensitive to than others.) Considering the age the building, something like that should be expected. The fan in the bathroom was a little noisy. The water pressure in the shower was excellent, but the temperature was inconsistent. It would drop, then become warm again. Hairdryers are available on request, but I was a little embarrassed when it blew out a circuit breaker while I was using it. Management promptly took care of the problem. It had its own air conditioning, which worked great. Anyone needing to use a phone had to go to the parlor, because none was provided in the room. Mobile phone reception is not so good in the Sierras. My Virgin/Sprint phone lost its signal after passing through Oakdale during our trip up. The Cingular I had recently obtained for my planned journey to the UK, however, kept a solid three bars during our entire Mother Lode visit.
The room was also clean. Maid service was well done, although the two maids who took care of our room could not wait for us to leave on Saturday. They had to take off early that day, so they worked around us as I finished putting on my makeup. No big city pretensions here.
As for dining on the premises, my memory went blinky thinking that the Gunn House had a full-scale restaurant. I seemed to remember that Russell and I had had an excellent meal there during a day trip within the last few years. Alas, my memory was just fine. Josephine's had opened in May 1994, but closed within the couple of years before we stayed there. Fortunately, there are plenty of other restaurants in the area to compensate for its loss.
The management does put out a good continental breakfast in the morning, served from 7:30-10 a.m. Along with cereals, breadstuffs, fruits, coffee/tea, and juices, they also put out a heavier hot dish, sort of an egg casserole. These were served buffet style on the bar, which apparently is no longer used to serve liquor on a regular basis, in a room across from where Josephine's dining room used to be. The parlor was just as beautifully decorated as room 11 and had a gorgeous stonework fireplace. A collection of dolls, crafted by someone who did it as a labor of love, were exhibited and for sale, if I remember correctly.
The pool is just outside of the parlor and open to guests from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. We never took advantage of it, since we were more interested in exploring the Mother Lode. The Gunn House is on the southern edge of Sonora's historic district. The section that Washington Street shares with Highway 49 has several antique and touristy shops. It was also about 10-15 minute drive from the East Sonora Theatre, where we had planned to see The Full Monty. The Gold Country attractions are well spread out, so having access to a car is almost required. Columbia State Historic Park is a well-preserved gold rush town that can be reached by car in less than half an hour. Russell and I chose to go to Angel's Camp, Mark Twain's cabin, and Mercer Caverns. I was also amazed to find the region has a fairly extensive wine industry and stopped off at few tasting rooms during our travels.
Checkout was easy. We never used the hotel's phone, but since we were given real keys, we had to ensure they were returned. I double checked the bill. There were no surprises. We stopped off at the 1897 Railroad State Historic Park for a while before we left Tuolumne County. It was a very pleasant weekend.
The ghost stuff
After my initial query when Russell and I checked in, I was worried that I'd fail to find the ghost stories I had come to hear at the Gunn House. We noticed nothing out of the unusual during the time we spent in room 11. I've grown resigned to the fact that since I would like to personally witness a little something, they're going to be contrary and refuse to perform on command. As good luck would have it, we met Lois Elliot at breakfast. Lois had been working there for 36 years and was a first-hand witness to some of its paranormal activity. Not only did she keep a scrapbook on the place, but she had a large repertoire of ghost stories.
Over the decades, the Gunn House has gone through some extensive renovations and additions, but it's the older portion where most of the phenomena takes place. Room 11 is one of the original rooms. We were told that just two or three weeks before a couple who had stayed in it asked if there had been an earthquake during night. No one else on the premises had felt one. The couple had awakened that morning to find every piece of art, which was hanging fine when they went to bed, was crooked. After hearing that story, I went back and counted them all; there were 13 if you counted the mirrors and the ones in the bathroom.
Despite that odd occurrence, every room in the original portion of the structure has had reports of phenomena. In room 10, one man, who was a skeptic, said the bed started to shake underneath him while his wife was in the shower.
A couple was disturbed one night when someone tried to climb into bed with them. The wife thought it was her husband at first. When the husband arose to see what was going on, he felt a force push him out of room 9 and close the door behind him.
One of the more frightening incidents occurred in room 12, while a lone female guest was unpacking her bags. She opened the door to closet and found a hideous face staring back at her. After the woman calmed down, management gave her another room and she enjoyed the rest of her stay. She must have been a trooper. Most people would have been checking into the Inns of California across the street.
The most discombobulating uncanny event reported at the Gunn House has to be the one reported in the parlor. One day a few years before, as Lois and another member staff were cleaning up the room after breakfast was over, both of them saw a long female form walk out of the fireplace with a gray material dragging behind her. She went straight through the double doors before disappearing. Lois was relieved that she was not the only one who saw the occurrence, but the second witness quit immediately afterward.
Judging by the description of the phenomena at the Gunn House, my guess is that much of the paranormal grows out of that sketchy period between the Gunns and Bisordis when the hotel was used as a women's hospital. Compared to other types of buildings, more trauma occurs in hospitals that few others come close to having. Lois saw a female form appear from the fireplace and the male halves from rooms 9 & 10 were the ones given a hard time. Perhaps this unidentified female spirit is a nurse doing her rounds and protecting her patients. Ironically, the women who migrated to the west during the Gold Rush were frequently "soiled doves."
The bottom line
The Gunn House Hotel has 18 uniquely decorated rooms with one or two queen beds available to let, all with ensuite bathrooms. Also provided is heating, air conditioning, good quality mattresses, and local cable TV. Room rates range from $69 to $109 per night, depending on the time of year. Checkin is 2 p.m. and checkout noon. There is a 48-hour cancellation policy on reservations. Contact the hotel about handicap accommodations.
Granted, the Gunn House is not a 5-star hotel, but I doubt any of those can be found in the Sierras. Aside from staying in a pretty hotel, I was looking for ghost stories and hit the jackpot. Although a tall woman walking out of the fireplace was a unique experience, Lois said she constantly noticed little things frequently happening, such as the lock of the pool gate being fiddled with when no one is around it. If I had spent a little more time there, who knows? Maybe I would have seen something too. I would gladly stay at the Gunn House again and highly recommend it to anyone who plans on visiting this part of California.
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With thanks to SurgRN911 for adding this page to the Epinions database for me quite some time ago. Now that all of the links to the Epi search engine have been broken, let's see if it will still register after all of this time!
Recommended:
Yes
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