Best Haunted Hotels: The Hayes Mansion Child
For almost two years I stayed at the Hayes Mansion Hotel repeatedly while traveling back and forth to San Jose for work. The place was just so lovely and steeped in interesting history that I immediately made it my home away from home. In total, I stayed here well over 50 nights. I didn’t start ghost hunting here until half way into my stays and of the approximately ten times I pulled out my flashlight only three times was I able to attract a spirit that could control my flashlight (turn it on and off) enough to get some answers to yes (light on) and no (light off) questions.
Read more on my method of ghost hunting and the caretaker spirit interview (#1).
Read about the Hayes Mansion lovely lady spirit (#2).
The Hayes Mansion Ghost #3 Reveals His Identity
Hayes Mansion Lobby
It was late evening and I had just finished speaking to the very nice receptionist who shared stories of events from the upper floor bedrooms. She talked about how the staff knew the hotel was haunted, and some were afraid while others thought it was really cool, herself included.
She let me into the small meeting rooms behind the desk and went back out to take care of guests.
The light was weak and flickering at first. I wasn’t sure if this was residual energy or someone who was trying to communicate. It took awhile for the light to succinctly respond to my asks to turn on and off.
Sometimes it takes a little while for the spirit to get control of the flashlight enough to turn it on and off on command. But gaining this control is imperative to being able to have a conversation or gleam any information. This spirit took some time. The light flickered, came on. Sometimes turning off when I asked it to, and sometimes appearing to struggle to gain control. This went on for about seven minutes. I was patient, saying out loud that it was OK, that I would give them time to practice. Finally, the light turned on and off as I asked it to about three times in a row. Although a little delayed, the spirit seemed to have finally gotten the hang of it and I began asking my yes and no questions.
You can read more details on how I use a flashlight and my method of ghost hunting in this post.
Q&A with the Hayes Mansion Child Spirit
Are you a man?
Light stayed off
Are you a woman?
Light stayed off
I paused, trying to think about why a spirit may not respond to either gender question. I decided to try a different avenue and come back to this later.
Did you live here?
Light turned on (yes)
Wow, this is such a beautiful home. Can you turn the light back off and I’ll ask another question. (Light slowly went back out.)
Are you a member of the Hayes family?
Yes (on)
Are you Mary?
No (off)
This was one of the first times I’d actually ghost hunted here and had admittedly not done a ton of research yet. I knew Mary Hayes was the mother and a spiritualist. The receptionist had told me Mary had two sons and pointed out that these rooms were named after them. I looked at the plaques…
Is your name Jay?
No (off)
Is your name Everis?
No (off)
Stumped again! I didn’t know of any other family members but here this spirit was claiming to have lived here and been in the family. I looked up and on the wall was a portrait of a woman. The receptionist hadn’t pointed out that it was Mary but I guessed it might be.
Do you know the woman in this portrait?
Yes (on)
Is she Mary Hayes?
Yes (on)
Is she your mother?
Yes (on)
Now I was starting to wonder what was going on here. I asked if the spirit was named Jay or Everis again, thinking maybe I’d get a different answer, but the light adamantly stayed off.
So you’re not Jay or Everis but Mary is your mother?
Yes (on)
Are you a boy?
Light turned on (yes)
Are you a girl?
Light stayed off (no)
Haha, I tried to catch you there. You’re too smart for me. So you’re a boy then.
Yes (on)
So this was a child. That’s why he didn’t respond to “man.” He wasn’t one! He was a little boy. And he was fading fast. This encounter was hard on him but he was giving his all. I thought I might get a stronger response if I offered to play hide and seek with the flashlight, which had worked a few times before with young, playful spirits.
Would you like to play a game?
Yes (on but dimming)
Ok, we can play hide and seek with this light! I’m going to take this light and place it somewhere in the room. You need to find it and turn it on.
I picked up the light and placed it on a table about half way across the room. I waited, encouraging him to find the light and turn it on. But after quite a few minutes the light remained off. Eventually I said thank you and how nice it was to meet him and talk to him, and that I understand it’s hard to turn that light on.
I went back out to the receptionist and shared the story. When she heard it she immediately responded that she thought Mary might have had a son that died young and directed me to a small book about the Hayes family in the library. I sat down and read through it and sure enough, Charles Carroll was the youngest son of Mary and passed at the age of four before the family moved to San Jose. Mary believed that her youngest son was always with her and you know what, I think she was right. I believe the boy I talked to could very well have been Charles, still visiting the home his mother and brothers lived in for many years.
Lobby Inset Photo Credit: Hilton Curio Collection
Read about the other two spirits I met at the Hayes Mansion Hotel:
Stay at the Hayes Mansion!
The Haunted Hayes Mansion is a prominent stop on my Northern Cali Road Trip:
Encounter immense redwoods, friendly sea life and mysterious places along the Northern California coast. This is a self-drive itinerary that begins and ends in San Jose.
SUGGESTED LENGTH: 7+ days
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS: Whale Watching, Kayaking with Sea Lions & Otters, Walk Among the World’s Tallest Trees, Stay in a Haunted Hotel
This trip book comes as a beautifully designed, flexible itinerary in downloadable PDF format that includes:
The perfect mix of cities, sites and experiences to immerse you in the culture you’re visiting
Suggested lengths of stay to guide your planning
A range of carefully curated restaurant and hotel recommendations for all tastes and budgets
Thoughtfully planned routes and travel times to maximize every moment
