San Fran Voice

Ghosts of San Francisco is the first full-length book by your favorite SF blogger.  It’s being put together - right now, as you read this - by Schiffer Books and will be officially out in June.  It’s got stories that delve into the deep history of the area and tales of those spirits which are haunting the city today.  Here’s an excerpt to get you wet with longing for more:

Montandon Townhouse: A Cursed Home

Lombard Street is famous for being the crookedest street in the world. Daily, visitors from all across the globe traipse up to the peak of this glorious San Francisco hill in order to experience one of the wonders for which San Francisco is known. In more recent years, the street also became known as the location of the Real World House San Francisco, increasing traffic to the area by visitors seeking to get a brush with California fame. Activity bustles here at almost all times. But there is something unsettling happening on Lombard Street which is frequently not known by those who hover around this crooked part of Lombard, taking pictures and relaxing on their vacations.

The trouble seems to have begun in the 1960’s, when Pat Montandon (well-known as the author of The Intruders) moved in to a house on the famous street. It was a time when astrology was becoming increasingly popular among certain groups in the city, and Montandon, who frequently hosted social gatherings at the Lombard home, threw a party which was themed to this popular event. The party included a tarot reader. It should have been all fun and games, but during the reading, something went awry. For reasons unknown, the tarot reader faced Montandon and cursed her aloud, saying that she was vexing Montandon as well as the home that she lived in.

It is hard to say whether the number of tragedies in Montandon’s life which occurred shortly thereafter have anything to do with the curse. But it is not hard to see that luck was not with her after that time. Problems which ensued shortly after the purported curase included the vandalism of her home, the destruction of her car and even threats on her life. Montandon’s reputation become marred with links to numerous affairs and her promising career fell short of its potential.

The home, too, suffered in the wake of the curse. In 1969, there was a fire in the Montandon Townhouse. The roots of the fire are mysterious and the circumstances which surround the tragedy are almost impossible to explain. At the time, Montandon’s best friend, Mary Louise Ward, was staying in the home. When the damage from the fire was over, her dead body was found in the house. Although there is no known reason why she would do so, it appears that perhaps Ward caused the fire, because the front door of the home was chained and barred from the inside and Ward’s body was found in a bedroom which was also locked from the inside. Autopsy reports revealed that Ward had been dead before the fire reached her body, but they could not determine a cause of death.

Whether or not Ward committed suicide in the home is unknown, but what is known is that two other friends of Montandon’s did committed suicide in the house within a short time of one another. Shortly thereafter, signs of spirit activity began to be painfully noticeable. Locked windows would open on their own. A constant chill filled the house. Sounds without sources were not uncommon. Trying to escape the tragedy that was permeating her life, Montandon moved from the location. However, curiosity (and perhaps a need for closure) motivated Montandon to hire two psychics to investigate the activity in the home.

The experts, Gerri Patton and Nick Nocerino, came to the home, having been given no information about the location. Almost immediately, Nocerino relayed the experiences of the home, including the names and details of those who had died within its walls. After verifying this information, the psychics took photos which, when printed, showed the image of a woman bent over a drawer, her hand raised in surprise as though she had just discovered something from which she was automatically recoiling. The photo, marked with a strange light, differed from the negative of the photo (which did not show the woman at all). Due to skepticism, photos were taken a second time in the presence of witnesses in the home, and the same results occurred.

An exorcism was performed on the house and Montandon moved on with her life. Those who live in her home today may not even be aware of the tumultuous history of the home, as it is believed that the curse was lifted with the performing of the exorcism. However, when Lombard Street experiences a rare moment of quiet stillness, you can feel a chill in the air there that points to this deeply involved past.