There was once a hawk and a unicorn who fell in love.  The hawk built a stone cottage and tower for the unicorn, on the rugged hillside overlooking the sea.  They lived there happily for many years, and although both have long since passed away, one still remains.  Or so says a group of paranormal experts who investigated the structures.  This is the story of the ghost in the stone tower.

The home and tower, in beautiful Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, were built by poet Robinson Jeffers in the early 1900s.  In his poem, “Ghost,” Jeffers said he would one day haunt Tor House and Hawk Tower, the structures he built entirely by hand by hauling heavy granite boulders and rocks up from the beach below.  Tor house was named for the craggy knoll, or “tor” on which it was built.  Jeffers strongly identified with and loved hawks, hence the name Hawk Tower. His wife Una (pronounced “Yoona”), with a background in mysticism, loved unicorns.

Paranormal investigators who spent a night in the home believed a ghost does indeed haunt the structure, but it isn’t Jeffers. Instead, they believe it is his wife, Una.  They not only captured a thermal image of her, but also heard her utter a few words.  Other strange happenings reported include a book about Una repeatedly flying off a shelf.

Does Una haunt Tor House and Hawk Tower?  Una was purportedly an adventurous spitfire who often flew off the handle.  She had a history of car racing when she was younger, supposedly fired guns point blank at trespassers, and basically just bucked convention.  Who else would choose to live without modern conveniences, such as electricity and a washing machine? Perhaps even after death she is choosing to do her own thing. Perhaps the bond with the home and husband she so loved could just not be broken.

I recently went on a tour of Tor House and Hawk Tower.  It didn’t feel haunted.  I saw a lovely stone cottage with climbing roses.  A neat brick pathway lined with abalone shells and flowers. Playful hummingbirds zooming up and down.  It all presented a very cozy picture.  There were a few odd moments though.  As we approached the tower, a large black bird landed on the house’s chimney and began cawing so stridently we had trouble hearing the docent speak. Then, after we entered the tower where Jeffers penned his famous poetry, there were some clattering sounds from behind us in an area where tools were kept, even though nobody was in that room.  The stuffed hawk above his desk was a bit weird. And that moment when the docent opened a door next to the fireplace to reveal a real human skull.  Odd, and maybe a smidge creepy.

The tower itself is quirky, with steep, twisting staircases on the outside of the tower and on the inside, a secret passageway. A door in Jeffer’s study on the bottom opens to reveal a strange, dark stairway that you can only navigate by turning your body sideways.  Following this leads to Una’s room in the tower, complete with a fireplace and another smaller tower where a lantern could be suspended above a window facing the sea.  Oil lamps and candles were the only means of illumination for three decades–electricity wasn’t installed until 1949.  Outside, another twisting set of stone steps leads to a third level, then yet another to the very highest part of the tower, from which there is a birds-eye view of Carmel.

In its heyday, Tor House and Hawk Tower were very popular.  Many prominent and literary guests came here, including Charlie Chaplin, George Gershwin, Charles Lindbergh, Langston Hughes, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Sinclair Lewis.  Our guide told us that the couple’s young twin sons, Donnan and Garth often played pranks.  He said occasionally they would stuff overalls and other clothing to look like a human body, and when they saw a car approaching, would push it over the top of the tower and scream.  Sounds like something boys would do!

Spooky?  Haunted?  You be the judge. For more information on supposedly haunted places in the area, you may like The Eight Most Haunted Places Near Monterey.  I really loved visiting Tor house and Hawk Tower and think you would too.  For more information, see Tor House.  Thank you for visiting my blog.  Wishing you peace, love, happiness, & beautiful vistas!