Long Beach California is famous for the haunted tourist attraction that is the Queen Mary, bringing people to the location all year-round to celebrate different events, such as the annual Scottish festival or the Queen Diana exhibition.
Queen Mary might have put Long Beach back on the tourist map with the infamous ghost stories from the ship, but the city itself has a history of myths and urban legends told from generation to generation.
Before you start shivering with fear; please know the distinction between a myth and urban legend. According to Merriam-Webster, a myth is conjured up by historical events, while urban legends can often be recounted by a personal paranormal experience.
The Pike Outlets
Santa Monica Pier was not the only pier in L.A., but the Nu Pike was the place to hang out from the 1920s until the 1979 downfall of the amusement park that once brought people from all around to enjoy some carnival games and rides. The Pike Outlets have more history than people think when they pass through the historical sight that once was Nu Pike.
Employees at the Pike Outlets stated to see a man walking around the outlet aimlessly, and when asked if he is doing fine, he walks away into another direction to avoid the employee. It is believed by locals and historians who are aware of the history of Long Beach that the ghost roaming around is Elmer McCurdy, Wild West outlaw from Oklahoma, whose body was inside a funhouse attraction. His cadaver was rediscovered when the 1976 TV show “The Six Million Dollar Man” was filming on-site at the Nu-Pike. A crew member bumped into the cadaver realizing that it appeared too real.
After reporting the event to law enforcement, the Los Angeles Coroner’s Office was able to verify that the body found was Elmer McCurdy. A family member of McCurdy claimed his body and laid him to rest at Summit Cemetery in Oklahoma, but McCurdy has allegedly spent 56 years roaming around what was once the Long Beach amusement park.
E. 1st Street Apartments
Four miles down from the Pike Outlets, tenants from the E. 1st Apartments have experienced paranormal activity or have felt uneasy while staying at the Belmont Shore residency. Glen McCrory, an old tenant on E. 1st Street apartments said she always felt something strange about those old apartments. She did not wish to disclose the exact location of her apartment due to privacy reasons.
McCrory stated, “I never saw any ghost, but I felt uneasy as if someone was staring at me while I slept and when I moved out, I found out something interesting from my neighbor. She informed me that the last tenant moved out because of a ghost.”
“When I inquired with the landlord, I was informed that my apartment was part of a converted garage in which a doctor in the front house performed operations for indentured servants who could not afford medical care.”
Long Beach Town Center
The Long Beach Town Center was home to the now relocated Long Beach Naval Hospital, and the location was renovated to be the town center in the summer of 1997. Employees of the Edwards Theater have been rumored to say that during their late-night shifts, everyone would always try to avoid a certain auditorium because they would experience paranormal activities. Long Beach historian Claudine Burnett found that the old hospital was a low-income hospital from 1947 to 1983. Maybe some folks, unfortunately, died during their care at the hospital, just like any other hospital and now haunt the space.
Egor Alley
Egor’s alley is an old Long Beach tale that parents would tell their kids when they were misbehaving to frighten them into good behavior according to ScaredieCat Vasquez, Long Beach native and YouTuber.
The legend goes that if you visit the location at dusk you will see a man walking around with fog covering up the alley nightly at certain hours.
During the Great Depression, a man named Egor murdered his wife and two daughters on meat hooks high up in the alley.
Claudine Burnett said, “There were no grisly murders during the years in question. Make sure it’s not a breezy evening because you may be able just to use your imagination and believe that something is there.”
Long Beach City College – Liberal Arts Campus
LBCC Liberal Arts Campus is not a haunted location, but students have encountered paranormal events in building D with the temperature dropping low as if a ghost was nearby … or is it just the temperature change?
Eve Gandara, a second-year student at LBCC experienced a strange incident after finishing up his late class last fall.
Gandara said, “I came out from class at 6 p.m. when it was really dark. My class was at the right side of campus in LAC, the side that’s across from the dark park. My bus was going to the next stop, so I jumped on my skateboard to cross the street. The bus stop that’s at the park. I missed it so I decided to go through the dark park.
“It’s usually lonely during those times since it’s really dark. If I was able to reach the next stop before the bus I wouldn’t have to wait for another hour. I zoom through the park once I reached the small bridge. It looked like someone was climbing from the bottom. As I kept on going, that person seemed to start running towards me.
“The person seemed to have something in his hand and started to run really fast. I was surprised he caught up with me since I was on my skateboard trying to catch the bus. I try to look at his face. I thought it was a guy since it looked like he had short hair. Then I fell. I started to run. Once I reached the bus stop which had lights, I turned around, but no one was there.
“I was confused. I checked if I had my glasses on and I did. I knew what I saw. Once the bus came, I got on and felt like someone was looking at me. I looked at the window, there he was standing. The bus stop’s lights were off. I realize the lights were on when I was there.”
Urban legends and myths leave a mark on people, in one way or another, such as telling children a spooky story to behave, and the stories of what has occurred at certain sites impacts us all in distinct ways.
If you visit these locations, be on the lookout for paranormal activity. You never know when a ghost could be watching.