The Beautiful and Haunted Brookdale Lodge

This award is given to the incredible energy and playful ghosts that continue to live in this wonderful hotel

Nestled among the tall, green trees in a Northern California mountainside, the beautiful Brookdale Lodge sits like a little lodge in the mountains until you take a closer look at what lurks under the roof.  The Brookdale Lodge is a hotel, bar and dining room all combined.  They regularly hold functions that range from fundraisers to weddings.  This lovely place is not easy to find.  It is in the very small town of Brookdale located near Boulder Creek in the Santa Cruz Mountains.  To look at the building from the parking lot gives you the sense of a nice little lodge in the mountains.  To look at the building from the inside reminds you of a doll's house.  What regular travelers don't see are the hauntings currently taking place within this structure.

The Story:

The Brookdale Lodge has a sordid and long history.  The original lodge  is across the street, now in ruins from a fire that took place many years ago.  The access to the clerk's desk from the lodge ran under the street.  However, depending on whom you ask, it was used for gun runner's, booze dealers and/or patrons walking to their rooms after checking in.  Every employee has a story, whether it's a story they've heard or one they experienced themselves, each employee will probably tell you that the Brookdale Lodge is haunted.

The manager who has started working at the lodge recently does tell of his stories of odd happenings.  The door to his office being left opened or closed depending on whether he was leaving or coming in, respectively.  His sudden loss of keys and then finding them in a different place.  The footsteps and laughing heard in and around the lobby.  He is trying to find natural reasons for the occurrences, but is unable to do so.  However, he swears he has not seen a ghost. 

So on this weekend, we were fortunate to be able to accompany TwoFour Productions, the British Production Company filming another segment in their haunted series called, "Dead Famous".  We were able to wander through and through the many doors, corridors, rooms and dining area where the majority of sightings are made looking for the little girl named "Sarah" that is said to haunt the Brookdale Lodge. 

The Pictures:

Seeing the dining room where activity has been reported for years, you see a dollhouse-like setting in a peaceful background, gorgeous, beautiful almost tropical.

Joining the "Dead Famous" film crew is guest psychic, Chris Fleming.  Here, both James (videographer) and Chris film the area surrounding the pool where Chris was feeling impressions.

Two control photos, the first picture taken on the right, the second taken on the left.  Note the possible orb at the top of the picture and to the left.  The picture was lightened for definition only.

We centered some of our attention around the pool where someone was reported to have drowned.  Chris was receiving impressions of someone there.  We had an incident where a quarter (25 cents) was thrown from the opposite pool side, across the pool striking the overhand and pool cover.  There was no one standing on that opposite end of the pool as we were filming on the side where the coin landed.  Note the beautiful blue color of the possible orb in the water and the possible reflection of it in the water.

In the dining room, beautiful  and with the sounds of the creek flowing softly in the background, we received a couple of possible orbs.  In the picture on the left, straight up the middle at the top of the picture, a possible orb.  In the picture on the right, to the right of the logs, a possible orb.

In Summary:

Working with TwoFour Productions is always exciting and interesting.  We are able to perform investigations in many different places and having it recorded makes it much more fun.  They are a great bunch of people.

Our investigations produced many different things for us - Sights ~ flashes of light, orbs, both of these were visualized by more than two people.  Audio ~ Chris Fleming received EVP at the creek that sounded like a child's laughter.  Photography ~ produced many possible orbs.

The Ghost Trackers would like to thank Gene, the Manager of the Brookdale Lodge, Charlotte and her production crew at TwoFour Productions, Psychic Chris Fleming for helping to teach me a few things and for the extraordinary spirits at the Brookdale Lodge ~ hopefully they will put my shampoo back when I stay there again!!