Sacramento, CA
Brookdale Lodge
History
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Phone: (831) 338-6433
Website: http://www.brookdalelodge.com
History: The original lodge was built in 1890 by Judge J.H. Logan of Loganberry fame at the site of
the Grover Lumber Mill. In 1923 the current lodge was built by Dr. F.K. Camp, a Seventh-day Adventist
physician, and includes the current dining room with a natural brook running through it. Embankments were
constructed to direct the flow of the river that cut through the Brookdale grounds and keep the creek in
place; however Camp felt that they should not detract from the stream bed’s natural appearance.
Dr. Camp’s vision was carried out by architect and landscaper Horace Cotton whose design gained
critical praise among architects for integrating a rustic structure into the fabric of the forest. The large
structure resembled a redwood log cabin with whole-log verandas, decorated with sticks of tanglewood
gingerbread. Inside, the granite terraces on either side of the stream bed were supposed to protect the
lodge from the rising water. For 70 feet the creek passed through the dining room under a large atrium
skylight, while colored underwater lights danced in the flowing stream.
Throughout the years, the Brookdale Lodge has entertained notable guests that included movie stars,
music celebrities and a U.S. president. The lodge enjoyed a heyday during the ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s, and
was often used as a backdrop for magazine shoots and Hollywood films. At least three swing era songs
were written about the lodge, such as “My Brookdale Hideaway,” “A Place Known as Brookdale,” and
“Beautiful Brookdale Lodge.”
In the 1940’s the Brookdale became a home and hangout for gangsters and other shady characters, and a
number of secret passageways and hidden rooms were installed throughout the lodge. It was during this
time that buried bodies under the floor began to circulate and a young girl drowned in the dining room
creek.
A series of hard times fell upon the lodge in the 1950’s. One of the original buildings burned to the
ground in the early 50’s, resulting in the death of five people. There was a serious flood in 1955, which was
followed by another fire. Eventually, then-owner Barney Morrow completely rebuilt the lodge, using the
original building specifications, calling his design a “Hansel & Gretel theme motel.”
In 1972 a teenage girl drowned in the beautiful, indoor, kidney-shaped guest swimming pool. This tragedy
led the owners to close the pool, and without this attraction, the number of visitors to the lodge dwindled.
In 1982, Clear Creek overflowed its banks after heavy rains and the creek ran through the middle of the
lodge, in the Brook Room. When the flood waters receded, there was extensive damage due to the amount
of mud and debris carried throughout the establishment.
The structure stood vacant for many years before Bill Gilbert and his family purchased the lodge and
surrounding acreage, remodeling and restoring it to its current appearance and reopening the pool.
Reported Activity: As many as 49 separate entities have been identified at Brookdale Lodge. The
most popular among these may be a child known as Sarah. She was the six-year-old niece of a former
owner who drowned in the creek running through the lodge during the 1920’s. Sarah has been seen running
through the main lobby, dressed in formal clothing that appears to be from the 1940’s. The adult daughter
of the current owners reports having seen Sarah run across the lobby, only to disappear through an office
window right before her eyes. Perhaps she’s looking for her mother, who’s been sighted in the Brook
Room, walking over the brook as if supported by a bridge when there isn’t one beneath her feet.
Guests tell lodge owners and staff that they’ve been approached by the crying Sarah who asked them if
they could help find her mother. They’ll turn away to look for the mother and when they turn back to the
child, she’s vanished. Maybe she’s gone to the Brook Room to look for her mother; Sarah is sometimes
seen playing on the balcony there, an area that’s off limits to guests.
The spirits of Brookdale have been heard on many occasions. They clink glasses during parties that
ended long ago and the music of days gone by can be heard echoing through the halls and in the Brook
Room when it’s empty. There are reported sightings of shadowy figures and apparitions that appear out
of thin air, only to disappear seconds later. There’s also the scent of gardenia cologne in the air; a favorite
perfume in the 1930’s and 1940’s, and one often suspected to represent Sarah’s mother.
Often, doors will slam shut for no apparent reason, and the television and jukebox will start playing even
though no one is near the jukebox. Cold spots and icy drafts will suddenly occur in different parts of the
lodge. Laughter can be heard coming from the upstairs conference room when it is known to be empty…
could this be the spot where lovers continue to steal away for privacy and romance long after their time on
this earth is over?
The second floor conference room is a hotbed of activity. Footsteps and slamming doors can be heard
coming from this empty area, which is roped off from public access when not in use. There have been many
reports of strange smells and the feeling of being surrounded by others when people have been alone in the
room. A lumberjack named George has been identified as a resident spirit in the conference room. George
has also been encountered behind the lodge at a place where, in the lodge’s early years, wood was chopped
for its many fireplaces.
The kidney-shaped pool has an underwater window installed in the Mermaid Room bar. In the past, this
was a notorious place where call girls were available, and mobsters frequently hung out, sometimes choosing
one of the numbered ladies from the pool to join them for a tryst. Sometimes, big band music can be heard
coming from this room when the lodge has been closed, and a young girl, probably Sarah, has been seen
several times, apparently playing. Once however, after an attempt to cleanse the establishment, the resident
spirits are reported to have become angry and ripped wooden planks off the walls of the Mermaid Room.
Room 46 of the motel wing is reported to have a lot of spirit activity. A former Brookdale employee who
lived in the room related her terrifying nightly experiences when objects and shapes would fly across the
room. She claimed that ghostly ballroom dancers would stare at her as they floated by, and various
apparitions would materialize around her bed. The woman says that one of these ghosts appeared to be a
boy aged twelve or thirteen years, another was a man with a knife wound on his face, and another was the
victim of some horrific accident that left his eye hanging loose on his cheek. She also experienced the
feeling of someone sitting on the edge of her bed and stroking her arm when she knew she was alone.
Sources:
1. Hauck, Dennis William. Haunted Places: The National Directory – Ghostly Abodes, Sacred
Sites, UFO Landings, and Other Supernatural Locations, Penguin Books, New York, 2002.
2. May, Antoinette. Haunted Houses of California: A Ghostly Guide to Haunted Houses and
Wandering Spirits, Wide World Publishing/Tetra, San Carlos, CA, 2006.
3. Reinstedt, Randall A. California Ghost Notes: Haunted Happenings Throughout The Golden
State, Ghost Town Publications, Carmel, CA, 2000.
4. Wlodarski, Robert and Wlodarski, Anne. California Hauntspitality: A Ghostly Guide to Haunted
Inns, Restaurants and Taverns, Whitechapel Productions, 2002.
http://www.brookdalelodge.com/history/index.html
http://www.hauntedbay.com/features/BrookdaleLodge.html
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/CA-HauntedHotels.html
actual Indian face carvings are authentic.
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