Ghosts of the Presidio

Posted: 05.07.2025 | Updated: 05.07.2025

Overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge, the Presidio and its tranquil vistas, rich history, and fascinating museums entice millions of visitors each year. But beyond the picturesque exterior lies a dark history fraught with death, disease, and despair. Some claim the Presidio’s turbulent past has made it a hotbed of ghostly activity.

Established in 1776, the nearly 1,500-acre national park site has witnessed centuries of suffering, violent conflicts and outbreaks of disease. The compound reportedly sits atop former burial sites – a fact that some believe has left many spirits restless, doomed to wander the windswept grounds.

The Presidio has a reputation as one of the most haunted sites in the Bay Area. Amateur ghost hunters, history buffs, and thrill-seekers alike flock to the centuries-old army base turned public park. Many of these visitors leave with unsettling stories and a newfound belief that the dead don’t always rest in peace.

Interested in learning more about San Francisco’s spooky past? Consider booking a tour to hear the spine-tingling tales and macabre legends of the City by the Bay. 

Quick Facts

• For 218 years, the Presidio operated under three governments: Spain, Mexico, and the U.S.
• The Presidio contains over 700 buildings, representing nine distinct architectural styles
• The U.S. Army planted the Presidio’s forest in the 1880s
• Not just a national park site, the Presidio is also home to approximately 3000 residents

Is the Presidio Haunted?

Many believe the Presidio’s grim history of conflict, disease, and death spanning centuries has left its imprint in the form of spectral manifestations. Tales of ghostly apparitions, cold drafts, and disembodied voices are common in several of the Presidio’s historic buildings, courtyards, and cemeteries.

A Dark History

Native Americans

Although history tells us the Presidio was founded in 1776 as a Spanish military outpost, the land was home to the Ohlone people for centuries before.

As Spanish soldiers and missionaries claimed the land for their own, the Ohlone had little choice but to leave their homes, and their dead, behind.

Of those who remained, many were forced into the mission system. They were subjected to slave labor, harsh discipline, and deplorable living conditions, leading to a high mortality rate.

The Ohlone people were largely buried in unmarked graves, laying the earliest foundation for the Presidio’s haunted reputation.

Spanish

In 1776, Spanish forces established “El Presidio Real de San Francisco” – a remote military outpost tasked with defending Spain’s northern frontier in Alta California.

Extremely isolated and subject to harsh conditions, soldiers lived in crude adobe structures, endured shortages of food and supplies, and suffered outbreaks of disease.

Some suggest the souls of those who suffered during this dark period have never left.

Mexican

In 1846, Mexico won independence from Spain, and the Presidio changed hands. However, the Mexican government did not prioritize this remote outpost, and it fell into extreme disrepair.

Buildings crumbled, supply chains failed, and many soldiers deserted their posts. An air of neglect and misery would likely have settled over the settlement.

Echoes of that despair may still be felt today, adding yet another layer to the Presidio’s haunted reputation.

U.S.

The crumbling outpost was quickly revived when U.S. forces took control of the Presidio in 1847. It became a central military hub, serving as a coordinating headquarters, deployment center, and training site, with an onsite hospital.

Countless soldiers were treated for physical and psychological trauma at Letterman Army Hospital.

• The Presidio was a significant military outpost in six wars: the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War
• Generations of soldiers were treated at Letterman Army Hospital, which operated until 1994
• During WWI alone, over 18,000 soldiers were treated at Letterman Hospital
• Soldiers who died at the Presidio were buried in the nearby San Francisco National Cemetery, established in 1884
• The Presidio served as the headquarters of the Western Defense Command during WWII, overseeing the forced relocation of Japanese Americans

While exact records of Letterman Army Hospital’s deceased are not available to the public, the number of soldiers who’ve died here is believed to be at least several hundred, and possibly far more.

Many believe that the effects of the pain, grief, and despair that were experienced here may still linger within the walls of what is now the Letterman Digital Arts Center, built on the site of the old hospital.

Ghosts of the Presidio

The Officers’ Club

Originally constructed as part of the Spanish adobe garrison, the Presidio’s Officers’ Club is one of the oldest buildings in the San Francisco area. It has earned a widespread reputation as a hub of unexplained activity.

Visitors to the club’s ballroom report the air temperature dropping suddenly and the sound of footsteps in empty rooms. Some believe the building’s extensive renovations from 2011 to 2014 may have disturbed spirits from their eternal rest.

The Lady in Black 

One of the most enduring legends of the Officer’s Club, the Lady in Black has been described as a shadowy figure in a flowing black gown. There have been reports of her gliding through the hallways and dancing solo in the ballroom, only to vanish in mid-step.

In 2007, the paranormal investigation show, “Ghost Hunters”, visited the Officers’ Club and captured footage of a dark figure moving through the banquet room, which many believe to be the Lady in Black.

Letterman Army Hospital/ Letterman Digital Arts Center

Arguably, the most haunted site within the Presidio, employees and visitors have reported unexplained phenomena at the Letterman Digital Arts Center.

Wispy apparitions of shuffling patients, disembodied voices, and shadowy figures all strongly reflect the center’s traumatic past as a military hospital for two centuries.

When the original hospital buildings were demolished in 2005, approximately 50% of the old concrete was reused. Could this, in part, explain the continued hauntings?

The Story of William Curtis Twitchell

A little-known story about the Letterman Army Hospital was the construction of a room meant to hold a dying man who might have been a risk to national security.

During the Cold War, William Curtis Twitchell was a nuclear scientist who worked with top researchers like Oppenheimer and Seaborg. In 1952, after being diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, he was secretly confined to a high-security room at Letterman Army Hospital due to fears he might reveal classified information.

The private room, which the Atomic Energy Commission estimated cost $100,000 to construct, was guarded and tightly controlled. Twitchell died there in 1953, and the story remained largely hidden from the public for decades.

San Francisco National Cemetery

Located on the grounds of the Presidio and spanning 28 acres, this cemetery holds the remains of over 30,000 individuals. Many of whom died far from home. Apparitions in uniform, unexplained whispers, and the uneasy sense of being watched have all been reported, especially in the early morning fog.

The Pet Cemetery

The Pet Cemetery of the Presidio holds the remains of beloved pets owned by military personnel. Though tranquil by day, some visitors claim it’s a different story after dark. Phantom barking and flashes of movement – gone in an instant – have been reported.

Batteries and Bunkers

The abandoned gun batteries and coastal bunkers near Crissy Field and Baker Beach are very popular with ghost hunters. Visitors have reported strange sounds, footsteps echoing in the dark, and the sensation of being followed, particularly around Battery Chamberlin.

Haunted Presidio, San Francisco

Despite transitioning into a beloved national historic site, the Presidio remains steeped in shadow. Its long history of conflict, confinement, grief, and loss may have forever altered the land’s energy, leaving behind more than the history we find recorded on paper.

Reminders of its troubled past may still be heard by those who listen closely, manifesting themselves in footfalls shuffling down empty hallways and ghostly voices whispering in the fog.

The Presidio, San Francisco, is only one of the many spooky destinations in the San Francisco Bay Area. If you’ve got a hunger for haunted lore, consider booking a ghost tour to discover more spectral sightings and bone-chilling legends of the City by the Bay.

In the meantime, we’d love for you to continue reading our blog and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

Sources

• https://www.sfweekly.com/archives/haunted-san-francisco-the-presidio/article_5d6cb0d6-0cc6-5360-9f4b-c0a733304daf.html
• https://www.theorchardgardenhotel.com/blog/the-haunted-presidio
• https://presidio.gov/about/presidio-fact-sheet
• https://www.sfgate.com/sfhistory/article/letterman-army-hospital-presidio-ghost-uc-berkeley-15668131.php
• https://presidio.gov/explore/attractions/letterman-digital-arts-center
• https://www.bionity.com/en/encyclopedia/Letterman+Army+Hospital.html