California Paranormal Research

Conclusion Based On Findings: Haunted

Pleasanton Hotel, Pleasanton, CA

Investigation: May 31, 2010

George and Chuck, members of California Paranormal Research, teamed up with Tammy and her fiancé from the Bay Area Ghost Hunters to do an all night investigation of the Pleasanton Hotel in Pleasanton, California, on May 31, 2010.

From their web site (http://www.pleasantonhotel.com/):

History of The Pleasanton Hotel

and

The Farmer Restaurant

Originally built in 1864 by John Kottinger as a “house of entertainment,” The Farmers Hotel included a general store. As it does today, it sat alongside the Arroyo del Valle at the North end of Main Street and was the first hotel in Pleasanton.

After burning down in 1898, it was rebuilt by new owner Henry Reimers. It had 14 rooms, a dining room, bar & electricity! Renovated after a minor fire in 1915, It was renamed The Riverside Hotel and in 1934 it officially became The Pleasanton Hotel. In the 1960s, it stopped taking overnight guests & the upstairs rooms were converted to private offices.

The Farmer Restaurant owes its name to the original Farmers Hotel & the current owner’s Elegant Farmer Restaurant in Jack London Square/Oakland during the 60's - 80"s.

There are local rumors of the place being haunted, including sightings of a female apparition in the upstairs area who may be a prostitute that was apparently stabbed to death many years ago.

The owner was very accommodating, and allowed the team open access to the entire building through the night.

The fact that it is an operational restaurant presented a few difficulties, mainly in the amount of background noise in many areas. For instance the kitchen area contains many refrigerators, ice makers and freezer units all running compressors. Because of this, the audio quality in much of the recordings, which use very sensitive microphones, isn't optimal, and of course the resulting EVPs are in many cases further distorted.

However, below are the resulting EVPs we obtained that evening.

EVPs:
These are clips from unfiltered, unaltered audio files and slight filtered/trimmed copies used to clarify what is being said. However the filtered/altered files are not considered "evidence" in themselves, they are for analysis only, and presented here for that purpose. EVPs tend to be rather soft voices and oddly modulated, so it helps to use good quality headphones, a higher volume and play the file several times.

	EVP Scale	Meaning
	+++	excellent EVP quality
	++	good, easily understood
	+	not bad, understandable
	-	so-so, understandable but not easily
	--	weak modulation or higher noise, hard to understand
	---	probably an EVP, but very hard to make out, if at all

EVP Scale	Raw Audio File Filtered &/or Trimmed Audio Files	Location	Legend: Investigator's Voice "EVP" (comments)
Chuck's Audio:
+	DS300002_02-51-30 DS300002_02-51-30_trim DS300002_02-51-30_trim_filtered	Banquet Room	Can you give us a sign that you’re here? “I don’t like the séances” by knocking (we were just talking about the fact they used to hold séances in the banquette room)
-	DS300002_03-00-18 DS300002_03-00-18_filtered DS300002_03-00-18_filtered_trim	Banquet Room	What was your favorite drink? “Rum & Coke” (weak)
-	DS300002_03-08-16 DS300002_03-08-16_filtered	Banquet Room	Pick it up, what ever you wanta do “I don’t _____” (gets weak near the end)
---	DS300002_05-54-59 (filtering failed to make it any clearer)	Banquet Room	(After we’d asked for it’s name) “___ ____”
+	DS300002_05-56-30 DS300002_05-56-30_filtered	Banquet Room	Felt like foot steps – There’s a lot of knocking or foot steps right above me “Don’t command ___ ____”
---	LS100010_00-17-58 (filtering failed to make it any clearer)	Ground Floor	(Might be saying something like) “It wasn’t me”
+	LS100010_00-30-36 LS100010_00-30-36_filtered	Ground Floor	Can you do this for me? (knocking) “I don’t like to make noise” (followed by Tammy talking)
++	LS100010_00-40-34 LS100010_00-40-34_filtered	Ground Floor	Ice maker thing back there almost took a finger off (laugh) “Yah, It’s bad”
-	LS100010_00-44-32 LS100010_00-44-32_filtered LS100010_00-44-32_filtered_trim	Ground Floor	If you want us to go back in the kitchen, give us a sign that you do “I don’t really care” (clicking of a flashlight)
--	LS100011_00-21-40 LS100011_00-21-40_filtered LS100011_00-21-40_filtered_trim	Ground Floor	I want you to shut the blue flashlight off “I don’t want to, Pal” The male, the male who’s still here with us
--	LS100011_00-27-46 (filtering failed to make it any clearer)	Ground Floor	Can you shut the pink flashlight off? “_____” Watch the temperature too to see if it goes up again – OK “______” it just went down^, it went down then up, now it’s going up (at the ^, sounds like there are a couple more words being said)
---	LS100012_00-03-28 (filtering failed to make it any clearer)	Banquette Room	As long as it’s nothing rude “_____” to keep things civil “____”
---	LS100012_00-05-56 (filtering failed to make it any clearer)	Banquette Room	“________” If you just said something, can you please repeat that? (Same time George’s EVP was recorded)
-	LS100012_00-06-38 LS100012_00-06-38_flitered_trim	Banquette Room	It was definitely a voice “Ya, __ ___ ___ ___ ____”
+	LS100013_00-34-45 LS100013_00-34-45_filtered LS100013_00-34-45_filtered_trim	Upstairs Sitting Area	Can you please talk into the device I’m holding? “I’m here by _____”
+	LS100013_00-35-51 LS100013_00-35-51_filtered	Upstairs Sitting Area	(sounds of movement) “Is Brian here?” (or "Is bright in here")
+	STE-000_00-01-42 STE-000_00-01-42_filtered STE-000_00-01-42_filtered_trim	Banquet Room	Want to say hello? (2 knocks) “Mufflin” (or something like that) “Keep waiting to talk to him” (fades near the end)
-	STE-000_00-07-43 STE-000_00-07-43_trim STE-000_00-07-43_trim_filtered	Banquet Room	But this one seems to be pretty good “I think this is the right person” And ya know
+	STE-000_00-08-06 STE-000_00-08-06_trim STE-000_00-08-06_trim_filtered	Banquet Room	I keep hearing a moaning noise, Ya, male voice though “Keep hoping you can help me... Huh”
-	STE-001_00-00-09 STE-001_00-00-09_trim_filtered	Kitchen	Light up these green lights “I don't” They won’t hurt you
-	STE-001_00-00-20 STE-001_00-00-20_filtered STE-001_00-00-20_filtered_trim	Kitchen	Move your hand in front of it “I will” and we’ll start talking to you
-	STE-002_00-29-34 STE-002_00-29-34_filtered	Upstairs Sitting Area	But ya, it’ll take a while, and probably all the cameras “You talk like ____” and make sure you put everything back, we’re gonna run into …
+	20100530224655_00-00-00 20100530224655_00-00-00_filtered	Upstairs Hallway	“Nothing… again” (delay) “F__k” (a lot being said, but in the middle is a pretty clear female voice saying an f-bomb)
+	20100530224751_00-05-52 20100530224751_00-05-52_filtered	Upstairs Hallway	(weird garbled sounds, followed by) “F__k, They’re coming back”
+	20100530225606_00-01-33 20100530225606_00-01-33_filtered	Upstairs Hallway	Is there anyone in the bathroom with me? “Lyle, run” (very soft) (floor creaks) “Lyle” (or something similar) What’s your name?
--	20100530225606_00-02-21 20100530225606_00-02-21_filtered	Upstairs Hallway	Can you knock on the wall or the floor for us, tell us you’re here? “No.. I don’t want to”
++	20100530225606_00-02-59 20100530225606_00-02-59_filtered	Upstairs Hallway	Hum, (Tammy and George talk in the background) It’s hard to tell “Chuck” Ya, it’s hard to tell (whispers and more talking as I ask if anyone said my name)
--	20100530225606_00-16-03 (filtering failed to make it any clearer)	Upstairs Hallway	(As we talk about the building being old and the wiring)(@11 sec) “Really old”
+	20100530225606_00-17-11 20100530225606_00-17-11_filtered 20100530225606_00-17-11_filtered_trim	Upstairs Hallway	Like a thump, um hum, “What happened” (male) “I don’t know… _____ his camcorder” (female) Can you make this light up
++	20100530225606_00-23-11 (filtering failed to make it any clearer)	Upstairs Hallway	(as we talk about the K-II reacting to something like the voice recorder, there is a clear voice that says something)
+	20100531002015_00-21-01 20100531002015_00-21-01_trim 20100531002015_00-21-01_trim_filtered	Back Kitchen	Yours pink? “They were” pink one is the one that “talking” (sounds like two voices) keeps going off “to her” (softer) Touch the blue flashlight, make the blue one go off
-	20100531010607_00-00-25 20100531010607_00-00-25_filtered_trim	Banquette Room	Can you make that door creak for us? (pop) “No, we’re not allowed to… make… noise”
-	20100531010607_00-02-30 20100531010607_00-02-30_filtered_trim	Banquette Room	By knocking (movement and a groan) “Hey, you won’t see anything”
---	20100531010607_00-14-17 (filtering failed to make it any clearer)	Banquette Room	What’s your name? “Can’t tell you”
---	20100531010607_00-16-51 (filtering failed to make it any clearer)	Banquette Room	Did your children know what you did for a living? “They didn’t know___”
-	20100531014509_00-02-32 20100531014509_00-02-32_filtered_trim	Upstairs Hallway	Can you tell us your name? “Collette” I’m not hearing it from down here on the audio of this thing, but…
-	20100531021954_00-00-13 20100531021954_00-00-13_filtered	Upstairs Hallway	“Sure is bright in here” (breathing and movement)
-	20100531021954_00-00-51 20100531021954_00-00-51_filtered	Upstairs Hallway	“Charles” “for goodness sake… someone do that” Like, the K-II hasn’t even moved down there
-	20100531021954_00-01-12 20100531021954_00-01-12_filtered 20100531021954_00-01-12_filtered_trim	Upstairs Hallway	Which is, I don’t know (giggle) “Thank you Wilfred” “You can backtalk to Chuck, huh”
+	20100531021954_00-02-16 20100531021954_00-02-16_filtered	Upstairs Hallway	“Why John can hear it” (movement & tapping) “I don’t know” (softer)
--	20100531043625_00-09-35 20100531043625_00-09-35_trim_filtered	Upstairs Empty Room	Wouldn’t take too much to knock it over “______” (several words being said but I can’t make it out)
--	20100531043625_00-09-43 20100531043625_00-09-43_trim 20100531043625_00-09-43_trim_filtered	Upstairs Empty Room	And you can knock on the wall for us “I don’t wanta do that, ___” (very weak and hard to make out)
--	20100531043625_00-10-20 20100531043625_00-10-20_trim 20100531043625_00-10-20_trim_filtered	Upstairs Empty Room	Is the woman in the room? (delay) “I killed her baby” (long delay) “I put it in the fire” (or could say "Water") Is that you guys whispering? – No I heard that too – Ya I thought it was you guys
--	20100531043625_00-11-21 20100531043625_00-11-21_trim 20100531043625_00-11-21_trim_filtered	Upstairs Empty Room	Can you laugh again, so we can all hear it this time? - Ya George and I didn’t get to hear you “I… can’t… I can’t ___” (long delay) "Keep quiet” (last part is very faint)
--	20100531043625_00-15-02 20100531043625_00-15-02_trim 20100531043625_00-15-02_trim_filtered	Upstairs Empty Room	Are you a murderer? “Yes” (male voice) Ya, rumor has it....
George's Audio:
-	100530_000_00-02-33 100530_000_00-02-33_trim 100530_000_00-02-33_trim_filtered	Dance Floor	Did you used to stay in this place, when it was a hotel? “They.. should be.. arrested.. for this” (very soft at the end) Hear that knocking? Ya, I was just going to ask if that was you. Nope
+	100530_000_00-02-54 100530_000_00-02-54_filtered	Dance Floor	No “Damn it” So you used to… (might also be “Kevin”)
+	100530_001_00-00-37 100530_001_00-00-37_filtered	Upstairs Empty Room	Can they not trust us? “Will you please.. get out of this place”
--	100531_005_00-04-05 100531_005_00-04-05_trim 100531_005_00-04-05_trim_filtered	Rear Kitchen	Are you laughing at us? "don’t what to _____"
+	100531_006_00-06-30 100531_006_00-06-30_trim 100531_006_00-06-30_trim_filtered	Banquette Room	“God damn it” “What is it?” “They must not hear me talking” If you just said something, can you please repeat that?
-	100531_006_00-07-27 100531_006_00-07-27_trim 100531_006_00-07-27_trim_filtered	Banquette Room	Do you like that it’s a full moon out? (delay) “_____ _____ _____ ____ ____” Is it? It’s pretty close
-	100531_006_00-07-40 100531_006_00-07-40_trim 100531_006_00-07-40_trim_filtered	Banquette Room	Do you ever go outside? "I’m scared to" You should, tonight's actually a beautiful night, although we'd rather you stayed in here and had fun with us
+	100531_011_00-06-27 100531_011_00-06-27_filtered	Upstairs Empty Room	Know the end to this? (knocking “Shave and a hair cut” minus the last two knocks) “_____ _____” (two words at least)
+	100531_011_00-13-20 100531_011_00-13-20_filtered	Upstairs Empty Room	(might be two voices saying) “I’ve been watching it.. it’s god damn bright” “yes it is”)

Conclusion:

As we stated, many of these EVPs are not of the best quality, but we believe they at the very least reflect an interactive voice, and not that of the four people present at the time.

Considering the above evidence, we have no hesitation in concluding the Pleasanton Hotel to be, in fact, haunted.

It's a very nice old building, and the restaurant has very good food for a reasonable price. We recommend going there if you are in the Pleasanton area. And say hello to it's ghosts...

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