“We can still hear the sounds of children playing in the auditorium at certain quiet times during the day,” says one city worker. Another person swears she has heard ghostly footsteps of children running up and down the stairs as if they were on their way to their classrooms.
Sixty-two years after gold was discovered near Sacramento, California, H. A. McClelland purchased 250 acres of land in 1908 to develop the Elmhurst neighborhood. The City of Sacramento annexed the neighborhood in 1911. When the need for a school was determined, Elmhurst School was built for the neighborhood in 1921. A year later, the school was expanded and renamed “Coloma School”. The school operated for 57 years before closing in 1978.
The facility was saved from demolition when the Sacramento City Council decided to purchase it, and in 1981 the facility was originally dedicated as the Coloma Community Center, a visual and performing art center. The building has meeting rooms, one dance room, and a full performance auditorium with a stage for various activities. Parks and Recreation staff are housed in the upstairs portion of the building and recreational services, classes and events are offered there.
The chalkboards have long since been painted over. There are still nooks and crannies everywhere, random corners enshrouded in the unique brick architecture from a long-ago era.
Although children happily visit the playground and park daily, there is a belief that when the school had to close its doors, the ghosts of broken-hearted school children still haunt the building to this day.
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I really enjoy your posts!
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I moved over to the Center from another City office over a year ago; and I love it. I enter the building early in the morning–sometimes, the first one there. I always get a warm, good feeling from the building. A couple of times, walking down the hall from the restroom, I thought I saw a coworker from the corner of my eye, and turned to say hi to them, and no one was there. Really surprised me, because I really thought I felt/saw someone 🙂 Enjoy your posts Terri!
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Thanks, Karen, for sharing your comment! So nice to hear from you and hope you are doing well! I miss seeing you!
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I adore old buildings, too. The past is comforting and mysterious. I’m curious about those “nooks and crannies” and the shadowy voices!
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Good post. I’m oddly nostalgic about “old” building like this. For some reason I find the memories (and the ghosts :-)) comforting as reminders of simpler times. Sounds strange…I’m sure! My wife just rolls her eyes at me 🙂
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Thank you! It is very interesting working in these old brick buildings, and many people feel as you do!
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Nice post for this time of year. I like to think that ghosts are real, and that there are good ones who revisit people and places they loved in their lifetime.
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Thank you! I think ghost/spirits are real and they could be described as ultra-dimensional beings…cue the scary music 🙂
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So nice to hear about this old school, with a nice little Halloween twist!
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I’m so glad the building was “recycled.” That doesn’t always happen, sadly.
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