Perched on a tree-covered riverbank in the coastal town of Capitola, California there is a once-glorious mansion. Built by Henry Rispin, this “haunted house” has been abandoned for decades and now lurks in the shade just outside of easy view. In this episode, Matt discusses the history of the mansion, the ghosts who are said to haunt it, and its role in Santa Cruz County folklore.
This episode was written by Matthew Armstrong with music by Matthew Armstrong and production assistance from Kaylia Metcalfe.
The transcript for this episode can be found here.
Some photos of the Rispin Mansion taken
by The Ghosthropologist
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Show Notes and Sources
History Goes Bump In the Night Podcast
Clark, Samantha. 2015. Spooky Stories: Haunted Rispin Mansion setting for ghost stories, mysterious man. Santa Cruz Sentinel, October 26, 2015. Accessed online 2/21/23 at https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2015/10/26/spooky-stories-haunted-rispin-mansion-setting-for-ghost-stories-mysterious-man/
Gumz, Jondi. 2012. Santa Cruz Ghost Hunters make midnight visit to Capitola’s Rispin mansion. Santa Cruz Sentinel, August 14, 2012. Accessed online via East Bay Times, 2/21/23 at https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2012/08/14/santa-cruz-ghost-hunters-make-midnight-visit-to-capitolas-rispin-mansion/
Hahn, Steve. 2008. Hotel Capitola: The curse of the Rispin Mansion is about to be lifted. Metro Santa Cruz, June 11, 2008. Accessed online 2/21/23 at https://www.goodtimes.sc/archives/metro-santa-cruz/06.11.08/news-0824.html
Rivers, Robert. 1990. National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form for the Rispin Mansion Historic District. City of Capitola, CA.
Swift, Carolyn. n.d. Rispin-The Man and His Mansion. Hosted on the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History Website, accessed 2/24/23 at https://archives.santacruzmah.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Rispan-fourth.pdf
York, Jessica. 2021. ‘Rispin Mansion’ Remains Unnamed. Santa Cruz Sentinel, June 12, 2021. Accessed online 2/21/23 at https://www.pressreader.com/usa/santa-cruz-sentinel/20210612/281522229032334
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