The Haunted Leonis Adobe

The historic Leonis Adobe is a quiet place now; only the occasional muffled sound of traffic intrudes upon the silence. One can almost imagine what it must have been like to visit this prosperous ranch house a century ago. Imagination, though, cannot account for the many mysterious things that have happened at the old adobe over the years; so many things that today the place is believed by many to be one of the most haunted sites in Los Angeles County!

"Chiquita!" came the harsh whisper in the night, "Chiquita, Chiquita!" The watchman was sleeping on a cot on the second floor that night when he heard the mysterious voice. When he checked, there was no one there. He later learned that "Chiquita" is Spanish for "Little Girl," and it was the nickname of Espiritu Leonis, the wife of the builder of the adobe. Others say that, when they drive past the house late at night, they have seen the image of a lady in a long black dress standing on the balcony. When they check, there is no one there. The ghost that walks the thick walled home, now a museum, may well be the restless spirit of Espiritu.

She was a Native American who had inherited the Rancho El Escorpion upon the death of her husband. When she married Basque adventurer Miguel Leonis, he took control of the 1100 acre estate. He added to the ranch, growing rich and powerful. He was known as "El Basque Grandee" and, with his army of Mexicans and Indians, he controlled the area like a feudal baron

In 1889, Leonis died in an accident while returning home after winning a lawsuit. Espiritu continued to live in the house until her death in 1906. The house went through many hands until, in 1962, it was designated "Historic Cultural Monument No. 1" by the newly formed Cultural Heritage Board of the Municipal Art Department of the City of Los Angeles. It was at this time when the place was undergoing renovation, that the stories of ghosts and odd happenings first were told. Ghostly footsteps were heard on the stairway to the second floor and dark shadows hovered in the twilight. A psychic woman visiting the house several years ago had a curious encounter with the resident ghost. She was on the second floor when she heard a breathing sound beside her, "like a sigh." Then she felt a cold gust of wind race behind her, sending a ripple of shivers up her spine It was the same sort of feeling one might have if someone was passing very close to you running, but when she turned she was very much alone. She had not heard the stories of the ghosts at the old Calabasas Adobe, and it was years later that she learned that the site was indeed haunted.

Another visitor was also walking the grounds of the Leonis Adobe, when he heard voices like two men speaking Spanish on the second floor of the place. He could hear them plainly, but when he looked, there was no one on the balcony. He even went up to the second floor, using the one stairway. He saw no one come down and no one was present in the house. When he walked to the second floor he was quite alone! He was positive that it was the voice of a man he heard, and the Spanish he recognized as having an odd accent. He could make out only the words for "horse" and "sheep."

One volunteer is glad to have ghosts here, for she believes that the ghost may well have saved her life! She was leaning on the railing on the second floor when two powerful hands seized her by the shoulders and pulled her back, inside the house, just as the balcony collapsed! When she turned to thank her rescuer, she discovered that there was no one there!

Perhaps the oddest event to happen at the Leonis Adobe might be classified as "retrocognition," that is, seeing an event from the past. A young girl ran from the upstairs bedroom, screaming that she had seen a man in the master bedroom, a man with a black beard and covered with bloody bandages! He was moaning while he was lying on the bed. The group checked, and there was no one there. It was that room where the injured Miguel Leonis was brought after his accident, and it was here, bandaged and bloodied, that he passed out of this life.

"There is something here…" explains Wendy Peddicord, a guide at the adobe. "There are feelings here unlike any other place I’ve ever been to. One of the (staff) used to tell me that she felt totally drained after leaving the house." The sudden loss of energy is a factor that is found in stories of haunted houses throughout history.