The Haunting of Laurel Swamp
by Laurie Thompson
As Halloween approaches, I came across a Marin “ghost story” that was new to me. In fact, not only the story but also the venue in which the haunting took place, were new to me.
The ghost story is recounted in the March 27, 1869 Marin Journal and attributed to “An Old Resident”:
It is stated that a veritable ghost exists in the vicinity of the Laurel Swamp, and which frequently makes its appearance near the residence of Ramon Valencia. It appears about nightfall in the guise of a woman enveloped in a shawl, after the style of old Spanish women, carrying a bundle, and can be seen at a respectable distance, but apparently disappears upon the approach of any one. The inmates of the house are very much annoyed with the visits of this unearthly nocturnal guest and express their intention of vacating the place. Whether this is the result of disordered mind, or that there is anything in it, time will tell. In the meantime the ghost perambulates with its bundle spreading terror to all.
Though there are several venues in Marin bearing such names as “Laurel Dell” or “Laurel Grove,” I was unfamiliar with “Laurel Swamp.”
The first clue came from late Fairfax historian Bill Allen in Fairfax and Vicinity in the News, 1861–1880, Volume One. According to Allen “Laurel Swamp was the lowland area between Manor and the eastern foot of White Hill.”
Newspaper notices, particularly those documenting the construction of the road over White’s Hill as well as the route of the North Pacific Coast Railroad, provided additional clues.
On August 27, 1874, the Marin Journal reported that “the track of the Narrow Gauge now pierces the Laurel Swamp near Brusson’s house, and is about commencing the ascent of the hill toward the tunnel.”
If we could figure out where Brusson’s house stood, we would have a good indication of where Laurel Swamp once was.
Historian Dewey Livingston and I tapped the California Room’s map collection for more answers. A map by Hiram Austin created before 1875 was helpful. A detail from that Austin map ( Austin023) was annotated by Dewey Livingston and provides our best guess as to the location of Laurel Swamp (see illustration at top).
I also wondered about Ramon Valencia, whose house had been targeted by the Laurel Swamp ghost. I discovered that Jose Ramon Valencia (1830–1907) was not only an early Marin resident and civic leader but also the descendant of a Californio who was the namesake for San Francisco’s Valencia Street. Mr. Valencia’s obituary tells us that “Joseph Ramon Valencia, [was] one of our oldest and [most] respected citizens and one of the few old-time Spanish gentlemen of these latter days….” He was born in San Francisco in 1830 and at the time of his death in 1907 had resided in Marin for 40 years. “His family was one of the leading ones in the state, Valencia street in San Francisco being named after his father.” As of 1907, some of the extended Valencia family still resided at Mission Dolores. You can read more about J. Ramon Valencia -including an episode about San Francisco’s vigilante days- in this Marin Journal tribute. The vigilante episode is recounted in-depth in the 1898 San Francisco Call.
Originally published at https://annetkent.kontribune.com.
