Seattle Washington
Pike Place Market
A variety of gentle entities have strong connections to this Pike Place Market.
Except for one unhappy spirit, they enjoy
Pike Place, mingling alongside the living, sometimes looking just like them
DESCRIPTION
The Pike Place Market is the centerpiece of Seattle’s seventeen-acre historic section. Like many other cities with the foresight to renovate their historic city sections, Seattle knows the importance of encouraging tourists to bring revenues into the city of Seattle, whether its from the underground tour of old Seattle, ghost tours, or from shopping at the Pike Place Market, with its glorious view of Seattle’s waterfront.
It is no wonder that The Pike Place Market is an extremely popular place for residents and tourists alike. More than 600 small business vendors offer everything they could ask for. Merchants offer fresh foods of every kind, from fruits and vegetables to meat, fresh fish and herbs. Others sell all kinds of flowers, a huge variety of beautiful arts and crafts, souvenirs, books and other items. It is the place to find just about anything!
HISTORY
In 1907, the Seattle City council opened the Pike Place Market on a newly built four-block boardwalk along the waterfront, because of the rumors going around town that food prices were fixed. About a dozen farmers set up shop and found that people were eager to buy their produce at such fair prices. The land was developed over the objections of the local Duwamish Indians who considered it sacred, but they had no power or influence.
The first building was built in 1907 by a Pike Place landowner named Frank Goodwin, who made his fortune from Klondike gold. In the first ten years, a number of multi-level buildings were erected, most of which continue to make up the permanent arcades of the market today.
Because of its reasonable prices, the market expanded during the Great Depression. In the late 1930s, other businesses, including hotels, restaurants and theaters were built in the Pike Place Market area. The city of Seattle boasted that Pike Place was “The Finest Public Market In The World.”
During World War 2, it continued to thrive, still the center of community activity. Dances were held here, organized by Boeing workers.
However, during the late 1940s and through the 1950s, new, suburban supermarkets took a big chunk of the business away from the Pike Place Market, not only because they were more convenient for people, but also because the increased traffic in the downtown area made it harder to shop there.
Despite this, Pike Place Market was still breaking even in the 1960s, mainly due to the loyal arts and crafts small businesses and their customers. However, the sagging condition its early 20th century buildings, which were looking not only long in the tooth, but bordered on being a dangerous eyesore, seemed to doom the Pike Place Market to the wrecking ball.
Thankfully, a motivated, dedicated preservation group sprang up: “Save the Market Campaign.” Through its efforts, Seattle voters established a seventeen-acre historic district authorizing a newly formed Public Development Authority to renovate, repair and manage the Market’s main structures in the election held on November 2nd, 1971.
A big thank you is in order for the people of Seattle for saving the Pike Place Market!
HISTORY OF MANIFESTATIONS
Being in Spirit form doesn’t stop some people from continue to do in their afterlives what they loved doing in life.
Lake Hotel, WY (The spirit of a porter is still helping guests with their luggage).
Brewery Art Center, NV (The spirit of a dedicated Masonic maintenance officer continues to fulfill his duties).
Pike Place Market, WA (Three spirits still enjoy their activities here. A spirit of a well-dressed male still loves to dance, a former Pike Place Market director still goes about his business, and Chief Seattle’s eldest daughter, Kickisomlo, is spending her afterlife at the market).
Background on Kickisomlo –
She was called Princess Angeline by her white friends. In 1855, when the Duwamish Indians were told by the authorities to leave Seattle and go to a reservation, she told them to go pound sand, and she stayed, making her home in a waterfront cabin (between Pike and Pine Streets).
She made her living doing laundry for people and selling her hand-woven baskets to the people of Seattle, who appreciated her very much.When she died in 1896 at the age of 85 on May 31, 1896, the people of Seattle gave her a fine funeral at Our Lady of Good Help, and buried her in a coffin in the shape of a canoe at Lake View Cemetery on Capitol Hill.
Restless spirits are sometimes stuck here because of unfinished business, which might be romantic, tragic, or otherwise. They might want to achieve an important goal, find forgiveness, look for their beloved, or their killer, or for someone they have wronged, or who wronged them.
Myrtles Planation, LA (The spirit of the house slave nanny seeks forgiveness for poisoning the children and their mother. She just wanted to make them sick to get back at the master who had cut off her ear).
Hunt-Phelan Inn, TN (During the Civil War, a servant was given the task of hiding the master’s valuables from the Yankees. He died before he could reveal where he buried them).
Del Frisco Steakhouse, TX (The spirit of a murder victim still searches for his murderer).
Pike Place Market, WA (The spirit of a black male displays activity that suggests he has unfinished business).
People who die from a sudden, preventable accident, are sometimes upset that they lost their lives in such a way.
Fort Worden Guard House, WA (A guard accidentally killed himself while cleaning his gun. He is still mad at himself, while still trying to perform his duties).
Willamette Heritage Center, OR (A workman was killed in the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill because of a preventable mistake that either he made, or it was the fault of a careless fellow worker. His spirit is still seething).
The Palace Theatre, NY (The restless spirit of Louis Borsalino is still ashamed and embarrassed because he fell in such a grand, famous theater, and is trying to get it right. He is doomed to fail, as the apparition always falls).
Pike Place Market, WA (A 300-pound lady had an unfortunate accident that has made her spirit restless).
Children who die sometimes wish to stay or visit in their favorite earthly place.
Shanley Hotel, NY (Three-year-old Rosie Grager, the daughter of the Shanley Hotel barber, fell down the well and drowned. The spirits of Rosie and her father are spending their afterlives together).
McRaven House, MS (The spirits of two small boys still have a blast interacting with the living).
Stranahan House Museum, FL (The spirit of a young Native American loves to stay in a place where she received love and attention from Mrs. Stranahan).
Pike Place Market, WA (A spirit child likes to visit its favorite store in Pike’s Place Market).
MANIFESTATIONS
When Seattle saved the Pike Place Market, the people also continued to provide the ghosts who haunt the buildings and grounds a place to exist. All are well-behaved, gentle entities.
The Spirit of Princess Angeline (Kickisomlo)
Described as being bent and wrinkled, wearing a red handkerchief as a head covering and a shawl around her shoulders.
Princess Angeline has been seen going about her business, trekking up and down the underground ramps of this shopping plaza.
She carries a large number of baskets to sell. She also seems to like to window shop as well.
Her father predicted that long after the Native Americans disappear from Seattle, the descendants of the white people will not be alone; the spirits of Duwamish will be with them. Spirits can come back to their ancestral homes and aren’t governed by treaties.
Every three months since 1982, Princess Angelina has startled employees at the Craft Emporium, the old Goodwill Store building, the Sound View Cafe and the book store located in this shopping plaza, formerly known as Shakespeare & Company Bookstore.
She appears as a solid form, looking very much like a real person. Only if the living look close enough, her transparency is evident.
She seems to glide along, always looking straight ahead, but she must get her chuckles by either melting into the air in front of the living; or simply gliding right through a wall!
The Spirit of a Young Male
Described as being tall, black and handsome.
The entity of a tall, black handsome young man has been seen peering out at the living from a window of the Vitium Capitale Restaurant, and has been observed in various other places throughout the market buildings.
Strange footfalls have been heard by the living in both the Left Bank Books Store and coming from empty selling spaces as well.
The Spirit of a Very Large Lady
The entity of a 300-pound lady haunts the spot where she fell to her death through the floor of the balcony above this spot.
Perhaps, she is still upset about her life ending so suddenly when she wasn’t ready to die yet.
She may be angry and wants an apology from the maintenance department for not replacing weak flooring.
It is a good thing that ghosts can’t sue the living!
The Spirit of a ChildAn apparition of a child haunts the Bead Emporium store – Don’t know why for sure.
The Spirit of a Dancer
A charming, well-mannered and well-dressed male entity, who loves to dance is seen in the area where the Boeing dances were held on the upper floor of the market, reliving the good times he had.
The Spirit Who Loved His Work
The entity of a former Pike Place Market Director, Arthur Goodwin, (probably a relative of Frank Goodwin), is still on the job, checking up on the living, to see if things are running smoothly.
PARANORMAL FINDINGS
These spirits have been active for years, and have appeared in front of many people. Visitors, locals, and shop keepershave had personal experiences with these gentle yet determined souls.
They have appeared fully life-like so many times that it was easy to figure out who they were and sometimes why they were still here.
The spirit ofPrincess Angeline (Kickisomlo) was identified because of the clear pictures taken by a photographer.
STILL HAUNTED?
Very much so, indeed!
Princess Angelina, when alive, was one of Seattle’s first self-employed, motivated entrepreneurs, even at the age of 85! Though she wasn’t allowed to have a selling stall in the Pike Place Market, she sure does visit the place now, and perhaps living her dream of bringing her baskets actually inside the market, and letting the living know that what her father predicted has come true.
The other entities also call the Pike Place Market their home, each for their own reason. To find out more about these entities which keep the living on their toes, plan to go on a Ghost Tour.
LOCATION
1501 Pike Place Market
Seattle, Washington 98101
The Pike Place Market can be found in downtown Seattle off of First Street, by the waterfront.
SOURCES INCLUDE
- GHOST STORIES OF WASHINGTON
by Barbara Smith
Lone Pine Publishing
2000 - HAUNTED PLACES: THE NATIONAL DIRECTORY
by Dennis William Hauck
Our Haunted Paranormal Stories are Written by Julie Carr
Our Photos are copyrighted by Tom Carr
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