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Area ghosts are still kickin’ The debate over whether ghosts are fact or fiction has raged for centuries. In fact, people say there are many local areas filled with spirits, especially some of the old historical haunts that go back to the 19th century. Beware: the following events are true—at least based on the testimony of local historians and eyewitnesses: Zola Back in 1919, a 17-year-old Hungarian girl named Zola—no one knew her last name—stepped off a train in what’s now considered the city of Moorpark. Maybe she was looking for someone to pick her up. Nervously waiting to see a familiar face, Zola did not pay close attention to her surroundings. Before she could find the person who was supposed to meet her, two transients brutally murdered her, perhaps for money. Who was going to pick up Zola at the train station in Moorpark that day in 1919? Did the person or persons ever show up at all? Zola—Zola’s ghost, that is—might still be waiting to meet her party. Frank In the 1950s, the Theater on High Street in Moorpark was being refurbished. A construction worker named Frank worked on the project. He might’ve dreaded the job—couldn’t wait to finish it and move onto something else. He may have gotten his wish, but should have been careful what he wished for. Nobody knows how long Frank worked on the Theater on High Street before he died. Nobody knows how he died, either. But he didn’t leave the theater alive, that much is certain. To this day, many still feel his presence in the theater. Frank is said to frequent the dressing rooms of the theater. Some actors say they’ve felt his touch. In the 1980s, after several actors conducted a séance on the stage, one girl felt a tug from behind, as if someone stepped on the train of her very long dress. Nobody was behind her. Or maybe it was Frank. Charlie Dorn In the 1970s, Charlie Dorn operated a hotel in Moorpark. He had plenty of money, earned from the oil industry. Dorn spent much of his time and much of his money at his favorite hangout, the Cactus Patch restaurant on High Street. He might’ve been happy when he discovered he would never leave the Cactus Patch restaurant. When he died, no one seemed able to recall his death. Some say he continues spending time at the establishment. Some say Dorn is the ghost they’ve seen at the establishment. The ghost is said to be a flirt, just as Dorn was during his life. Pierre Duvon In 1889, a 35-year-old man named Pierre Duvon (or Duval) stayed at the Stagecoach Inn in Newbury Park. Duvon, like other inn guests, was likely tired from traveling all day. Maybe he wanted a drink. Maybe he wanted to stop for a few hours, maybe the night. But he got stuck at the inn for good when someone shot and killed him there. The Newbury Park Stagecoach Inn has a very famous photograph of the inn on fire. It shows a hazy apparition rising from the flames. Many people claim it’s the ghost of Duvon. While his existence has yet to be documented, many historians and eyewitnesses believe his ghost does exist. Duvon’s ghost was first sensed in the late 1960s when a psychic claimed she felt his presence in the building. The Stagecoach Inn and Museum is currently open for tours—why not go there and decide for yourself? Many other ghost stories in the area exist. Those mentioned here are but a few. According to the experts, ghosts can show up almost anywhere—even the very location where you are reading this story. Don’t be surprised if you look over your shoulder and see a shimmering apparition, or feel a cold shudder creeping through your bones. |
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