Kate Morgan's Ghost & the Haunted Room at the Hotel Del Coronado

Home > Hotel Del Coronado Ghost (Kate Morgan Murder)

On 33 oceanfront acres sits a Victorian castle called the Hotel Del Coronado, "The Del" was completed in 1888. When it was built, the hotel was the largest structure outside of New York City to be electrically lighted and Thomas Edison himself supervised the installation of the incandescent lamp invention. L. Frank Baum, the author of the Wizard of Oz, did much of his writing here, and is said to have based his designs for the Emerald City on the hotel.

Other famous people to have stayed at the Del include Presidents, Charles Lindbergh, Marilyn Monroe, and it is rumored that King Edward VIII first met Wallis Simpson, the woman he would abdicate the throne to marry, at the Del.

The Ghosts

There are two rooms at the Del that are reportedly haunted. The rooms are 3502 and 3312, originally 302. The resident ghost is Kate Morgan. She checked into room 302 in November of 1892 and never checked out. Her spirit is said to haunt this room to this day. Room 3502 is also reported to have similar occurrences of phantom noises, flickering lights, off scents, and curtains billowing when no one is there to disturb them and the windows are closed. Read on if you dare...

Kate Morgan

Kate Morgan, a lovely but troubled Iowa woman, checked in at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego in 1892 - and possibly has never left.

What some people consider to be Morgan's ghost has startled hotel employees, guests and even psychic researchers for decades. Many report seeing a beautiful woman in her 20s with long dark hair and wearing period dress, as in the hotel illustration above.

The famous hotel, which was used in the movie "Some Like It Hot," has documented many reports of paranormal activity in Room 3327, which was Room 3312 when Morgan stayed there. Lights flicker, TVs turn themselves on and off, there are sudden temperature shifts and footsteps on the floor above - although there is no room above.

Morgan was born Kate Farmer in Hamburg. On Dec. 30, 1885, in Hamburg, Kate married Tom Morgan, who some say became a gambler who worked aboard trains. Kate possibly became an accomplice.

Kate was alone when she registered at "the Del" as "Lottie A. Bernard" on Nov. 24, 1892, appearing under stress and ill. Possibly she was pregnant. She told employees she was awaiting her "brother," describing him as a doctor. He never showed up.

Five days after checking in, Morgan was found dead on an exterior stairway leading to the beach. She had died of a gunshot wound to the head, and the San Diego County coroner ruled her death a suicide. Because Morgan had brought no personal belongings with her, police sought the public's help in learning her identity. A witness came forward and said he had seen Morgan days before, arguing with a man on a train en route to San Diego.

The mystery surrounding the Iowa woman's demise remains unsolved. What remains is a legend, and the celebrity spirit of Kate Morgan.


Related Links:

Hotel Del Coronado (book a room, if you aren't too scared...)

Find More Coronado Hotels

Read more about this ghost story...photos!

Wikipedia's page for Kate Morgan

A book about the ghost of Kate Moran on Amazon.com

A great article on the history of the ghosts in the Hotel Del