Haunted Places – Leonis Adobe House

Posted by scarygeek on January 14, 2010 at 23:59 pm

One of the most haunted houses in the Los Angeles County, is the Leonis Adobe House.  This house is not like any other haunted place I have written about.  This house is haunted by a woman named Espiritu Chujilla, who just so happens to be my great-great-grandmother.   

The Leonis Adobe House was built in 1844, and is one of the oldest surviving homes in the area.  It is located in what is now Calabasas, California.  It was registered with the The National Register of Historic Places in 1975, and now serves as a museum. 

Leonis Adobe, acquired the house in the mid 1800’s.  He purchased half of the property from its dying owner, but the second half he acquired by marrying a widowed mission Indian named Espiritu Chujilla.  She lived with Leonis in the house for 30 years, until 1889 when he was killed after suffering from injuries received when he was run over by his own wagon.  His Will was read soon after his death, and in it, he denied Espiritu as his wife, and referred to her as his “Faithful Housekeeper.”  The property was worth $1,000,000.00 at the time of his death, he left Espiritu $10,000.00, and left the remaining property to his siblings.  There was a 15 year legal battle over the estate, and Espiritu suffered greatly.  Having no money, she was forced to eat what she could find or hunt down, sometimes eating the acorns that she picked off of the ground.  Even though several witnesses testified that Leonis acknowledged Espiritu as his wife, his siblings wanted the estate.  She even showed them the grave of their only daughter who died before adulthood.  His name was on the grave, identifying him as her father.  Anyway, she ended up being awarded half of the estate, but was taken advantage of by lawyers, and lost all of the property by bogus lawsuits. Espiritu lived in the Leonis Adobe house until her death in 1906, at which time her son, by her first marriage, moved his family into the home. 

The house was named one of the most haunted places in Los Angeles, and was featured on the British television show “Most Haunted” in 2005.  Many of the people that work and visit the house have reported having paranormal experiences.  There have been reports of very clearly heard voices on both levels of the home, but when checked, there is never anyone to be found.  A shadow figure of a woman on the upstairs balcony has been reported seen by passers by.  There was even a report of a woman who was standing on the balcony, who was pulled back by an invisible set of hands, at the exact time that the balcony collapsed.  Leonis himself, has been seen walking his dog, and even on his deathbed.  Footsteps on the upper floor and stairways, and a strong smell of soap, are always a commonly reported experience. 

I honestly can’t wait to take my family to the house.  I am looking forward to taking some good pictures and maybe even asking Espiritu to take one with me.  If you have any stories to share, please email me at lisa@scarygeek.com.  I would love to read them, and with permission, post them to my site.