Jason Andrew ([info]nixxignatius) wrote in [info]seattle,
@ 2005-10-06 12:43:00
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Looking for Seattle-centric Urban Legends
Hi,

I am working on a project and I am looking for Seattle Urban Legends.

If you know of a good one, please send it to jasonbandrew@yahoo.com or post here.

I'm looking for urban legends that set in Seattle and couldn't happen anywhere else. Retelling the story with the guy with a hook in Seattle doesn't count.

The spookier the better.

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[info]bebopboy
2005-10-06 07:58 pm UTC (link)
The tale of the duck-eating sturgeon will forever strike fear into my heart.

Um... it's a sturgeon, that's really big, and eats ducks.

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[info]wankle
2005-10-06 08:08 pm UTC (link)
Holy shit, I've never heard anyone else (besides myself, and the person I heard it from) talk about the Duck Eating Sturgeon. Where did you hear that one originally?

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[info]bebopboy
2005-10-06 08:11 pm UTC (link)
I think my crew coach at Mt Baker Crew mentioned it once, and then me and my friends started talking about it all the time when we were rowing/sailing/wakeboarding/swimming whatever in the lake.

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[info]wankle
2005-10-06 08:14 pm UTC (link)
That's funny, I heard it from the sailing instructors at the Seattle Yacht Club, back when I took classes in High School. They would point to some cormorant or other bird as it dove under the water and say "See, the sturgeon got it!"

I tell people about it all the time now.

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Snopes is your friend
[info]loree
2005-10-06 08:03 pm UTC (link)
(Trying again, with corrected HTML)

Did Chief Seattle give the environmental speech he's become famous for?
Was Washington's Mount Rainier named after Rainier Beer?
Did members of Led Zeppelin pleasure a groupie with a mud shark?
Has Microsoft developed the iLoo, an Internet-capable portable toilet?
A story about two hitchhikers and not judging a book by its cover
Did a man get a refund for a snow tire from Nordstrom, a store that doesn't sell tires?
Thief who tries to rob a gun shop is shot dead by those in the store
Woman finds out on radio call-in program that her boyfriend is married

Search for Seattle, there's tons of 'em.

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[info]chance1562
2005-10-06 08:07 pm UTC (link)
There's Andrew's Rainbow House which is pretty Seattle specific. Try finding it on http://www.theshadowlands.net/places/washington.htm

I've looked for the house but I've never found it, its an interesting story though.

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[info]wankle
2005-10-06 08:11 pm UTC (link)
Hmm, that house might be the one in W. Seattle that is painted that way, I think it has an "A" on the roof too, and the back does have all kinds of swirls, and other odd things. It's just a couple blocks from my Aunt's place in the Admiral area, and she said that the someone who lived there was a sex offender, or something like that.

If you wanted to see it, I could probably give you the address.

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[info]nixxignatius
2005-10-06 08:16 pm UTC (link)
Thank you that would be appreciated.

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[info]wankle
2005-10-06 08:22 pm UTC (link)
From looking at a map, I think it's the corner of 46th SW and SW Walker, I could be a block off, but it's really close to there. It is on a North-South street (probably 46th) on the West side of the street facing East. Hard to miss it once you're close.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=46th+ave+SW+and+SW+Walker,+Seattle,+wa&iwloc=A&hl=en

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[info]chance1562
2005-10-06 08:31 pm UTC (link)
If you can find it, that's be great, but no worries if you can't! I'm sure I'll stumble on it one day ;)

Another great Urban Legend/Ghost Legend specific to the Seattle area is the 13 Steps to Hell in Maltby Cemetary. They filled it in with concrete but it was there and was extremely creepy. My sister used to go their a lot (before the trespassing laws were invoked) to hang out - back in the '80s - and said a lot of creepy stuff happened. Inlcluding the steps.

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[info]wankle
2005-10-06 08:47 pm UTC (link)
I posted the address/map in a comment above this one.

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[info]grammarcub
2005-10-06 08:08 pm UTC (link)
The scariest Seattle urban legend I know? Apparently, there was this guy who went into a Starbucks, and they were OUT OF VANILLA SYRUP AND SOY MILK. So he goes to the Starbucks across the street, and they were OUT OF VANILLA SYRUP AND SOY MILK, TOO. Then he goes to the Starbucks down the block, and they were OUT OF VANILLA SYRUP AND SOY MILK, TOO! In his crazy, caffeine-free-fueled haze, he went insane and boarded the bus on the Ride-Free Zone, never to get off.

He's still out there somewhere ... just aimlessly riding one of the downtown buses, furiously scheming for his half-caf wet soy cap with a shot of 'nilla. So you should always cover the side of your coffee cup when you're on the bus, just in case your drink order catches his eye and he tries to take it from you ...

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[info]wankle
2005-10-06 08:27 pm UTC (link)
I love local urban legends.

There are a few good ones related to Bainbridge Island. My favorite one was a legend about the "Jeremy Bunker" in Ft. Ward, on the south end of the island. The idea was that the kid from the Pearl Jam song Jeremy killed himself in a bunker at the old Fort, and it was hanuted. Of course, that's not what the song was about at all, but it sure sounded good in High School!

Ft. Ward had a bunch of legends related to it, it's a pretty creepy area overall, and lots of old bunkers and things to explore and tell stories about. Supposedly there was/is a tunnel connecting it to another park on the island that was used as a missile silo at some point. The park used to be a Nike missile battery site, that much is true, but I've never heard any confirmation about the tunnels.

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[info]my_ophelia
2005-10-06 08:30 pm UTC (link)
What about the haunted house on the corner of Fletcher Bay and Battle Point Drive. You know the one...

Apparently it's haunted by the spirit of an old Japanese couple back from WWII.

Tell me more, I'm curious.

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[info]wyntermoonwolf
2005-10-06 08:39 pm UTC (link)
My house seems to be haunted - My ex-girlfriend (when she wasn't my ex) and I would hear doors slamming in the house where there are no doors to slam. Been quiet of late though.

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[info]animimi
2005-10-06 09:17 pm UTC (link)
Maybe the ghost moved out with the ex?

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[info]wyntermoonwolf
2005-10-06 09:41 pm UTC (link)
That's the same thing I thought of when I entered the post. I think I'll fire an email her way later tonight when she's at work and see.

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[info]wankle
2005-10-06 08:46 pm UTC (link)
God, I wish I could remember more of them, there were a couple good ghost stories, one of a hitchhiker on New Brooklyn road that was looking for a ride to the ferry at night, and you were always supposed to pick her up and offer her a ride. Similar one on Old Mill Rd., I think that one was a girl in a prom dress. Typical ghost stuff.

I seem to remember more creepy stuff about Ft. Ward, but I can't remember any specifics. I always thought it was really weird down there in general. It's probably so developed now, all the mystique is gone.

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[info]freudian_slip
2005-10-06 08:40 pm UTC (link)
there is the maltby cemetery and the 13 steps to hell. not sure if you wanted seattle specific or suburbs would work.

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[info]silentpartner10
2005-10-06 09:57 pm UTC (link)
Tell me more about this...

I think I remember way back in high school one of the students in my class was in a car accident. The roumor that went around before they came back to school was that they were on their way back from trying to tempt fate at the Maltby Cemetery and the 13 steps to hell.

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[info]jackal_child
2007-05-15 09:57 pm UTC (link)
The version of the legend I heard was from middle school (mid-90's) and then was repeated in high school. The gist was that there's a cult in the area and the one of the initiation rites was to write your name on a blade, go down the 13 wooden steps and stick the blade in the ground in front of the wood door there. Supposedly a girl, many years ago did this, but caught her sleeve (don't you just hate those baggy sleeved robes?) under the blade and scared herself to death. The steps themselves, when you went down them, you were supposed to be able to hear the voices of hell grow louder each step you descended. I went to the site just a couple years ago. Someone already mentioned that the cemetary's been filled with cement. There are no steps and no cement. It's a terraced (steps cut into a hillside), dilapidated cemetary with some cement blocks strewn at the bottom. For anyone who does go, it is still marked as private property and the only parking is at the bottom of the hill om a gravel pull out (no markers indicating what's in the woods, of course, you just need to know what you're looking for).

People who've gone to the site and shot with a film camera at night have caught floating orbs. I went during the day and shot with an older digital camera. I had a fair amount of difficulty dealing with the lighting that I normally don't have, and trouble dealing with blurry images regardless of whether I held the camera or rested it somewhere. I did come out with several good pics and left some blurry ones on the disk. As the days went by, for whatever reason, the blurry ones started clearing up. What the deal is? I don't know. My advice would be this though, go during the day. The terrain isn't that nice for travelling by night. It's by far more interesting during the day when you can see everything and the amount of damage people have done to this place.

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[info]irrationalrobot
2005-10-06 09:03 pm UTC (link)
For haunted house stuff- The Harvard Exit theater is supposedly haunted, and the people at the Seattle Museum of the Mysteries (next door to the deluxe) will also tell you that their place is haunted by a WWI vet, I believe.

OTOH- they seem to believe anything there.

I'd imagine there should be some interesting stories regarding the seattle fire... have you ever taken the Seattle Underground Tour?

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[info]mcfnord
2005-10-07 12:42 am UTC (link)
I have not descended those stairs because I know it a place of trolls.

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[info]stargirl04
2005-10-06 10:17 pm UTC (link)
There are supposed to be some ghosts in Pike Place Market... Around this time of the year, there are usually some free publications about them around the market.

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UW underground system
[info]method
2005-10-06 10:35 pm UTC (link)
I heard something about Ted Bundy and a system of underground tunnels at UW. My friends snuck into the tunnels at night and I can't quite remember what they found out, but the whole tunnel/serial killer scheme is creepy.

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I don't know if they have anything to do with Ted Bundy.
[info]souzaqueen
2005-10-06 11:48 pm UTC (link)
The underground tunnels do exist under UW. They network all across the entire campus for internet and electricity. It is severely illegal to be down there because the voltage is so high in the power lines that any incident with them would result in death. I would love to go exploring in them, but I don't want to die.

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[info]supersat
2005-10-07 04:33 am UTC (link)
I believe Facilities Services actually gave a tour of the tunnel system as part of Dawg Daze last year. Unfortunately, I missed it.

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Re: UW underground system
[info]rochelle
2005-10-07 12:05 am UTC (link)
What does Ted Bundy have to do with the tunnels?

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Re: UW underground system
[info]quellybelly
2005-10-07 10:40 am UTC (link)
Ted Bundy attended the UW. Lived on the 12th floor of Mcmahon (sp?) hall.

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Haunted Belltown
[info]seattlej
2005-10-07 12:29 am UTC (link)
The Butterworth Building is reportedly haunted:
http://uptownseattle.blogspot.com/2005/10/is-1921-1st-ave-really-haunted.html

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The giant snake story
[info]platonic1
2005-10-07 12:42 am UTC (link)
There's a story about a huge python that was found hanging on the window ledge of the apartment building at the corner of Denny and Broadway...

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[info]trenchwench
2005-10-07 07:49 pm UTC (link)
Two years ago, I went on a "haunted" midnight tour of Pike Place Market. The highlights were:
1) The fat lady/barber who used to soothe her customers to sleep and pick there pockets... or at least until the day one of her customers woke up and slit her throat for her trouble.
2) The little boy in the bead shop --apparantly he occasionally runs amok and mixes up the beads after hours.
3) Chief Seattle's daughter haunts the hallways of the lower levels
4) The fighting ghosts in the meat locker - Post Alley. The fighting ghosts are my favorite - voices raised in unintelligible anger accompanied by the sounds of slaps and thuds of flesh against flesh.
5) Supposedly the ghost of a government official either jumped out or was thrown out of a window of the Polar building (the one downtown with the walrus gargoyles).

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Legends
[info]magicmumu
2006-03-09 11:23 pm UTC (link)
www.shadowlands.net/ghosts is a good place to find stories on ghosts in specific on Seattle or Washington in general I was there and when I read about Andrew's Rainbow House, I wanted to see what was there, but I can't seem to find where it's at.

Erin

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Re: Legends
[info]velmajade
2007-03-12 12:11 am UTC (link)
i went to andrew's rainbow house about a year and a half ago around halloween with my friends in our quest for haunted places in the area (we also went to maltby cemetery, which is amazing). we took photos of the house...in my photos, you can clearly see that the house number for andrew's rainbow house is 2131. i believe (but i could be mistaken) that it is on 46th ave sw, so the full address would be 2131 46th ave sw, seattle, wa, 98116. i could be mistaken on what street it's on exactly, but it's very close to this address, within three blocks.

it is on the west side of the street, and is one house north of the northwest house on an intersection, if that makes any sense. so, it's not on the corner, but there is a house on the northwest corner of the intersection and it is one house north of that house.

if you look up the address i provided in google maps or google earth or msn live search, the location it gives for the house number is a bit off, but just follow these directions to get to the area: from i-5, take the admiral way exit to get out to alki. while on sw admiral way, take a right on 44th ave sw, and a left on sw walker st. at this point, you should be very close to the house. remember, the house number is 2131.

also, definitely take a look at the back of the house, it's even crazier than the front. i went at night so that i could go up the alley behind the house to see the back.

here is the url for my photobucket page with pics of the house:

http://s102.photobucket.com/albums/m98/arashi-san/Andrews%20Rainbow%20House/?

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Re: Legends
[info]magicmumu
2007-03-12 03:46 pm UTC (link)
you really were in depth. I think I might know somewhat where that's at. I live in that general area in West Seattle, so I can take a bus there easily. Isn't there tresspassing authorities or something there that would get mad if people just walked around it or anything?

Erin

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Re: Legends
[info]velmajade
2007-03-12 03:49 pm UTC (link)
heh, yeah, i suppose that there could be problems with the authorities, though there was nobody around when i went. i've also been to maltby cemetery a couple times, and it's in someone's backyard, so you have to be really sneaky and not talk to loud or shine flashlights at the house when you're there. that place was pretty creepy.

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Re: Legends
[info]magicmumu
2007-03-26 06:04 pm UTC (link)
I have heard of that cemetary, but I have never been. I have heard a lot of these places, but I scare too easily, so I never go check them out.

Erin

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[info]jackal_child
2007-05-15 10:35 pm UTC (link)
I'm surprised no one else has mentioned these yet....

There's a hotel at Roach Harbor (there's a special on it on Evening Magazine every now and then). There's at least one woman wandering. I forget if there's someone who plays the piano at night....

Snohomish, there's a tavern somewhere, also was aired on EM.

Thornwood Castle in Lakewood, location for Stephen King's Rose Red. The wife who lived there apparently visits to-be brides in the wedding suite on their wedding day. She supposedly comes in a supportive manner. There was some media coverage when Rose Red aired the first time. You may be able to dig some of this up again. The news did some and possibly, EM did more.

Pike Place Market, the bead store...another version is a native american princess who wanders around and those who see her will die an unusual death.

Bank of America building downtown. One of the mid-to upper floors has some sort of threatening entity. Heard this from someone who worked in the building for a short time, I think as a janitor. He said that that one of his co-workers had told him about it and one night, the visitor showed up towards the end of their shift. He said it was like someone was there pushing them out, trying to get them to go away.

I'm sure the UW campus has a number of spooks. The Ceramics and Metal Arts Building where I spent two years, had a number of interesting occurences (I don't know what happened in the area. That part of campus is built on top of an old landfill. The building itself is about 30 years old. May have to dig in city records for more info). The faucets in the intermediate studio would turn on by themselves as well as the pottery wheels. In one of the senior studios, one that I took over, when working on the wheel, there was always this sense that I was being watched. If I did anything else, even if I just sat at the wheel, that feeling wasn't there. Just when I had it on and was using it. That wheel would also turn on by itself. Skeptics suggested that, being old wheels they might do that anyway, 'cept the pedals are fairly heavy and are like a see-saw, going either one way or another. There were also several mornings when I went in alone that I would see shadows whisking by as if someone had just walked by, causing papers tacked to the wall, to stir. Another incident, also early in the morning (around 4am), I had turned on one of the lights (this was a room I always kept the lights on in) before I went outside to start a kiln and when I came back a couple minutes later, it was off.

I probably have more interesting stories but I can't think of them right now. I think I may have had a bargheist in the backyard of my old house in SE Everett (vaguely seen by two different people, two different years), but otherwise undocumented.

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seattle's rainbow house
[info]kellieshea420
2007-06-21 11:45 pm UTC (link)
(There's Andrew's Rainbow House which is pretty Seattle specific. Try finding it on http://www.theshadowlands.net/places/washington.htm

I've looked for the house but I've never found it, its an interesting story though.)

i know how to get there... ive even took pictures...

if you know how to get to alkis main strip... you take the HUGE HILL "california" up till the blinking lights and take a right onto "walker" keep going down the street till you hit "46th" its the second house on your left.

i also know how to get to suicide bridge from alkis main strip.
you take "fairmount" and you'll go up this dark road.. eventually you'll go under the bridge that the man and his dog supposidly committed suicide by jumping off. some people say they still see him and his dog walking along alki arong 2am and 4 am.

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more about the rainbow house and suicide bridge...
[info]kellieshea420
2007-06-22 12:00 am UTC (link)
Seattle - Suicide bridge - There's a bridge located in Seattle where supposedly a person had committed suicide by jumping off with his dog. You can still see the chalk marks when you go there. Around 2 to 4 in the morning, people have seen the man with his dog by the beach near there, staring at people.
*alki -- fairmount*

Seattle - Andrew's Rainbow House - A young man named Andrew who was gay finally decided to tell his father he was gay. His father freaked out and killed his son and himself. The next morning the house was painted rainbow colors on the front and the back of the house is an array of colors and swirls. There is also colored tile on the roof and a gray letter "A" in the tile roof. The house has been painted before but the next day the house is always backing to the rainbow colors. The house was shown on "Unsolved Mysteries" for the unexplained activity.
*alki -- california -- walker -- 46th*


http://a362.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/13/l_1c9ad968d87c65d3bf62c55fbfd584a1.jpg
front side of rainbow house

last time i went was a couple months ago but the back was painted white and the rest of the house was the same as when i had seen it... its a really interesting sight.. i have a picture of the front but EVERY time i went i couldnt ever get a good picture of the back.... coincedence?

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