VALLEY GHOULS FROM CELEBRITIES TO SCHOOLKIDS TO INDIANS, GHOSTS HAVE MADE THEIR PRESENCE KNOWN HERE.

Byline: Barbara De Witt Staff Writer

A real haunted house sits isolated atop a hill - at least that's what the movies would have us believe.

Not necessarily, say experts on paranormal activity, who note that the San Fernando Valley is loaded with ghosts. And these spirits - including some celebrity ones - lurk in old and new houses.

``A lot of homeowners in Encino and Tarzana have called me to investigate, and I've found there really is a lot of energy out there, possibly because the homes were built on ancient burial grounds or areas where they performed religious dances or built shrine hills,'' says Richard Senate, an expert on ghosts and haunted houses. ``And they also had sacred pathways, which caused (the ghosts of) Indians to walk through a Tarzana woman's living room.''

Tarzana's most distinguished ghost in residence is Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author of the original ``Tarzan of the Apes'' novel. He's said to have been haunting his old Tarzana Ranch estate since his death on March 19, 1950.

Other celebrity ghosts in the Valley include Clark Gable and Lorne Greene. Of course, Hollywood is a regular hangout for famous spirits, including Marilyn Monroe and James Dean.

True believers 

Senate, 52, is the coordinator for the Historical Programming Department for the City of Ventura (which includes working as site manager/curator of the Albinger Archeological Museum and Olivas Adobe) by day. He hunts ghosts by night.

He has written five books on the paranormal, including his newest, ``Ghost Stalker's Guide to Haunted California'' (Charon Press; $11.95).

``I didn't talk to spirits as a child or anything,'' he insists. ``I had a normal life until I saw one in 1978. It was while I was working on an archaeological expedition near a Franciscan mission in Northern California and I saw a monk walking toward me with a candle. I saw it for about two minutes, then it vanished.''

Senate is not alone in his belief.

True Believers

A third of the nation believes in ghosts and 42 percent believe houses can be haunted, according to the latest Gallup Poll. The survey of more than 1,000 adults across the country was conducted in May and showed a 13 percent increase in believers since 1990.

Most people don't actually see ghosts, but they know when they've encountered a ghost.

``Out of the 1,000 cases I've had over the years, I've seen 21 ghosts, and most of them were the haunting type that have taken up residence in the house, as opposed to poltergeists who haunt a person by rattling chains, moaning and moving furniture about. ... But a clue is a coldness that goes right through you. And then there's the sounds, voices and footsteps,'' he added.

Senate is quick to point out that he's neither a professional parapsychologist nor a medium, but he will check out haunted houses.

``Houses retain memories,'' he said, ``and negativity or evil can cling to a house, particularly if it is old or the site of a violent crime.''

He recalls a house in Tarzana where a blood stain remains on a step. According to Senate, who wouldn't give the address to protect the current homeowners' privacy, the home was used by a gangster to make illegal liquor during Prohibition and he was killed on his porch.

What is now Tarzana was once the Burroughs estate - bounded by present-day Ventura Boulevard, Mulholland Drive, Reseda Boulevard and Avenida Oriente. All that is left of his estate is the Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. office at 18354 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana, now run by his grandson Danton Burroughs.

According to the younger Burroughs, as well as Senate and others, the famous author's ashes are buried in the front, under a tree. And locals have seen his spirit. Even Danton Burroughs admits his grandfather was known to wear white suits, like the ghost.

Ralph J. Herman Sr., a friend of the Burroughs family and co-owner of the El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana, bought the property as a home for his parents years after the Burroughses lost it.

``I moved into the house in 1985 and lived alone in 1993, said Herman, ``and during that time from 1986 to 1998, my feeling was that I may have seen spirits in the house. I thought it may be my mother or dad, but I wasn't sure. I saw them in the master bedroom, which was originally Burroughs' writing quarters, but never said much about it.

``Then, when I was moving out in May of 1998, workers were helping me round up some stray sheep and saw a couple standing in the trees watching them. It seemed to be my parents by their description of a shorter gentleman with a felt hat and a taller woman with a hat,'' Herman said.

And then, there's the ghost of screen idol Clark Gable, whom Senate says has been haunting his old Encino ranch where he lived with Carole Lombard.

West Hills ghost hunter Robert Wlodarski, who has worked on a number of paranormal investigations with Senate, says the entire Valley is haunted, but the West Valley is the most active because it was the borderline between the lands of the Chumash and Gabrielino Indians.

``That whole line of mountains from Simi Valley to Calabasas has very powerful activity,'' said Wlodarski, who also is an archaeologist specializing in American Indian digs and author of ``California Hauntspitality'' (i Universe; $29.95). ``And there was a village called Huwam - now a housing development - in Bell Canyon that was a very, very sacred place ... and it's there that the late actor Lorne Greene is said to still be seen at his ranch built on a knoll.''

Wlodarski also claims the area around the Valley Circle exit on the Ventura Freeway (101) is particularly haunted, including the now-closed Pelican's Retreat in Calabasas, where he and others have witnessed numerous apparitions, including a man walking through a door and glasses flying across a bar. He's also heard children playing, and suspects it's because the original building was a school house.

``ARE HAUNTED HOUSES REAL?''

What: Lecture by Richard Senate.

Where: Pierce College, 6201 Winnetka Ave., Woodland Hills.

When: 7 p.m. Friday.

Tickets: $12; $6 for children under 16. Call [phone].

A GHOST HUNTER'S GUIDE

Ghosts do like castles, but any place will do _ even a San Fernando Valley tract home. According to ghost hunters Richard Senate of Ventura and Robert Wlodarski of West Hills, Southern California is swarming wiht ghosts. Here is a list of haunts that there paranormalinvestigators and others have documented:

LEGEND

WILLIAM S. HART PARK

24151 Newhall Ave., Newhall. The former home of silent-film cowboy star William S. Hart is now a museum. Employees have reported seeing Hart's ghost standing in his bedroom.

MISSION SAN FERNANDO REY DE ESPANA

15151 San Fernando Mission Blvd., Mission Hills. The mission, founded in 1797, is famous for a female ghost who reportedly wanders the halls with a bunch of cats following behind her.

ANDRES PICO ADOBE

10940 Sepulveda Blvd., Mission Hills. According to legend, the mistress of the house, Catarina Pico, died in the library about 1880 _ and is still there.

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

100 Universal City Plaza, Universal Studios. In Sound Stage 28, where the 1925 ``Phantom of the Opera'' was filmed, there's a resident ghost whom many believe is that of the film's star Lon Chaney. The building is not open to the public, but visitors walk past it on their way to the ``Backdraft'' attraction.

GRIFFITH PARK/LOS ANGELES ZOO

5333 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles. The ghost of Colonel Griffith rides a ghost horse on the Ridgeway Trail near the zoo.

MANN'S CHINESE THEATER

6925 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. The haunt of the late character actor Victor Killian, who's murder is still unsolved.

HOLLYWOOD ROOSEVELT HOTEL

7000 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. Hotel has a file of 50 ghost sightings by guests, including reports of Marilyn Monroe's reflection in a mirror once owned by Monroe. Room 928, where Montgomery Clift lived, is also a favorite with ghost hunters.

HOLLYWOOD ATHLETIC CLUB

6525 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood. A male ghost has been seen upstairs and as has a lot of poltergeist activity such as flickering lights and moving furniture.

HOLLYWOOD MEMORIAL PARK CEMETERY

6000 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. The ghost of silent-film sex symbol Rudolph Valentino haunts his crypt in the Hollywood Cathedral Mausoleum.

QUEEN MARY

Pier J, Long Beach. There have been numerous reports of ghostly apparitions on various parts of the retired ocean liner.

LEONIS ADOBE

23537 Calabasas Road, Calabasas. The second floor of this historic home and museum is haunted by an American Indian woman named Espirtu, who was the wife of Miguel Leonis.

PELICAN'S RETREAT

It's now closed, but the Calabasas restaurant/nightclub (24454 Calabasas Road) was built on a former school site, and there have been sightings and sounds of children.

PARADISE COVE BEACH CAFE

28129 W. Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu. The spirits of two former employees have been known to prowl around, turning lights on and off.

BELL CANYON

The neighborhood near Valley Circle Drive and Bell Canyon Road was the site of the Huwam Indian village and the borderline between the Chumash and Gabrielino tribes. Lorne Greene's home there also is said to be haunted by the beloved Western star.

HOLLY STREET BAR AND GRILL

175 E. Holly St., Pasadena. A former mortuary, psychics and customers have reported seeing apparitions of children and adults.

OLIVAS ADOBE HISTORIC PARK

200 Olivas Park Drive, Ventura. This landmark has a resident ghost in a black dress and veil, usually seen in the family chapel.

CEMETERY PARK

1200 block of Main Street in Ventura. Locals report seeing a woman ghost in a long summer dress and picture hat.

PIERPONT INN

550 Sanjon Road, Ventura. Four or five ghosts have been seen in the dining room, around the pool and in the large cottage.

Ghostbusting 101

Want to do some ghostbusting of your own?

In addition to remodeling, Senate suggests simply talking to the unwanted ghost.

``Tell him or her to stop frightening you and your family or even to go away, and if that doesn't work, get rid of any of the house's original furniture and memorabilia that have a violent past, such as personal effects,'' Senate advised.

Newly acquired antique furniture can also be a source of unwanted guests. According to Senate, ``When you invest in antiques, you may get more than you bargained for at the store.''

So, you've cleaned house and it's still haunted?

At this point, Senate suggests getting a member of the clergy to perform a blessing ceremony or exorcism on your home. Or hire a psychic, parapsychologist or metaphysical specialist, all of whom are listed in the phone book.

Need a real expert?

Those who investigate for free or for a donation include Senate at [phone]; Wlodarski at [phone]; the Learning Light Foundation in Anaheim, [phone]; and the Orange County Society for Psychic Research, [phone].

Full-time professionals include the Office of Paranormal Investigations in San Francisco, [phone], which typically charges $100 to $200 a case, plus travel expenses.

CAPTION(S):

5 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1) Ghost hunter, author and civil servant Richard Senate of Ventura stalks ghosts at the William S. Hart Ranch Museum during a fund-raiser Sunday. Senate, who has written five books on the paranormal, says spirits haunt the entire Valley.

(2) Edgar Rice Burroughs, at his Tarzana ranch in 1928, sits atop his favorite horse, Colonel. Locals have sworn they have seen the author's ghost - white suit and all.

Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer

(3) no caption (Shadow on wall in front of painting of a woman with no apparent image to cast the shadow.)

(4) Roosevelt Hotel

(5) Griffith Observatory

Map: GHOST HUNTER'S GUIDE

Traci Wooden/Staff Artist

Box: (1) GHOST HUNTER'S GUIDE (see text)

(2) Ghostbusting 101 (see text)