Kate Morgan ( – November 28, 1892) was an American woman who died under mysterious circumstances. She is thought by locals to now haunt the

Hotel del Coronado The Hotel del Coronado, also known as The Del and Hotel Del, is a historic beachfront hotel in Coronado, California, just across San Diego Bay from San Diego. A rare surviving example of an American architectural genre—the wooden Victorian be ...

Coronado, California Coronado (Spanish language, Spanish for "Crowned") is a resort town, resort city in San Diego County, California, United States, across San Diego Bay from downtown San Diego. It was founded in the 1880s and incorporated in 1890. Its population ...

. She was buried at nearby Mount Hope Cemetery in Division 5, Section 1.

Background

Kate Farmer was born in

Fremont County, Iowa Fremont County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census the population was 6,605, making it the state's seventh-least populous county. The county seat is Sidney. The county was formed in 1847 and named for the mil ...

, around the year of 1864. Her mother died on September 23, 1865,Gravestone, Mt. Olive Cemetery, Hamburg, Iowa. and at the age of two, young Kate was sent to live with her maternal grandfather, Joe Chandler.Affidavit of Joseph Chandler, August 12, 1879, in the matter of the Estate of George W. Farmer. On November 9, 1870, Kate's father, George Washington Farmer, was appointed to be the Postmaster of

Hamburg, Iowa Hamburg is a city in Fremont County, Iowa, Fremont County, Iowa, United States, that is the most southwestern city in Iowa, hugging the borders of Missouri to the south and Nebraska to the west. It is situated between the Nishnabotna River, Nish ...

.National Archives, Old Military and Civil Records. He remarried in 1871, fathered two more daughters, and then moved to

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

,Biography of Henry Eubank, "Wheatheart of the Plains - An Early History of Ochiltree County, 1969. where he died in 1876.Affidavit of B. M. Burke, County Clerk, McCullouch County, Texas, July 7, 1880, in the matter of the Estate of George W. Farmer. On December 30, 1885, Kate married Thomas Edwin Morgan and they had one child, a boy, born on October 31, 1886; he lived only two days.Gravestone, Utterback Cemetery, Riverton, Iowa. Around 1890, Kate Morgan ran off with Albert Allen, a stepson of Thomas' stepmother, Emily Dennison Allen Morgan.Written statement by Tom Morgan's daughter. This relationship also did not appear to have lasted. Although there are very few records of Morgan's life at this time, the next time she was reported sighted, she was ill and alone. Her next appearance was at the Hotel del Coronado in 1892. She arrived on November 24, checking in under the name "Mrs. Lottie A. Bernard, Detroit." The staff reported that she seemed ladylike, beautiful, reserved, and well-dressed, but troubled and very melancholy.

Death

Kate was found dead on November 29, 1892, on the exterior staircase of the

leading to the beach, of what was believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head five days after checking into the hotel. A San Francisco lawyer, Alan May, speculated in the 1980s that her death involved foul play. Evidence for the alleged homicide was a passing statement during the coroner's inquest that the bullet found in her head did not match that of her own gun. There are many theories as to how Kate Morgan died, however none have been confirmed.Alan M. May. ''The Legend of Kate Morgan: The Search for the Ghost of the Hotel del Coronado''

Sightings

There have been many putative

ghost In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...

sightings, and other potential

paranormal Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Not ...

events at the

since then. The official Hotel del Coronado website even mentions the ghost. The hotel's Heritage Department has published an official book on this subject, written by the hotel's professional historian, titled ''The Beautiful Stranger: The Ghost of Kate Morgan and The Hotel del Coronado''. It avoids speculation in its research of historical documents available in local public libraries, historical societies, and university libraries as well as city hall and police files. The Heritage Department's book leans toward the official suicide verdict.Official Heritage Dept. Book, ''The Beautiful Stranger: The Ghost of Kate Morgan and The Hotel del Coronado'' .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Kate 1860s births 1892 deaths Suicides by firearm in California Deaths by firearm in California People from Fremont County, Iowa American ghosts Burials at Mount Hope Cemetery (San Diego) 1890s suicides Female ghosts