By Andrew Rivera
Staff Writer

If you’re looking to get spooked this Halloween, you don’t have to venture far in Bakersfield for a fright. The Haberfelde Building and the Union Cemetery are two places that will make chills prickle down your spine and your heart beat faster.

According to Charlie Durgin in the October 2011 issue of Bakersfield Magazine, “The Haberfelde Building is essentially a hub for paranormal activity.” The Haberfelde building was home for professionals in 1927 such as prominent doctors and lawyers.

Reports say that many things go bump in the night here. Laughter rings throughout the building despite
it being empty, windows can be heard opening and closing and apparitions have made their existence known to the brave few who dared to pay them a visit.

When I heard these stories, I had to go and experience it myself to see if the rumors were true. My first impression was that it seemed to be a normal place. Perhaps those before me had allowed their imaginations to run wild.

However, the more I started walking around the building, the more uneasy and apprehensive I began to feel. I felt as though someone was watching me. I wasn’t alone.

“Hearing the laughter of someone when it wasn’t ours made me feel like we needed to get out of here,” said Alex Baldoz, a junior at California State University, Bakersfield, who accompanied me on my thrill-seeking adventure.

He also admitted that he could hear the opening and closing of windows in the old building. The strange events that occurred during our visit to the Haberfelde Building made Alex and I believe that it was truly a place, a nesting ground, of paranormal activity. It was proof of the supernatural right here in our hometown and had lived up to the countless stories whispered amongst the people of downtown Bakersfield.

Our frightening adventure wasn’t over yet though. The next place we visited next was the Union Cemetery. The cemetery itself has quite a bit of history behind it. It is the final resting place for Col. Thomas Baker, who is the visual founder and namesake of Bakersfield.

Built in 1879, Union Cemetery is the burial ground for early pioneers, city founders and Civil War soldiers from both sides of the war. The graveyard gives off the same eerie feeling seen and felt in horror movies. It’s an old feeling, like a primordial instinct that seems to warn you that you are not welcome. There are spirits present and you are not alone.

The Haberfelde Building is located at 1706 Chester Avenue. You can find the Union Cemetery at 730 Potomac Avenue. Whether you’re interested in Bakersfield’s history or looking to get into the spirit—or be surrounded by spirits—of Halloween, both are perfect for a paranormal adrenaline rush. After all,there’s nothing quite like a good ghost story to get the hairs on the back of your neck to stand on their ends.