Quote from Angela on February 4, 2022, 3:18 pm

Seattle truly is steeped in history, tragedy, death and intrigue.

Just meters beneath the hustle and bustle of Seattles Pioneer Square lies what is known as 'The Seattle Underground' and also 'The Hidden City'.

On November 13th, 1851 the Denny party, three renowned pioneers namely David Denny, John Low and Lee Terry, accompanied by nine further adults and twelve children, moored their boats at Alki Point, located in the Pacific North West. The Dennys had already travelled through the towns of Portland, and along the Oregon Coast, but found these locations to be too crowded.

The found a plot of untouched land, on a nearby waterfront, and decided to establish roots right here, becoming the very first founders of Seattle. They initially named this land New York Alki, and later as Seattle.

On June 6th, 1889, Victor Clairmont was working in his woodwork store when suddenly his apprentice was engulfed in flames. The boy had been using raw alcohol not realising it be highly flamable and was near welding machinery.

What ensued was an out of control fire which wiped out, a total thirty three blocks of Seattle office buildings being literally turned to ash. Many lost their lives. Many resorted to building underground, however there was a rat infestation problem there and those vermin were actually carrying the Bubonic plague.

The underground was designated by the city as 'dangerous and uninhabitable'. However, those seeking concealment and anonymity saw this a bonus, and brothels and speakeasys opened up down here.

In 1950 a journalist named Bill Spiedel became interested in exploring the Seattle Underground, he saw a potential for tourism and was adamant that the City must surely do something to honorably preserve the history of the Seattle tunnels.

Spiedel began writing books about the history of Seattle, and began offering guided tours about the Undergrounds. During those tours, many of his participants would swear they witnessed paranormal activity.

These tunnels are known for ghost sightings, particularly the old bank and brothel quarter which today is the Oriental Hotel. A male spectre believed to be Edward, a previous bank teller who was killed during a shootout in the tunnels, is often sighted behind the old bank vault holding his chest and falling to the ground. Many believe this to be a residual haunting of the shoot out that took his life.

Many have told staff they encountered {their words} 'ghostly sex workers', ladies dressed in Victorian era dresses, corset and stockings, strolling throughout these tunnels as if looking for interested clients.

Could these be the spirits of the brothel workers who may have faced tragic endings?

Others described seeing fast running shadow figures darting across their field of vision, almost as if trying to hide, just like the speakeasy crowds would do upon hearing the local sheriffs descending the tunnel steps.

Of course many parts of this location remain off limits, however vast sections of the Pioneer Square sector were reinforced with brick archways and iron beams, and that part of the underground remains open for public viewing today.

Pioneer Square has since been added to the National Register Of Historic Places and remains a significantly historical location.

Today there are ghost tours of the Seattle Underground, and this location was even featured on an episode of Scooby Doo and also an episode American tv series Kolchak - The Night Stalker, about a serial killer who utilized the tunnels to hide his victims.

Please feel free to visit our Boise City Ghost Hunters Live Chat room for anyone interested in further discussion on any of our topics, or to put forward any questions you may have.