Most Haunted Places in America: Clovis Wolfe Manor

Clovis Sanitarium, now known as Wolfe Manor, was an 8,000 square foot mansion in Clovis, California built by Tony Andriotti, an Italian immigrant, in the early 1900’s. Today, it is a legend among haunted houses, being the most popular Halloween attraction in all of California.

During the Great Depression, Clovis Wolfe Manor changed ownership, having been purchased by one Mrs. Bashears. In 1942, she opened the Clovis Sanitarium. The convalescent home of the mentally ill was incredibly over-crowded and under-staffed, a bad combination when it comes to housing the insane.

It is said that thousands of people died within the walls of Clovis Wolfe Manor before it was finally shut down in 1997. Clovis Sanitarium was only large enough to hold 100-150 patients at a time, but often held many more than the capacity it was designed for. There were so many patients in Clovis Wolfe Manor at any given time that some were forced to sleep in the halls.

Without proper staffing to attend the mentally ill, death ran rampant through the halls of the now haunted mansion. There was no morgue in Clovis Sanitarium, so when deaths were reported it would sometimes take days before anyone came to pick up the bodies. They were stored in the basement no telling how long.

Former workers of Clovis Wolfe Manor told tales of abuse, neglect and conditions that were well below standard for a medical facility.

After it was closed, Todd Wolfe purchased the old boarded up sanitarium and renamed it Clovis Wolfe Manor, opening the doors to the public as a popular Halloween attraction – and quite the attraction it was. Not just for costume wearing thrill seekers, but for the spirits of those who were born, lived and died within Clovis Wolfe Manor over the prior 50 years.

Todd Wolfe himself has claimed multiple occurrences of paranormal activity. He was a strong skeptic of the paranormal before purchasing the eerie mansion, but now believes it is truly haunted. He has felt hot breath on the back of his neck; he’s been touched by unsolidified beings when no one else was in the room to have caused such contact.

Volunteers of the Clovis Wolfe Manor kept their distance from a particular bedroom that made them feel uneasy, reporting strange incidents within the manor.

One of the most common unexplained occurrences is the multitude of 911 calls coming from the Clovis Wolfe Manor. Alarm alerts came through on numerous occasions. The mansion had no phone lines nor any security alarms installed, yet police responded to the calls and alarms multiple times.

Clovis Wolfe Manor has been the subject of multiple paranormal investigations, and the verdict seems to be fairly compliant from all groups of investigators – Clovis Wolfe Manor is indeed haunted.

Todd Wolfe continues to host tours of Clovis Wolfe Manor as well as live broadcasts of the former sanitarium every Saturday night, but he continues to get most of his visitors on or within the month of Halloween.

Related posts:

1. Castle Hill Manor Apparitions
2. The Haunts of Destrehan Manor
3. The Chatham Manor’s Lady in White
4. The Hauntings at Fordham University
5. Haunted Hill View Manor