| The Winter Ghost--Over the years, Usually in the gray dreary month of February, Market fishmongers regularly report seeing a silhouette watching down from the Goodwin Library, sometimes swinging a golf club. The Library, which is a meeting place, was designed by Arthur Goodwin to be an impressive office finished in fine dark mahogany. The figure seen in the huge glass has been recognised as the spirit of Arthur Goodwin. Market Manager from 1918 to 1941. Arthur is the nephew of market founder Frank Goodwin, is credited as a visionary for guiding the market towards becoming the one we know and love today. | Madame Nora--It is said that the spirit of Madame Nora rests inside a crystal ball at Sheilas magic shop on the lower level of the market. Her spirit was not always at peace though, and up until a few years ago, haunted the shop called Pharaoh's Treasure. The crystal ball came to Pharaoh's Treasure, according to Sheila, the fortuneteller at the magic shop, from a thin, old, woman who wanted to trade it for a scarab. She warned the shop owner that the spirit of Madame Nora was living inside the crystal ball. The owner thought little of it and made the trade anyway. Odd things began happening in the shop. Objects were found placed in strange configurations and unexplainable incidents occured on a regular basis. The owner eagerly passed the crystal ball along to Sheila. | |
| The Haunted Column--In the center of the lower level there is a rough, wooden column which many believed is haunted by a spirit named Princess Angeline. While we there, many of us noticed the cold air that seemed to surround the column. On several occasions, we felt the coldness move amongst us, and pictures taken by several members, shows that an orb was present. Was the Princess with us? | The Bookstore Ghost--A down under bookstore, known as Shakespear & Co. Books, was the site of a re-occuring haunting. The same book would be on the floor each morning when the owner opened up shop. She would place it back on the shelf each time, and find it again, in the same spot. This has happened for many years. | |
| The Indian Woman--Legend has it that the Indian woman brought in hand-made woven baskets to sell at the market from its beginning in 1907. Just when people were getting to know her, she strangely and suddenly disappeared. Possibly the most famous market ghost, the Indian Woman moves very slowly as if her feet barely touched the ground. Witnesses say she looks straight ahead and some mistake her as human. She has also been described as changing colors from glowing white to translucent lavender, pink, and blue. She is sometimes seen with a young boy. Exorcism attempts have been made by way of Native American Shaman, however, the indian woman has since been seen again near the Old Goodwill. Some say she is the spirit of Princess Angeline, Cheif Stealths daughter, who was renamed by the prominent Denny family, and buried with them at Lakeview Cemetery. | Ghosts of Avenue One, the Butterworth Building--(excerpts from the book by Margaret Read MacDonald)Ghost Stories from the Pacific Northwest--In 1903, E.R. Butterworth constructed a home for his mortuary business on First Avenue in Downtown Seattle. He had been in the funeral parlor business since 1892, and business was booming. The 5 story brick building which he constructed, was a showplace among funeral parlors. E.R. Butterworth is said to have coined the terms "mortician" and "mortuary." For 20 years, the Butterworth Building saw the citys deceased pass thru its doors. Then in 1923, the Butterworth family moved their firm to a Capital Hill location, but they seemed to have left a few of their customers behind. An electrician tried to rewire a chandelier one evening after midnight. After a while he realised that two shadowy men were sitting at one of the tables. The two got up and came over to help hold his ladder when he began to work on the tricky part of the wiring. The two men continued in their conversation, but the electrician being absorbed in his wiring, didn't pay attention to the men. Then a woman in an "unearthly white linen dress" entered the dining room. Then men stared at her and began to shout insults as she walked past. Then they began to shout insults at each other. The electrician began to realize that his "helpers" were not of this world. He raced from the cafe', leaving the work unfinished. He was reportidly found by cooks the next morning, sitting on a curb muttering that he couldn't take it anymore. | |
| Monpongolose--A word used in some African countries which means "spirits fighting with one another". There is a Greek Deli called Mr. D's in the triangle building. Besides selling terrific gyros, Mr. D is a talented artist who sculpts portraits in meat. He kept his busts of celebrities in the downstairs walk in freezer. Mr. D says the spirits are fighting each other and they are confused about his meat sculptures. Sometimes workers can't go down there because of the dueling spirits. He has found tips of noses and ears sliced off, which can be difficult to repair. | The Fat Lady Barber--There was a singing barber who clipped hair in the 1950's while she sang her customers asleep with soft lullabies. She promptly emptied their pockets of cash while they napped. Legend has it she met her end when she fell through the floor. Maintenance workers sometimes hear her notorious lullabies as they clean up late at night. | |
