Over the weekend, I joined a historic homes walking tour in Tacoma, Washington. It’s the kind of thing I do to relax—learn some history, spot cool architecture, and maybe catch a ghost story or two. This tour didn’t disappoint. Two of Tacoma’s most iconic buildings stood out: Stadium High School and the Rust Mansion.

They’ve got style. They’ve got stories. And they may just have a few spirits lingering inside.

Stadium High School: The Brown Castle by the Bay

You can’t miss this place. Stadium High School looks like a castle dropped right into the Pacific Northwest. It sits high above Commencement Bay, and honestly, it feels like you’ve stepped into a gothic fairytale. But its story starts with fire, not fantasy.

Originally built in the 1890s as a luxury hotel for the Northern Pacific Railroad, the project stopped after the financial panic of 1893. Then, in 1898, a massive fire gutted the unfinished building. For a few years, it sat abandoned, its stone skeleton watching over the bay like a haunted ruin.

In 1904, the Tacoma School District bought the burned-out shell. By 1906, it reopened as Tacoma High School, and in 1913, it got the name we know today—Stadium High School—when the nearby Stadium Bowl was finished.

Stadium High School Gallery

Ghost Stories from the Brown Castle

With a nickname like The Brown Castle, it’s no surprise people say it’s haunted. The one that stuck with me the most? A woman in black, seen staring down into Old Woman’s Gulch behind the school. Nobody really knows who she is—some say she’s a mourning widow, others think she’s tied to the school’s early days. Either way, she doesn’t stick around long.

Then there’s the attic. Seniors have a tradition of signing their names up there before they graduate. It sounds harmless, but over the years, people have reported cold spots, sudden shivers, and weird noises—especially when they’re up there alone.

And let’s not forget the tunnels. Every good old school has a tunnel legend, right? There are whispers about Prohibition-era smuggling routes or secret passageways under the classrooms. Some of the tunnels are real. Their full purpose? Still a mystery … and I one I hope to solve (or at least sleuth around looking for ghosts).

Onto our next haunted historic house …

The Rust Mansion: Gilded Glamour with a Shadow

Just a few blocks from Stadium High sits the Rust Mansion, and it’s just as jaw-dropping. Built in 1906 for industrialist William Ross Rust, this 18-room estate screams wealth—Wilkeson sandstone walls, Italian marble fireplaces, French tapestries, and a roof tiled in green terra cotta. No detail was spared.

Rust ran the Tacoma Smelter and Refining Company (which eventually became part of ASARCO), and the house was a symbol of success. But tragedy found its way inside.

Rust Mansion Gallery

The Death of Howard Rust

William’s son, Howard Rust, died suddenly in 1911. He was only 24. Official reports say it was a heart condition, but local rumors tell a different story—maybe a fight, maybe something darker. No one really knows. But his death changed everything.

Soon after, the family moved out. They said the mansion was “too big.” But if you ask the neighbors, they’ll tell you it was because the house changed after Howard died. People heard noises. Saw shadows in the halls. Felt watched.

So, the Rust family built a new mansion just a few blocks away.

Today’s Haunting

Even now, the Rust Mansion has a reputation. Visitors talk about cold spots and flickering lights. Some have even seen figures in the windows when the house was supposed to be empty. There’s something unsettling about how quiet the place gets—too quiet.

However, the current owner doesn’t allow people inside for spectral sleuthing, so I’ll have to do armchair ghost hunting for this beloved haunt.

Final Thoughts

I didn’t see a ghost on the walking tour. But I felt something.

There’s a weight to places like these. A kind of energy that lingers in the bricks and beams. Tacoma doesn’t just preserve its history—it feels it. Stadium High and the Rust Mansion are beautiful and strange, full of the past and maybe a few spirits who never left.

If you ever get the chance to walk by them at dusk, take it slow. Look up at the windows. Listen to the wind through the trees. And remember—some of Tacoma’s most stunning spots also have the spookiest stories.

Special thanks to Anna Hudson, Daniel Swift, Amy Beal and Melissa Becker for the pics!

Sources

Heath, Frederick. Stadium High School: A Historical Overview. Tacoma School District, https://stadium.tacomaschools.org/about/stadiums-history. Accessed 6 May 2025.

“Stadium High School.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 6 May 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_High_School.

South Sound Talk. “The Haunted History of the South Sound.” SouthSoundTalk, 16 Oct. 2018, https://www.southsoundtalk.com/2018/10/16/the-haunted-history-of-the-south-sound/.

“Eric’s Heroes: The Brown Castle.” KOMO News, https://komonews.com/news/erics-heroes/stadium-high-school-tacoma-10-things-i-hate-about-you-the-brown-castle. Accessed 6 May 2025.

“William Ross Rust House.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Ross_Rust_House. Accessed 6 May 2025.

Kershner, Jim. “Rust, William Ross (1850-1928).” HistoryLink.org, 20 Jan. 2021, https://www.historylink.org/File/20737.

“Tacoma’s Rust Mansions: Lavish Living Followed by Rumors.” SouthSoundTalk, 21 Oct. 2016, https://www.southsoundtalk.com/2016/10/21/tacoma-rust-mansion/.

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If you’ve had a spooky experience at Stadium High School or Rust Mansion, let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading Ghostly Activities. Much appreciated and take care!