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.

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.

Orville Billings Suicide (Or Accidental Death?) At Rust Mansion

After the historic walk, a case from the past came back to haunt former owner, Orville Billings.

In the early 1910s, the Billings family, prominent socialites in Tacoma, began hosting elaborate parties and community events in their grand home, later known as the Rust Mansion. Prior to acquiring the mansion, in April 1914, the Billings were living at 2901 North 29th Street. At that time, they hosted Gladys Utter, a deaf girl celebrated as a second Helen Keller, and her adoptive parents, W.H. and Mrs. Utter.

By 1917, the Billings home had become a social hub, known for “informal dances” and a large New Year’s open house. The family even staged a June production in their ballroom with the Fine Arts Studio club. Although the mansion would eventually be converted into apartments to address wartime housing shortages, it remained their residence during these years.

Sometime during this social season – either July or December 1917 – W.H. Utter alleged that Mr. Billings sexually assaulted his 13-year-old foster daughter, Gladys, during one of the parties. However, Utter waited two months before reporting the assault to authorities, later claiming that Billings had told him, “he did not know why he did it unless a devil was in him.” Other reports imply that Mrs. Billings may have influenced the delay in reporting, possibly because the Utter family was still residing in the Billings’ home.

It wasn’t until March 1919,almost two years later, that Billings was arrested and formally charged with the assault.

On April 21, 1919, just two days before the trial, Billings’ eldest daughter, Ruth, secretly traveled to Seattle in an attempt to arrange a private settlement with W.H. Utter. He refused.

The following day, April 22, 1919, one day before the trial was to begin, Billings died from a gunshot wound at his own dinner table. He had recently purchased a revolver after a car theft. During a meal with his wife and a guest, the guest jokingly asked to see the gun. Billings retrieved it from his car, brought it to the table, and began snapping it playfully. The guest laughed and said, “You’ll have to put something better in that gun to scare auto thieves.” Billings seemed to laugh, started to reply, flipped the barrel up—and the gun went off. The bullet entered his open mouth, killing him instantly.

A guest, Mrs. Hubble, told the press:

“I will never forget the look of surprise that came into his face just at the instant before he fell. He had opened his mouth and just started to say something when the shot was fired. He uttered no sound as he fell and made no move afterward.”

None of the five Billings daughters were home at the time. Rhea, the eldest at 21, was still in Seattle. The younger daughters: Ruth (15), Earline (14), Prudence (11), and Charlotte (3); had eaten earlier and were visiting neighbors.

After his death, the insurance company refused to pay his life insurance policy, claiming suicide. Mrs. Billings sued and eventually won. Court testimony revealed conflicting views: Some witnesses claimed the assault charges hadn’t affected Billings mentally, while others questioned the Utter family’s delay in reporting the alleged assault and speculated the accusation might have been fabricated.

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Two club members noticed something odd about the dining room area. Melissa and Anna felt an especially dark heaviness in the dining room. Also, Anna could smell an old man while in the room. Could it be Orville haunting the spot of his demise?

Special thanks to Melissa Becker for the ace research on this forgotten case.

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!