Holiday Spirit(s) at Stokes Adobe

About halfway between City Hall and the post office, right behind the library, sits one of Monterey’s most historic landmarks. Stokes Adobe has been part of Monterey’s fabric longer than California has been a state. Starting out as a fur trapper’s home when it was first built in 1833, Stokes (named after its second owner and former Monterey mayor, Dr. James Stokes) has served as a bakery, a pottery kiln, and a print shop for California’s first newspaper. In more recent memory, Stokes has been home to a series of fine-dining restaurants—including the present-day, New American cuisine establishment aptly named, Stokes Adobe. And there are some who say it remains home to the spirits of past residents. The building has never been able to shake its reputation for being haunted, as there have been claims of paranormal activity throughout the years. Some say it’s the spirits of Dr. Stokes, wife Josefa Stokes, and possibly 20th century socialite Hattie Gragg. But that only adds to its allure.