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Bizarre Bay AreaBizarre Bay Area

Explore hauntings, hexes and other strange happenings from Bay Area history.

Four men, six women and a child, all dressed in Victorian era clothing sit and stand on a rocky outcrop.

Victorians Sure Liked Blowing Up Islands in the Bay Back in the Day

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An illustration showing a little man in a black top hat leading a huge red monster around. on a leash.

Remembering Qued and Phred, the Weirdest Mascots in KQED History

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A line of men and women dressed in Victorian clothing stand outside a ramshackle wooden building.

5 Supremely Entertaining San Francisco Bars From History We Wish Still Existed

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A white woman with ruddy features stands, wearing a hat, facing the camera.

Meet Isabella J. Martin, the Crappiest Criminal in Bay Area History

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A creepy and sprawling mansion lies under a blanket of fog at the end of a winding path.

A ‘Haunted Mansion’ Once Stood Directly Under Sutro Tower

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Beyond the Grave: How Old Tombstones Became Part of the Fabric of San Francisco

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Woman wearing a hairnet operates a switchboard in early 1940s New York.

A Bay Area Man’s 1953 ‘Prophecy’ Predicted Smartphones, Video Calls and Apple Watches

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Just the kinds of attendees we most enjoy at Bay Area festivals! These two are actually at "El Gallo de Carnaval" (the Carnival Rooster) in Mecerreyes, Spain. Shame.

3 Exceptionally Weird Bay Area Festivals We Should Bring Back

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"Our fish were unwelcome baggage." One of the bizarre captions from the 1925 silent short film, based on the dream of an 'Oakland Tribune' reader.

Watch: The Surreal Silent Film the Oakland Tribune Made in 1925 ... About a Reader’s Dream

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The Lan Mart Building, 2021.

Exploring the Many Mysteries of Petaluma's Lan Mart Building

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The Dew Drop Inn, just off Highway 49 in Grass Valley.

Meet the Ghosts Who Haunt the 100-Year Old Dew Drop Inn

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A smiling Mayor James Rolph on the steps of San Francisco's City Hall, with his coat slung over his arm. This image was taken in 1918, four years after the public opium burning.

Watch: That Time the Mayor Burned a Cage of Opium Outside SF City Hall

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