Site of California's 1849 Constitutional Convention — and a vigilante hanging in the attached jail cell that followed no trial.
570 Pacific St, Monterey, CA 93940
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free admission; docent on staff during open hours.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Museum upstairs with ADA-accessible lift; rear parking available.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1847 · California Constitutional Convention 1849 · California Historical Landmark #126 · Monterey City Jail 1854–1956
Walter Colton, a former U.S. Navy chaplain who became Monterey's first American alcalde (mayor) following the 1846 occupation, built the hall in 1847 using convict labor and funds raised partly through fines and the sale of town lots. The two-story building served simultaneously as a public school on the ground floor and a government chamber above.
In September and October of 1849, forty-eight delegates gathered on the upper floor to draft the California state constitution before statehood. Thomas Larkin and other Monterey residents were among the signatories. The document produced there set the state's boundaries, prohibited slavery, and established its first legislative framework. A California Historical Landmark plaque now marks the building as the site of that convention.
The city jail was constructed as a rear addition in 1854 and remained in continuous use until 1956. Over its century of operation it held participants in the violent Roach-Belcher feud that divided Monterey in the 1870s. Anastacio Garcia, a member of the Belcher faction with a long record of violence, was arrested and placed in a cell. He was found hanged inside the jail in 1873, killed before any trial could proceed. Contemporary accounts described the death as the work of vigilantes, though no one was charged.
The jail was opened to the public as part of the Colton Hall Museum in 1960. California State Parks took over the site as part of the Old Monterey historic complex in subsequent decades. As of 2026 the museum is operated by the City of Monterey and admission remains free.
Sources
The paranormal accounts at Colton Hall center almost entirely on the jail wing. Visitors describe audible moaning and what several have characterized as choking sounds emanating from the cell block area — details that align with the reported manner of Garcia's death. Cold spots have been documented in specific cells, and both staff and visitors describe feeling watched while standing in the jail corridor.
The second-floor balcony of the main hall generates its own reports. Footsteps on the balcony are the most-repeated claim, described as deliberate pacing at times when the upper floor is confirmed empty. Some accounts attribute these to the spirits of men sentenced here during the hall's years as a court.
US Ghost Adventures includes the site on their Monterey walking tour and identifies the Garcia hanging as the primary source of reported activity. The site has also appeared in local journalism covering Monterey's haunted history during Halloween seasons. The Old Monterey organization has run official Historic and Haunted walking tours incorporating the jail site.
Notable Entities
Walk-in access to Colton Hall's upper floor museum covering the 1849 California Constitutional Convention, and the attached 1854 jail cells where Anastacio Garcia was found hanged in 1873. A docent is present Thursday through Sunday.
The Old Monterey organization runs an annual fall walking tour covering Colton Hall, the jail, and surrounding historic sites with focus on both documented history and reported paranormal activity.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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