HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
+ 3 further entries on record
1899 Victorian built for orchardist Morris B. Tuttle, the site of a documented family murder-suicide, a child's death in the fields, and decades of unexplained phenomena.
723 E Lake Ave, Watsonville, CA 95076
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Private property currently used as office space. Exterior visible from East Lake Avenue.
Access
Limited Access
Public sidewalk along East Lake Avenue; flat urban street.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1899 · Designed by architect William Weeks · Center of Tuttle family Pajaro Valley orchards · Multiple documented family violent deaths 1911–1918
Morris B. Tuttle (1858–1937) built the red Victorian at 723 East Lake Avenue in 1899, commissioning architect William Weeks — who designed several prominent homes in the Pajaro Valley — to create the residence. Tuttle had come west from Iowa and established apple orchards on the surrounding land, and the house served as the agricultural household's center of operations for decades.
The Tuttle family's record of violent death began well before Morris arrived in California: family genealogy tracked by local ghost researchers traces a 1676 incident in New Haven, Connecticut, in which Benjamin Tuttle killed his sister Sarah with an axe — a detail circulated in paranormal literature as evidence of a generational pattern rather than a documented connection to the Watsonville property.
At the Watsonville house itself, documented deaths include: in 1911, William Tuttle shot his estranged wife Hazel, then killed himself — both reportedly visited the East Lake Avenue house frequently; in 1913, Iowa Tuttle, Morris's brother, fatally shot himself in an outbuilding on or near the property; and in 1918, eight-year-old Irma Tuttle died after a 1,800-pound field roller driven by her cousin Allen ran over her head in the adjacent fields, taking approximately three hours before she died.
The mansion remained in family hands for decades. The Oliver family acquired it in 1974, and twin sisters Kathy and Jennifer Oliver — whose parents purchased the property — have operated it as a combination of apartments, office space, and businesses including Oliver Property Management. The Olivers have described ongoing restoration of the original Victorian architecture.
Sources
The Tuttle Mansion has drawn paranormal investigators from several California groups, including Santa Cruz Ghost Hunters, Darklands Paranormal of Los Angeles, and San Francisco-based teams, as well as a reported visit from the television production Ghost Adventures. Electronic voice phenomena have been captured on audio equipment, including what investigators describe as a possible spirit saying a resident's name.
The most frequently reported apparition is Morris Tuttle himself, seen gazing from a second-story window in the direction of his former apple orchards. Five independent witnesses have separately described seeing the figure of a small boy in the house, believed by investigators to be one of the young Tuttle family members who died on the property. An elderly woman ringing a dinner bell who disappears immediately after is another recurring account from former residents.
Audio phenomena include sounds of a typewriter operating when no one is present, multiple second-story doors slamming open and shut, and children's laughter and running footsteps from empty rooms. Investigators have characterized the activity as consistent with both residual and intelligent haunting, attributing the range of phenomena to the property's concentrated record of violent death within a single family over a short span of years.
The mansion is private property and not open for public tours. All observations cited here come from former residents and paranormal investigators who gained access with the current owners' permission.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Drive-by or walk-up view of the 1899 Victorian mansion on East Lake Avenue, one of Santa Cruz County's most-cited haunted properties. The red facade and prominent Victorian detailing are visible from the public sidewalk.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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