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The White Lady is a type of female ghost found in legends throughout the world. She is usually the spirit of a woman who died young, died accidentally or unexpectedly, or suffered a tragic loss. Common stories tell of a woman who lost or was betrayed by her husband, fiancé, or lover. Other legends describe a mother who lost her children, a young bride who died before her wedding, or a woman who was murdered. The White Lady is often seen wearing a white dress or gown, appearing near roads, bridges, rivers, old homes, or the place where her tragedy occurred. She may be searching for someone she lost, mourning her children, or repeating the circumstances surrounding her death. One of the best-known related legends is La Llorona, the Weeping Woman, a figure deeply rooted in Mexican folklore. According to the most familiar version of the legend, she lost her husband and, overcome with grief and anger, drowned her three children in a river. Afterward, she was condemned to wander, crying and searching for them. Like the White Lady, La Llorona is forever connected to loss, tragedy, and the inability to leave the past behind. Although White Lady legends differ around the world, the central theme remains the same. A woman died before her life was finished, and her grief was too great to leave behind. Similar stories have circulated in Santa Cruz County of a lady in white who wanders the Ocean Street Extension Road toward the cemetery seeking vengeance in her wake. Pre-dating back to the early 1960's, the tales of the White Lady circulated amongst carousing teenagers sneaking out for a late-night party in an old, abandoned building. Many swore to see the ghostly image of a young woman in white, wandering the abandoned building and walking towards the cemetery late at night. Ocean Street Extension - White Lady Lore Local lore begins with a fantastical tale derived from the 1870's regarding a young mail order bride from Massachusetts. Her arranged marriage was to a local drunkard, who allegedly forced her to traipse about the house each night in her wedding dress while he blatantly beat and demoralized her, for nothing more than his own depraved amusement. The story contends that the young bride sought to escape her abusive husband; however, he grew wise of her disobedience and beat her to death before burning the body in an attempt to hide his evil deed. For generations to come, the bizarre tale asserts that the disembodied spirit of a woman in white wanders the road of the Ocean Street Extension toward the cemetery seeking vengeance in her wake. This story of Santa Cruz’s White Lady is the one most are familiar with and at best it sounds like a very tall tale. Paradise Park -Rountree However, it might have actual roots. While researching the old gunpowder manufacturer formerly known as the California Powder Works mill, now part of what is referred to as Paradise Park, we discovered that the area surrounding Ocean Street Extension has its own stories of unexplained activity. Local historian Barry Brown first brought the White Lady connection to our attention, explaining that residents of the park had also reported seeing what appeared to be a woman in white wandering through the woods, traveling along the area between Ocean Street Extension and the park. Brown believed the apparition could be that of Myrtle Rountree. With that lead, the S.C.G.H. team was hot on the trail to learn more about Myrtle Rountree. What we uncovered was the story of a prominent local family, the Rountrees—whose name would later be associated with the county's Rountree Medium Facility—and a young daughter whose life ended in a series of heartbreaking tragedies. Her name was Myrtle Rountree. According to the Santa Cruz Sentinel in an article dating to August 1913, Myrtle's father, Thomas Rountree, was an employee of the gunpowder refinery. On that fateful day, he brought his wife, children, and family friends, the Scotts, to the Powder Works mill village beside the adjoining riverbed of the San Lorenzo River for an afternoon picnic, much as families had done many times before. What began as an ordinary family outing would soon become a horrific accident—one that would leave young Myrtle badly burned and ultimately become part of the mystery surrounding Santa Cruz's White Lady. Research revealed that what started as a carefree day of fun in the hot August sun, with children playing and the men and women engaged in jovial conversation, would quickly turn into a nightmare that would scar them forever. While eating lunch along the riverbank, thirteen-year-old Alonzo Scott struck a match and tossed it into a pile of what was believed to be asbestos. The debris-filled pile, however, contained gun cotton, a highly flammable material used at the powder works. In an instant, the material ignited. The picnickers were badly burned, but none suffered injuries as severe as fifteen-year-old Myrtle Rountree. The flames burned across her face and back, leaving her clothing nearly burned from her body. Myrtle survived her injuries. She eventually went on with her life and married her childhood sweetheart. Sadly, their happiness would last only two months. Myrtle developed tuberculosis and died at just nineteen years old. Historical newspaper accounts confirm that Myrtle was given a funeral, yet further records have not revealed where she was ultimately buried in the Santa Cruz area. Some members of her family rest at Felton Cemetery, but we have yet to uncover the final resting place of young Myrtle. Perhaps, if our White Lady is Myrtle, she is still searching for her loved ones. In the paranormal world, we recognize that past lives may leave an imprint, much like a memory—of times that may have been happy and loved, or times that may have endured tragedy. If Myrtle is our “White Lady,” she may wander to and from the places connected to her favorite, yet most tragic, memories with her family near the old mill. She may walk the road searching for her childhood love, or make her way toward the cemetery, trying to find her place among the headstones—a place where, even in death, she has no name... Or perhaps it is simply another ghost story, woven together with “what ifs” and unanswered questions. A |
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Sources: MetroActive — Santa Cruz Hauntings, Santa Cruz Patch — Barry Brown & California Powder Works History, Santa Cruz Archaeological Society — Historical Walk with Barry Brown, Barry Alan Brown — The California Powder Works & San Lorenzo Paper Mill Self-Guided Tour, Santa Cruz County History Wiki — California Powder Works, Santa Cruz Ghost Hunters — White Lady, Santa Cruz Memorial Cemetery — Paranormal & Ghost Society © 2010–2026 Santa Cruz Ghost Hunters™ | A Bewitching Tales Production™ | All Rights Reserved.