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in the basement for a week or two before he died-but though his body has been removed, his spirit is still there today.

Rooms 214 and 212 are also haunted: in one room, a family died of influenza, and in the other, from a fire. According to allstays.com, an old horse and wagon operator may be a member of one of those families, haunting Room 212 where he died.

Curious guests are welcome to tour the hotel. Joel says there are no guarantees for a guided tour but plenty of people come in off the street to take a look, so if nothing else, come see what you can experience for yourself. If you decide to stay and your bravery permits, you may ask to stay in one of the haunted rooms.

Address: 300 Main Street, Placerville, CA 95667
Rates: $89-$109 on the weekdays; $129-$159 on the weekends (July 2008)
Phone: 530-622-4271
Website: www.caryhouse.com

2. Hotel Leger: Mokelumne Hill, CA
George Leger (pronounced "Luh-zhay") built Hotel Leger for the large French population settling into the area in 1851. Just southeast of Sacramento, Mokelumne Hill is best known for this hotel that began as a wooden tent but grew to consist of three separate buildings. One of these served as the Calaveras County Courthouse and Jail from 1855-1866. This stone building was the only of the three to survive the fires of 1854, '65, and '74.

There are a few different stories of how George died. Some say he was shot, but an old article by The Calaveras Chronicle claims George died after a short bout with an illness. In the end, though, no one really knows.

All they do know is that George is still around.

Places to See and People to Meet in Mokelumne Hill says "The ghost of Leger, who was assassinated in the Hotel in 1879, has been seen in the saloon and in many of the Hotel's thirteen rooms, which are furnished in period antiques. Other ghosts in the hotel include the Lady in White in Room 2 and a young boy in Room 3." Mike Taylor of the Calaveras Enterprise wrote that someone often walked into Room 7, George's old room, to find the rocking chair still rocking, as if someone had just gotten up, but the entire floor of the building was empty. No one could have been in that chair.

The hotel's website also mentions "George Leger wandering Room 7, a woman crying for her child in Room 2 [believed to be Leger's wife Louisa Wilkin, who died in childbirth], and a child playing by the fireplace in Room 3. A former owner of the Hotel Leger describes seeing smoke and fire in the bar area multiple times, when no fire was

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