Are there ghostly guests at Folsom's historic hotel?

FRIGHT WEEK: Each week the Telegraph will highlight a story in the spirit of Halloween. This is the last in a three-part series.---Ask Kalene Varnado if she believes in ghosts and she'll say, "Yes."Varnado said she grew up in a home that had a lot of paranormal activity. "I'd always felt that what I saw and experienced," she said, "was something everyone went through." Nearly every place she's lived in or worked at has had some sort of paranormal activity. It's not that it follows her — she said she just usually finds herself in that situation.For the last few years, Varnado has been the general manager of the Folsom Hotel and Saloon. She had heard some stories about it but thought nothing of it. During a Christmas Eve party, Varnado and others had a their picture taken. When the film was developed and prints made, the photograph took Varnado took her by surprise."What shocked me was this other face in the photo," she explained. Hovering beside Varnado and her friends was the ghostly image of a man. The shock wearing off, she said, "I just told myself, 'Well, looks like I'm working with more ghosts.'"According to her, nearly every employee has had some sort of paranormal experiences with the building's ghosts."I've had employees who've been touched or pushed. They feel like they're being watched if they're alone in the bar," Varnado claimed. Some employees, feeling unnerved by the ghosts' antics, have quit in the past."I can't blame them for doing that. If you're not used to this sort of thing, yes, it can be scary," she said. The ghosts like to "mess around" with customers, especially those who are very open about their disbelief."Yes, those customers get a lesson in 'believing,' eventually," she said with a laugh.Aside from entities tugging at employees back pockets, touching them on the shoulder or even whistling in the restrooms, Varnado said that glasses, bottles and other objects go flying in the air and the jukebox turns on and off by itself."Activity tends to increase around the holidays," she said. "So, I have that to look forward to."Some the upstairs rooms are rented out as apartments. Renters have told Varnado about seeing unusual shadows or ghostly figures moving about. "I don't like upstairs, " she said. "When I go up there — I get this heavy feeling. I don't like it."The basement area, she said, is another area she doesn't like. "It doesn't feel right down there. Yeah, I'll go down there … but I won't be there for very long."Varnado believes that at least three ghosts haunt the building. One is a male, whom she believes is the ghost of Samuel Levitz. More than100 years ago, Levitz was the man who made the bar's mirror. Levitz escorted the mirror from Germany as it was shipped to California. After a two-year journey, Levitiz was working alone in the saloon, installing the mirror by himself.Levitz accidentally cut himself and bled to death, according to Varnado. "I've been told — and I believe it — that he's still here," she said.The second ghost is named Camille. "She used to work and live here a long time ago — a 'lady of the evening.' She's here some times," Varnado said. "You can smell her. Her perfume."A little boy is the third ghost. "His story is that he died here. That's all I know," Varnado said.Different paranormal investigation teams have investigated the building. One group, Gold Rush Ghosts, did an investigation and taped it for public TV. "I hope to see it some time soon," Varnado said.In the meantime, she welcomes those who want to stop by and hear about the ghosts or even investigate the building."I'm curious about what different people will find," she said.Ann Bender, lead investigator and co-founder of American Paranormal Investigations, a team from Sacramento, said that she's been at the saloon a number of times, having drinks with friends."It's a very interesting, active place," she said. "I'd love to investigate it some time."---OTHER REPORTED HAUNTINGSThe Sutter Club: A ghost named "Louie" has haunted the bar for nearly two decades. He's described as a playful spirit who loves to tease and play tricks on people.The Powerhouse Pub: Something in the pub likes to have fun, touching the employees, hiding things . . . former employees say whatever it is, it's not malicious.Folsom Historical Museum: A man claiming to be a paranormal investigator stopped in one day. He asked to check out the Wells-Fargo Room. A short while later, the man told those working that the museum was haunted by a female spirit.He's never been seen since.