[4] Thomas Whaley, of Scots-Irish origin, was born on October 5, 1823, in New York City, the seventh child in a family of ten.

Thomas fixed up the old Whaley House, and Anna and the rest of the family arrived back home to San Diego on December 12, 1868.

Her suicide note reads thus: Mad from life's history, swift to death's mystery; glad to be hurled, anywhere, anywhere, out of this world.

This particular poem is also offered up by Edgar Allan Poe, as an example of painting with words; he spoke of it and it was referenced in his published works during his lectures.

On December 14, 1890, Thomas Whaley died due to ill health at the State Street address.

In late 1909, Francis Whaley undertook the restoration of the building and turned the home into a tourist attraction, where he posted signs promoting its historicity and entertained visitors with his guitar.

The house was furnished with mahogany and rosewood furniture, Brussels carpets, and damask drapes and was considered a mansion for its time and place.

Besides being the Whaley family home, it was also San Diego's first commercial theater, the county courthouse, and a general store.

The operator of the theater, Thomas Tanner, died just 17 days after opening, and his troupe had disbanded by the end of January 1869.

Despite threats of armed resistance from the Old Towners, the records were moved on March 31, 1871, effectively shifting the focus of the city to New Town.

Judge Richard S. Whitney presided over civil proceedings 151 years after the courtroom had last been used in its official capacity.

[12] Shortly after the Whaley family moved in, they told the San Diego Union that they heard heavy footsteps in the house which they believed to be the ghost of James "Yankee Jim" Robinson, who had earlier been hanged on the property for stealing a boat.

[7] The Whaley House has been featured in many historical documentaries as well as a wide variety of paranormal and sci-fi shows, including Syfy Channel's Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files[13] and Travel Channel's America's Most Haunted, in which it was stated the Whaley House was the most supernatural home in the United States.

[14] The Whaley House was mentioned in the 2007 animated movie, Hellboy: Blood and Iron, in which one of the characters references the paranormal entity, Yankee Jim.

In 2012, the film studio, Asylum, released an independent low-budget movie titled The Haunting of Whaley House.

"[16] On an episode of MTV's Ridiculousness, host Rob Dyrdek commented that he lived next to "the most haunted house in California" and would spend nights calling for Old Man Whaley.

A Ghost Files episode aired in 2022 featured the Whaley House as Shane Madej and Ryan Bergara returned under Watcher, their new company formed after Buzzfeed Unsolved.