The Hollywood Sign Ghost

While Peg Entwistle only reached mediocre fame as an actress, her haunting spirit lives on in the hearts of Hollywood and beyond. Tragically, Peg committed suicide on the night of September 18, 1932. After this, many Hollywood enthusiasts and ghost hunters alike have been intrigued by Peg’s story. Peg was born in Port Talbot, Wales, U.K. as Millicent Lilian Entwistle. Her given nickname was Peg.

Peg made her way to the top of Mount Lee in Los Angeles. In those times, the letters spelled out “Hollywoodland” but were later changed to “Hollywood”. From what is known, Peg took off her coat and neatly folded it up, she then placed her purse on the ground and climbed up a 50 foot high maintenance ladder where the letter H of the sign is. She took one final look at the city below, before plunging to her death.

While autopsy reports were limited, Peg likely died upon impact when she reached the ground. The following day, a hiker found her lifeless body. However, this would not be the last time anyone would ever see her again. Peg has since been sighted a number of other times, around the Hollywood sign. Her tormented spirit, still haunts this location and other surrounding areas

Peg was considered a promising actress for her time. She did find work in different theatre productions. Later, she appeared in only one film (as Hazel Clay Cousins) in Thirteen Women (1932) released by RKO. The film tanked and much of Peg’s part, was left on the editing floor. RKO subsequently dropped the options on her contract. While she was on stage, she appeared opposite of actors Dorothy Gish and Laurette Taylor.

However, Peg was already facing her own demons by this time. It was inevitable, that she would lose her battle with depression. Earlier in her life, she was fascinated with the lifestyle of Hollywood and wanted to be a part of it. Growing up, she primarily worked as a stage actress.

In her late teens, she won various roles with the Boston Repertory company and on stage with the renowned Theater Guild productions. When she was 19 years old, Peg married actor Robert Keith. She later discovered he was married previously and even had a six-year-old son. Both Peg and Robert would end up divorcing one another.

When she was just a child, her mother died unexpectedly. After this happened, Peg and her father moved to New York City. Her father was later killed by a hit-and-run car accident on Park Avenue. Emotionally destroyed, she decided to start over and moved to California eventually where she met her fate.

There have been a number of manifestations resembling the late actress around the Hollywood sign. Notably, park rangers and have reported seeing a pretty blonde woman dressed in 1930’s clothing wandering around. When she is approached, she seemingly vanishes into thin air. She is described as looking quite sad.

John Arbogast works as a park ranger and said he has seen Peg’s ghost on several different occasions. Peg often appears late at night, when conditions are foggy, a strong scent of gardenias can be smelled. This scent was said to be Peg’s favorite.

One couple was out walking their dog, along the Beachwood Canyon trail. The dog began behaving strangely. Suddenly, a woman dressed in out-of-date clothing appeared before them. She looked bewildered before disappearing.

Devin Morgan, a hiker and resident of Beachwood Canyon said, “She looked very strange to me, She had a very etheric quality. Instead of walking, she seemed to almost glide. She wasn’t floating…she didn’t look like she was a ghost, but there was something very, very strange about her, and very soft looking.” Devin also noted the smell of gardenias.

In more recent times, four friends featured on Syfy’s Paranormal Witness wandered into this area after jumping over a off-limits fence. One of them fell down and noticed a woman dressed in old clothing, effortlessly walking up the hill. Only later, did they read the story about Peg Entwistle. They all believe it was her. She wore heels and had a veil covering her face.

There are more people out there who have encountered the ghost of Peg, her story is a fascinating one. She suffered much loss while she was still alive. Perhaps she hasn’t been able to move into the afterlife just yet.

(Source: ThoughtCo.)