The legend of the Green Lady — a haunting Halloween tale from Menlo Oaks

In the heart of Menlo Oaks, nestled among expansive oak canopies, towering redwood trees and the gentle hum of suburban life, lies Peninsula School (pictured). With its century-old building and sprawling grounds, the school is well known for its progressive education.

But many who trick or treat in the neighborhood each Halloween often ask neighbors of the school about the Green Lady. Have we seen her? Is she green?

The ghost of Carmelita Nuttell Coleman, who died an accidental death in 1885, has for years been a legend, a spirit seen by very few, but imagined by many. Those who have seen her say that Carmelita’s spirit still haunts the building, and sightings have been reported of a silhouette wearing a green or white, translucent gown in the halls or attic or on the balcony of the school.

She is just one of several ghosts reported: a shadow in the hallway, the spirit of a former headmistress who loved the school so much that she never left, a young child who lost her favorite teddy bear. However, in the most recent 20 years, children have only asked about the Green Lady when they trick or treat on the streets that surround the school.

History of the mansion & Carmelita’s death

In 1882, the Coleman mansion was designed and built for $100,000 by esteemed architect Augustus Laver for Maria O’Brien Coleman, the sister of successful businessman William S. O’Brien. After two long years of construction, the structure was complete with 22 rooms, a porch, arches, large windows, Corinthian columns and elaborate molding. Interior details included a grand staircase, marble decor and luxury chandeliers.

Coleman presented the mansion as a wedding gift to her son, James Valentine Coleman, an accomplished San Mateo assemblyman, and to his 22-year-old wife Carmelita. They lived in the house sporadically until the fatal day of July 8, 1885.

The couple had just returned from a trip to Lake Tahoe, and Carmelita was repacking their luggage in preparation for another trip to the country, one of which was a valise containing shooting traps. One of the weapons fell to the floor. The gun fired, and a bullet penetrated her body. Two doctors were called, and Coleman remained with her until her death at 5:00 am. Cause of death was hemorrhage of the lung, and it was ruled an accident.

Despite this, there were rumors that James was hard to live with, and their marriage had been a rocky one. The story in the newspaper told this sad tale. “Carmelita had been wounded while unpacking her husband’s valise. Some wondered why she was unpacking her husband’s valise.”

Some thought that James Coleman’s statement about his wife’s death was suspicious. One theory is that he found out about his wife’s infidelity and got so mad that he pulled the gun out. Perhaps he was only threatening to shoot her, and the gun went off accidentally.

As for the Coleman mansion, in 1905, James Coleman sold the mansion and its land, and the property was divided into the Menlo Oaks neighborhood. People from San Francisco and others bought the lots and built summer homes or hunting cabins.

The killer 1906 San Francisco earthquake leveled many buildings, including the dormitories of the seminarians who were studying at Saint Patrick’s Church, located not far from the Coleman Mansion, but it survived the quake.

The mansion saw many owners and renters in the first part of the century, but it fared poorly as it stood empty for extended periods of time. It was used by St. Patrick’s seminary in the early 1920s. In 1925, Josephine Duveneck and a small group of parents (including Stanford faculty members) purchased the Coleman Mansion to make it the home for Peninsula School.

Which brings this story back to the legend of the Green Lady.

What those who talk with those in the afterlife think

According to those who study the afterlife, people who in life are excited about upcoming events and look forward to them, can be restless and disappointed when they die suddenly. They may try to stay and participate as much as they can, trying to make up for what was taken from them. They are not ready to leave this world just yet.

Carmelita was looking forward to living in her glorious mansion and having a family, even if living with her husband might have been difficult. When she was killed by a bullet, all her dreams for this world were dashed. So, she may have chosen to spend her afterlife in her mansion, she is enjoying the children who come to this school, which is the closest opportunity she had to having a family.

According to a seance done at the Peninsula School, Carmelita made a big confession of her own which may have had something to do with her death.

The spirit of Carmelita

A San Francisco medium, Macelle Brown, together with 50 people, held a seance at the school. Talking through the medium, the Green Lady confirmed the common knowledge that she was indeed Carmelita Coleman and told them the unknown story of her unhappy marriage, her lover, her very jealous husband, and her claim that she was murdered.

Those who have seen her spirit described it as being a thin woman who appears shimmering green. She likes to use the attic area as her private space, as it was not used much by the living.

There are more than 50 years of stories told by children and adults who speak of seeing the apparition of a thin woman dressed in green, of shimmering lights, and of unexplained footsteps, which have continued to this day.

Epilogue: The school and some of its students appeared as extras in the popular 1975 Disney fantasy and sci-fi film Escape to Witch Mountain. Wonder what Carmelita thought of that?!?