In the interest 
of crowdsourcing Julia Staab, I am sharing both family stories and ghost stories. I’m particularly keen on hearing from anyone who’s had an experience at the hotel.
This one wasn’t at the hotel, but it did occur in Santa Fe, and the woman who shared it feels very certain that her experience somehow involved Julia . Susan lives in New York, and when she heard the review of American Ghost on Fresh Air she quickly emailed me with this story. Here’s what she had to say.
I am a very very practical person with no belief whatsoever in ghosts or even religion. I don’t drink or use any drugs.
However, I was spending the night up a valley, north of Santa Fe in the early 1970s. I was asleep in a room by myself when a sensation of light awoke me. I felt a tap on my arm and saw a smiling old woman (appeared that she was in a light nightgown) looking at me. When I spoke out to my hosts in the other room, ‘There is someone here to see you’ . . . the ‘light’ went out. My hosts came out into my room and said that this happens all the time.
She didn’t scare me . . . .
I have never had any inexplicable event ever in my life before or since.
I think I saw Julia Staab.
Thanks for your interview on the radio yesterday. Now I know who that was.
I emailed Susan back, and thanked her for sharing the story. The next morning, she emailed again.
Thanks, and one more thing: as the host (homeowner) came around the corner after the ‘light’ went out, I told him to watch out since I thought he’d bump into her since she was next to my bed and the door frame.
I’ve also had no such ‘encounter’ since.
I’m excited to see that I did not ‘see things’ that were not ‘there.’ She’s there. In Santa Fe.
Hmmmm. If you’ve had similar experiences I’d love to hear them.