621 N. Pennsylvania Ave

The charming grove house located at 621 N. Pennsylvania Avenue seems almost out of place amid the newer tract homes that surround it. At one time the house was in the center of a large grove and was a working citrus ranch. It was constructed in 1910 for Rudolf Hopps, a well-to-do Chicago businessman. Wirt and Mary Williams were the second owners of the house. They raised their three children here, Evelyn, Vincent, and Leland. Wirt Williams was the first superintendent of schools in Glendora; Williams Elementary School on Loraine Avenue was named in his honor. 

In 1974, Rick and Jane Negley were a young couple who fell in love with the old house. They became aware of a “presence” in the house from the beginning but never felt any fear. When their first-born child, Matthew, was two years old, he had a make-believe friend that came to play with him on a regular basis. The family believed that this was just a normal childhood imagination working overtime and didn't think much about the situation. About three years later, when Matthew was five years old, he saw a photo of Kiwanis Club members that was taken in the 1930s and identified one of them as his long-time playmate. After further investigation by the family, it was discovered that it was Wirt Williams, former owner of the house, that little Matthew recognized. They also found that Williams had passed away about the same time Matthew was born.  

The family has experienced many other occurrences throughout the years. The following story was related by present owner, Jane Negley. “My first experience occurred shortly after we moved in. Since the upstairs needed to be restored, we used the downstairs bedroom as ours and didn't go upstairs very often. One night when I was sound asleep on the side of the bed closest to the doorway, I woke up suddenly. I could hear someone coming down the stairs. The footsteps came into our room. She (I came to this conclusion because of the lavender cologne that I could smell) stood at the doorway for at least five minutes and then the footsteps could be heard going back into the hall and gradually faded away. I never moved nor woke up my husband because I couldn't. I wasn't scared, but I just could not react."  

Battler, Bobbie . Glendora's Gregarious Ghost. The Glendoran Magazine. May 1st, 1992. 35 - 37.