West Seattle High School

Posted: 03.28.2025 | Updated: 03.28.2025

The community of West Seattle is known for being a laid-back beach town, offering impressive views of Puget Sound, the Olympic Mountains, and the beautiful Seattle skyline. The town features a vibrant social scene with a number of parks, shops, and five-star restaurants for visitors to choose from. Some of the top attractions in this small town include Alki Beach and the Junction.

West Seattle has a rich cultural heritage and is home to many interesting and haunting stories passed down from one generation to the next. One of the most popular local stories involves the eerie haunting of the town’s local high school.

If you are interested in finding out more about the haunted scene in Seattle and surrounding areas, get in touch with us today at Seattle Terrors to book your ghost tour today!

Who Haunts West Seattle High School?

One thing that has been synonymous with high school students since the establishment of public schools is the fact that they can’t wait to graduate and leave their school behind. However, one student at West Seattle High School has been stuck there for a century, enduring a never-ending cycle as a high school student.

About West Seattle High School

West Seattle High School, located at 3000 California Avenue, was founded in 1902. Known to students and alumni simply as “Westside,” the historic school has endured many changes over the years.

In 1908, when the West Seattle community was annexed into Seattle, the West Seattle public school had more than 500 students enrolled. There were twelve seniors who graduated from the school in 1910.

The county soon recognized, following the baby boom and the growing population in Seattle, that there was a great need to have a separate high school in town. The district purchased a site in 1914 on the southern side of present-day Hiawatha Playfield where the high school is currently located.

West Seattle High School officially opened its doors in September 1917. The two-story Neo-Renaissance building, which was designed by architect Edgar Blair, featured a long horizontal exterior, pitched gable roofs, and a metal cupola. The style of the building was unique for the West Seattle district and made the school a pleasant structure to admire.

The Need for Expansion 

The start of WWI brought along an influx of workers in the local shipyards and steel mills, causing the neighborhood to grow rapidly over the next few decades. Like many other high schools throughout the nation, West Seattle High School had to make necessary adjustments to cater to the new students. This led to the school having many restorations and expansions over the years.

Along with changes to the structure and size of the building, the school’s mascot was also officially changed in 2002. After being known as the Indians for nearly a century, the West Seattle High School athletic teams officially adopted the Wildcat as their new mascot after years of contemplating this decision.

A major remodel project for the school took place between 2000 and 2002 and was overseen by Bassetti Architects. They doubled the size of the facility. Today, the beloved school continues to shape the lives of West Seattle’s youth, solidifying its strong reputation as a pillar of excellence in this Pacific Northwest community.

The Haunting of West Seattle High School

West Seattle High School has been around for more than a century. The age of the building alone makes it a hot spot for spiritual energy. 

But there was also a tragic death that occurred during the early days of the school that remains a popular tale within the community decades later. For many years, students and faculty at the school have seen the apparition of a young girl named Rose, lingering through the halls and lurking inside the school’s theatre.

The Ghost of Rose Higginbotham

Ghosts wandering around a theater is something that occurs in countless schools and similar venues throughout the world. So, it’s not too surprising to learn that the ghost of a young girl has been seen many times inside the theater at West Seattle High School.

The spirit of Rose Higginbotham has become a legend at the school. According to the story, Rose committed suicide at the school in 1924. Even though there are no known records of her death in existence or proof that it occurred on school property, the legend says she hung herself somewhere in the school using a rope. The reason why she decided to take her own life is unknown.

Current and former theatre students agree that they feel Rose took her life inside the theatre, since her presence is so deeply felt there. But she has also been spotted in other parts of the high school campus.

Encounters with the Ghost of Rose 

Rose is known to lurk throughout the halls of the school as she playfully torments the students. At night, she can be seen walking the grounds of the school along with several other ghost students, whose identities are unknown. 

Some witnesses have even seen the apparition of a dog following after them at times. The group of spirits has been known to travel away from the school and go next door to the Hiawatha Playfield for nightly excursions. People have heard disembodied voices and other strange noises echo through the air whenever they see Rose’s spirit in their vicinity.

According to 1920 census records for Seattle, there is only one Rose Higginbotham mentioned in the Northwest; however, this Rose lived in Oakland, Oregon. The head of the household is Thomas E. Higginbotham, who was a widower at the time. Thomas had five children. Along with Rose, who was 13 in 1920, there was Forrest, Myrtle, David Arthur, and Mildred.  

While it’s possible the census reports may be referring to a different Rose Higginbotham, Rose would have been 17 in 1924, so that checks out. However, there is no death index for the state of Washington from 1908 to 1939.

Haunted Seattle

It is no surprise that Seattle is home to many spooky and creepy ghost tales from areas that are supposedly haunted. With as many rises and falls as the city has seen throughout history, it makes sense that there would be some dark and disturbing energy in the area. 

You may have heard about some of the most haunted locations. Along with West Seattle High School, you might also experience a ghost encounter when you visit Kells Pub in Pike Place Market or the historic Hotel Sorrento. Both of which are known to be spiritual hot spots.

West Seattle High School is next to the Hiawatha Playfield, an Olmstead legacy park built in 1911. Rose has been seen at the park with other students and apparitions of animals from sunset to sunrise. They are more likely to be present during times of heavy fog or mornings with overcast skies.

If you are interested in learning more about the most haunted places to visit in Seattle, be sure to check out our blog for regular updates. And don’t forget to schedule your next ghost tour with us here at Seattle Terrors for a frighteningly good time.

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Sources:

• https://westseattlehs.seattleschools.org
• https://westseattlehs.seattleschools.org/about/
• https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/schools/west-seattle-high-school-seattle-wa
• https://www.historylink.org/File/10609#:~:text=West%20Seattle%20High%20School%20opened,gable%20roofs%2C%20and%20metal%20cupola.
• https://www.seattlepi.com/seattlenews/article/A-look-back-at-West-Seattle-High-School-12393448.php
• https://wejunket.com/junkets/Seattle/Seattle_Terrors/West_Seattle_High_School/
• https://westseattleblog.com/forums-2/topic/ghost-at-west-seattle-high-school/
• https://getthewreport.com/architecture/seattles-most-haunted-places/
• https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=21982
• https://www.thehearttheatre.org/post/the-ghost-of-the-theatre