It is October 11, 1890. Virgil Hammer, the wealthiest man in Oakland, is found dead on his estate grounds. Amateur sleuth Franklina Gray Bartlett, and her mustachioed sidekick/husband William, believe they’ve discovered the culprit. At a memorial reception in their home, Hammers family, friends, and associates gather to honor the departed. The real objective? Exposing the murderer. Can you identify who did it before the culprit strikes again?
Join us for this us for this Oakland-history inspired original Whodunnit game by Camron-Stanford House!
-Game is limited to 25 suspicious sleuths-
Each player will be assigned a character, selected at check out. Please see Character Menu below. Costumes are always encouraged but never required!
Admission:
$50 (Members: $40)
Includes one drink ticket
Additional refreshments available for purchase
21+ Only
How to Register
Review the Character Menu below
Visit our ticketing page
Select Your Character from the drop down menu. If you do not select a character, one will be assigned at random.
Please contact us with any questions or concerns
Is This Event Sold Out? If no tickets are available, please click below to send us a message and join our waitlist. In your message, please tell us how many tickets you would like to reserve. We will reach out if tickets become available.
Character Menu
Please select from the characters below. All characters may be played by any gender, and we welcome you to develop your own interpretation of your character’s personality, costume (if you’d like to wear one), and mannerisms.
Non-Suspect Characters
Suspects
The characters below are not suspects. Your job is to ask questions, help build alliances… and spread rumors if you desire. Or you may choose for your character to simply a companion along for the ride.
The characters below are our “leading cast” one of whom is a murderer.
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You are Adélaïs Delvaux, a 35 year-old French divorcée, friend and client of Virgil Hammer. You have known him for 15 years, having met him through your first husband when you arrived in San Francisco 18 years ago. The victim acted as your attorney in the past. You have a lovely Nob Hill apartment and many male companions. You find Oakland unexciting, but only occasionally cross the bay for entertainment. Motherhood and domestic pursuits bore you.
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You are Captain Sam Grassley, the 63 year old retired Texas Ranger and business competitor of the victim. You headed a consortium that negotiated with the Oliveros family to purchase their land with the plan to establish a city. You were able to purchase the land but when you arrived in Sacramento to file incorporation papers you were told Hammer’s group had beaten you to it; Oakland had been declared a town less than 24 hours earlier by Hammer and Starr. After that you retired to your ranch in the hills above Oakland. You are a widower with children and grandchildren.
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You are Henrietta Hammer. You are a 45 year old spinster and the younger sister of Virgil. At his request, you left your family and friends in upstate New York and moved to California ten years ago. Once here, Virgil offered you room and board and asked you to be his housekeeper. You were never able to say no to Virgil, the oldest of your siblings.
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You are Madalyn Inman, Virgil Hammer’s 17 year old ward. Your parentage is a bit obscure. Despite this you know you are destined for high society and beautiful things. To this end your mother, Adélaïs Delvaux, has agreed that Hammer, her attorney and a man of wealth and social standing, assume your guardianship. You live in his mansion. He is your escort to social events. You and your mother assure people that the relationship with “uncle” is a chaste one. This despite the fact that you have accompanied him on at least one visit to New York City. You adore New York and believe London and Paris must be even better.
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You are Mabela Meyers, the 18 years old protégé of the victim. Your ambition is to sing in all the great concert halls of Europe. You are an Oakland native who had never been beyond the boundaries of San Francisco Bay until Mr. Hammer befriended you two years ago. He recognized your exceptional soprano voice and became your benefactor, arranging for you to study in Berlin. You just returned in August.
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You are the Widow Nearly, the 70 years old widow and neighbor of the victim. Your late husband, Robert, was a county alderman defeated by Hammer in a fraudulent election. He died a few months later, leaving you alone. Your only company is your cat. Most days you are in your garden— an impressive collection of herbs and medicinal plants, some benign, others poisonous. People think you are a bit dotty, but you don’t miss much.
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You are Domingo Oliveros, the 25 year old grandson of the man whose land Virgil Hammer and his partners stole. You have heard the stories since you were a toddler. About the days of the rancheros when cattle roamed the oak & redwood covered hills running to the bay. By the time you were born it was all gone - 50,000 acres. You are obsessed with recapturing at least a portion of what has been stolen.
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You are Dr. Carolina Potter. You are a 50 year old physician and community activist championed by Hammer. Hammer has been a reliable supporter of causes you work on - a free clinic for poor women and children, nutrition education in the schools, and the Pure Milk Commission, just to name a few. You live in Piedmont with your partner, Isabel Spooner.
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You are Buford ‘Old Man’ Starr the 76 year old mentor and ex-partner of the victim. You met Hammer aboard ship coming around the Horn. He was a brash young lawyer and you were a successful land developer. Neither of you were headed to the gold fields. You both knew once you were on land there was plenty of money to be made right under your feet. You formed a partnership and once statehood was proclaimed you grabbed up land as fast and far as possible. Hammer left the partnership 20 years ago and his fortunes rose as yours fell, quickly. You have no family.
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You are Seamus Whittier, a 56 year old shipbuilder and business associate of the victim. An industrialist and politician, you know and are known by everyone who is anybody. You expect to get what you want and you usually do. You’ve made a great deal of money but you’ve also lost money. You’ve used the power you’ve acquired in public office to the advantage of you and your associates. All very legal, according to your attorneys. You are a bachelor.
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You are Rev. Ebenezer Winters, a 45 year old preacher. Virgil Hammer holds the title on your church. You fought on the Union side in the Civil War. After the war you arrived in California and eventually settled in Oakland. You met Mr. Hammer in Sacramento where you were the Assembly Chaplain. Mr. Hammer offered to give you and your small parish the vacant schoolhouse he owned… or so he told you.
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You are Herb Baker, Virgil Hammer’s 23 year old valet. You arrived in San Francisco 5 years ago, alone. You had hoped to find work but instead found potential employers to be very hostile toward immigrants. You survived on the streets for over a year, finally finding your way to Reverend Gunn’s church, a mission serving newcomers. Here you were welcome. The Reverend recommended you to his friend Mr. Hammer. Mr. Hammer was looking for a servant for his home near the estuary in Oakland. You have been his valet for 3 1/2 years. Your English is limited but you speak carefully and keep your sentences short.
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Reporters are not assigned lines in the game, but are given a list of questions to ask throughout the evening, or you may come up with your own. Your job is to gather information, make assumptions… and if you’re working for a less than honest publication, perhaps spread a rumor or two.
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You are not assigned a character, but you may develop your own!
Additional Guests do not have assigned lines, and are not suspects. You may ask questions, develop hypothesis, help make and break alliance.. and dabble in ways that unexpected guests tend to do.