There are a number of widely reported haunted locations in the state of Oregon in the United States. Many reported hauntings in Oregon are linked to such historic places as the Oregon Trail and early coastal communities. Portland, the state's largest city and metropolitan area, was considered one of the most dangerous port cities in the world at the turn of the 20th century.[1] Its gritty history includes many locations alleged or reported to be haunted.[1] In 2012, USA Today named Portland among the top ten most haunted cities in the United States.[2]
Reportedly haunted locales in Portland include the Bagdad Theater, a vaudeville theater built by Universal Studios in 1927, which is reportedly haunted by a maintenance man who committed suicide in the building; Pittock Mansion, a mansion overlooking the city that is reportedly haunted by its original owners; the Roseland Theater, a former church and music venue that is haunted by a club promoter who was murdered there; and, perhaps most widely reported, the city's Shanghai tunnels,[3] made up of various passages that run beneath the streets of Northwest Portland that were used to smuggle prostitutes and sailors onto ships in the port, where they were often sold into slavery or forced labor.[4]
Established in 1864, this hotel, located along thermal hot springs, also served as a sanatorium and experimental medical facility, of which fire claimed half of the building in 1934.[9] The countless deaths that occurred there are cited as the source of alleged paranormal activity. It was featured on the series The Scariest Places on Earth in 2001.
This hotel is reputedly haunted by Simon Benson, its owner who built it in 1912. An apparition of a ghostly man descending the hotel staircase has been reported.
Located in the St. Johns neighborhood, this park is reputed to be haunted by the ghost of Thelma Taylor, a teenager abducted and murdered in the area in 1949.
Contemporarily a museum, this post was used as operational site for violent clashes between pioneers and Native Americans, and apparitions have allegedly been observed on the property.
Originally established as a Masonic lodge, the disembodied voices of children laughing, as well as the apparition of an elderly woman have been observed by staff.
This venue, built in 1926, originally exhibited vaudeville shows and silent movies. Staff and patrons have reported the apparition of a ghostly male in the upstairs lobby, as well as the apparition of a woman in the back rows of one of the upstairs screening rooms.
Built in 1911 as a poor farm, this property also served as a sanitorium and reform school before being acquired by McMenamins and converted into a restaurant and hotel, known as McMenamins Edgefield. Guests have reported various supernatural activity, including disembodied voices, crying, and apparitions.
According to Native American legend, this waterfall is haunted by a maiden of the Multnomah people who leapt to her death from the upper falls in a self-sacrifice to save her village from a plague.
Known as the "Coney Island of the Northwest" upon opening in 1905,[30] patrons have reported seeing the apparition of a lone child in vintage clothing there who disappears before their eyes.
Located in the Old Town/Chinatown district, this subterranean tunnel system was used during prohibition, and allegedly served as a smuggling channel for laborers being sold to ship captains along the Willamette River. They have been described as the most haunted locale in the state of Oregon.
This venue is allegedly haunted by the ghost of Nina, a prostitute who was murdered in the elevator shaft of the building in the late 1800s, when it was then the location of the Merchant Hotel.
This saloon, opened in 1911, once served as a brothel and opium den, and was the site of many violent brawls. It is allegedly haunted by the ghost of a woman murdered there. One patron reported being inexplicably locked in the women's bathroom for fifteen minutes, only to find that the door had no lock on it.
Originally known as the Mark Antony Hotel, employees and guests here have witnessed shadowy figures as well as the apparition of a bellboy at the elevator.
This park is reputedly haunted by the ghost of a young girl murdered there in the 19th century, and visitors have described a blue light glowing above one of its ponds.
Paranormal activity has been described in several buildings on the campus, namely Churchill Hall, and Taylor Hall, where the apparition of a former janitor has been observed.
Formerly a military training center known as Camp Abbot, this resort's Great Hall has been the site of alleged poltergeist activity, attributed to the ghost of a soldier.
A former military fort built in 1863, this location is reputedly haunted by the apparition of a young soldier who walks its outlying paths. The battery itself is also reputedly haunted.
The phantomschooner of the Blanco, which capsized in the bay in 1864, has allegedly been seen appearing and disappearing the bay. The bay is a graveyard to three other schooners: the Sunbeam, Uncle John, and the Phoebe Fay, all of which sunk there in the 19th century.
^Horton, Kami (September 26, 2013). "Portland Noir". Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB). Oregon Experience. Archived from the original on July 10, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
Kitmacher, Ira Wesley (2022). Spirits Along the Columbia River. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN978-1-439-67597-7.
Lankford, Andrea (2006). Haunted Hikes: Spine-Tingling Tales and Trails from North America's National Parks. Santa Monica, California: Santa Monica Press. ISBN978-1-595-80009-1.
Ogden, Tom (2018). Haunted Cemeteries: Creepy Crypts, Spine-Tingling Spirits, And Midnight Mayhem (2nd ed.). New York City, New York: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN978-1-493-03663-9.
Smitten, Susan (2001). Ghost Stories of Oregon. Auburn, Washington: Lone Pine Publishing. ISBN978-1-894877-13-8.
Stewart, Donna (2014). Ghosthunting Oregon. Cincinnati, Ohio: Clerisy Press. ISBN978-1-578-60549-1.
Weeks, Andy (2014). Haunted Oregon: Ghosts and Strange Phenomena of the Beaver State. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books. ISBN978-0-811-71263-7.
Further reading
Thompson, Dave (2015). Haunted America FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Most Haunted Houses, Cemeteries, Battlefields, and More. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Backbeat Books. ISBN978-1-495-04600-1.