Oregon is a scenic state full of lush forests and stunning lakes—not to mention an incredible ocean view. Here you'll find the largest independent bookstore in the world and the original Voodoo Doughnut location. They also have some incredibly eerie ghost stories.
From a blood-thirsty creature haunting a historic inn to a troublesome logger menacing a stretch of highway, here are five of the most haunted places in Oregon!
McMenamins Edgefield (Troutdale, Oregon)
This building was first built in 1911, with the purpose of serving as a "poor house". Providing shelter for homeless people, the sick, or those experiencing a number of other issues, the location housed people considered to be in great need of prayer and reform. As the impoverished continued to seek refuge, an infirmary was added to the building in 1934. Nearly 700 people were living there at the time.
More expansions on the building took place in 1939, including a doctor's apartment, a waste incinerator, a sprinkler system, and a sunroom. In the 1960s, the home was eventually turned into a nursing home and institution for mentally ill children.
After hundreds of thousands of continuing renovations, the county closed down Edgefield. The building was never destroyed, as it became a historical landmark in the 1990s. The land and buildings were bought by the McMenamins brothers and restored and can be found today with an added restaurant, garden, movie theater, golf course, and concert area.
As hundreds of people passed through Edgefield over its many years, it saw its fair share of death as well. Locals claim that when the McMenamins bought the land, they performed a spirit cleansing to clear out any evil spirits that might have been lingering behind. During this cleansing, they found something unsettling in room 215: animal bones arranged in the shape of a pentagram. It seems that—cleansing or not—there are still reports of paranormal activity on the grounds.
One guest has reported the sounds of a woman soothing her crying child on the upper floors, and it's believed this is connected to the unmarked grave of a new mother and child who died from chickenpox. The staff says that each night at midnight they can hear her singing nursery rhymes.
Not all of the spirits are kind, unfortunately. One guest arrived on a stormy night to feel a presence watching her in her room. After alerting management, a search was done of the room. Just as the manager was about to leave after finding nothing, a voice shouted at them to "Get out!" The guest promptly switched rooms.
Other visitors at Edgefield have reported the sensation of ghostly hands pressing against their shoulders, back, and chest. As they move up or down the stairs, they can hear whispers—but there's never anyone there when they turn around. A common experience among guests is that of an elderly woman waking them up in the night with a tap on the shoulder. She smells of flowery perfume and is generally friendly, but guests will be at the receiving end of her temper if they leave room 215 too messy. These visitors often find their clothes thrown about the room, and sometimes even out the window.
Geiser Grand Hotel (Baker City, Oregon)
The Geiser Grand Hotel is a breathtaking Italian Renaissance Revival building, complete with a four-story clock tower. Originally built in 1889, a pricey renovation ensured this historic hotel looks as lavish today as it did back then.
Since its opening, the luxury hotel has been host to elite guests, carnal pleasures, and raucous parties. The space hosted such wonderful entertainment, there's a wide array of spirits who can't bear to move on.
During renovations in the late 1990s, apparitions began to show themselves, excited their beloved hotel was being restored, and perhaps a little eager for attention. These spirits were not angry, but rather playful, and mostly happy to share the hotel with the living. However, one construction worker was left terrified after a dozen ghosts joined him on the elevator.
There are a number of specific ghosts guests will find in this gorgeous hotel. Visitors may see a snapshot of history from a woman who wanders the hotel in a violet 1930s dress, or a 1920s saloon dancer in a red corset and peacock feather hat. An entity called "The Lady in Blue" wears a flowing Victorian dress as she drifts up and down the grand staircase.
While he's not the friendliest ghost in the establishment, the spirit of a former chef can be found in the kitchen. He died here when the door to the dumbwaiter fell and took off his head. You can see his body, but he appears with no visible head. Agitated by his reckless death, he has a tendency to slam doors and toss around pots and pans. It's said he once levitated a large crate of glasses before letting it crash to the floor.
A murdered cowboy and his girlfriend—rumored to have killed herself after her boyfriend died—also linger behind in the hotel, though they don't seem to have hard feelings about being dead.
There are also specific areas with heightened spiritual activity. Guests will find a whole slew of Flappers and party-goers on the balcony above the Palm Court Dining room. Visitors who stay in the Rain Room will share the accommodations with a ghost that enjoys taking showers—though the spirit is kind enough to wait until the guests go to bed. Room 203 is one of the most haunted rooms in the whole building. The spirits like to gather here, playing loud music and having spirited (no pun intended) conversations.
The ghost of former owner Maybelle Geiser is well-known around the hotel. She used to live in room 302 and sometimes appears here to admire and rearrange guests' jewelry. She's also known to steal snacks or knock on the wall.
Highway 101 (Cannon Beach, Oregon)
One of the most famous American highways, the drive down Highway 101 on the southern coast of Oregon offers beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean. It also offers chilling encounters with a spirit known as the "Bandage Man."
Found on the Route 26 overpass, the first reported sighting of the Bandage Man dates back to the late 1950s. A young couple parked their truck near the beach, only for the vehicle to rock as if someone had climbed up into the cargo bed. As they peered through the back window, they saw a disfigured man wrapped up in bloody bandages. He rocked back and forth, beating on the window and roof. As the couple took off down the highway, the figure disappeared.
Since then, there have been multiple travelers who claim to have seen the Bandage man hop into truck beds and the back seats of convertibles. Some say he can be found walking along the beach, or on a road aptly named "Bandage Man Road."
Two similar legends attribute this ghost to that of a logger who perished in the area. One purports he died in a terrible work accident, while another says he was injured while on the job, but died when the ambulance was lost in a landslide.
The last official sighting of the Bandage Man was reported in 2019, but who knows? You could be the next to find him.
Heceta Head Lighthouse (Florence, Oregon)
Maybe it's the seaside atmosphere or the relative isolation, but there are few things more chilling than a haunted lighthouse. Fortunately, it's the keeper's house that's haunted at the Heceta Head Lighthouse in Florence, Oregon.
The lighthouse was first constructed in 1894 and functioned until the early 1960s. The lighthouse keepers and their families stayed nearby in a house during this period. It briefly served as a military barracks during World War II, and once it was retired as a working lighthouse, it stood as a satellite campus for Lane Community College from 1970 to 1995. Now it's open as a bed and breakfast, which can accommodate up to 15 guests.
Visitors will have to be comfortable with the ghostly woman who resides there, however. The gray-haired woman known as "Rue" wispily drifts around the home in a Victorian-era dress. She was given this name after a group of LCC students used a Ouija board to contact her. The planchet took the opportunity to spell out R-U-E.
It's hard to know the truth, but it's said that Rue was once the wife of a lighthouse keeper. She supposedly had two daughters, and it's believed one of them drowned. The unmarked grave on the hillside might belong to this unfortunate child. Though Rue left Heceta Head after the death of her daughter, she returned as a spirit to look for her.
Rue is a benevolent spirit. She makes no attempts to appear threatening or scary. Mostly, she looks after the house. The sounds of sweeping and moving furniture can be heard from the locked, empty attic.
Some people can't help getting scared, though. In 1975, a worker named Jim Anderson was cleaning the attic windows when he spotted a strange reflection. When he turned around, he saw the apparition of an elderly woman in period dress. Following this encounter, Anderson left and refused to return for several days. Even then, he wouldn't go in the attic.
After Anderson accidentally broke an attic window, he simply repaired it from outside and left the glass on the floor. Later that night, the caretakers woke up to the sounds of scraping, as if someone was sweeping up broken glass. When they went up to check on the room in the morning, the glass was piled up neatly in the corner.
Wolf Creek Inn & Tavern (Wolf Creek, Oregon)
The Wolf Creek Inn is the oldest operational hotel in the northwest. A lot of history comes with that, and with a lot of history comes a lot of spirits.
Built in 1883, the inn was originally a stagecoach stop. Travelers often rested here on their long journey from San Fransisco to Portland. Many of these guests were very important figures! In the early 1900s, Clark Gable, Orson Wells, Carole Lombard, and the like paid a visit. During the filming of Rooster Cogburn, John Wayne rented a room. Jack London completed his novel, The Valley of the Moon, here.
Visitors today may experience strange happenings, such as flickering lights, shifting objects, and unexplained voices. After a major renovation in 2018, property manager Andrew Shroyner reported hearing a young lady's voice when the building was empty. It sounds as if a child is playing. Some have spotted the girl through the window.
Guests have also reported slamming doors and the sound of a piano from an empty room. Staff says that in the kitchen a specific baking pan sometimes flies across the room.
It's believed that the ghost of Jack London himself still lingers behind at Wolf Creek Inn. After his death in 1916, visitors have reported seeing his apparition in the room he once slept in. Guests also claim to have heard his disembodied voice around the building.
Another ghost commonly encountered at the inn is that of a female stagecoach driver. Some connect this spirit to the legendary One-Eyed Charlie, a tough-as-nails driver who was discovered to be a woman in disguise only after her death.
Although most of the spirits at the inn are harmless, not all of them are. One of the entities is described simply as a vampire. The mysterious figure has been spotted not only on the ground, but inside the inn as well. It has fangs and is often seen with blood around its mouth. While some theorize this is the ghost of a mentally ill individual, others believe it to be a living cryptid. There doesn't seem to be too much danger—it's only bitten a guest once...
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