Oregon is considered a great place to live due to its beautiful scenery and landscapes. The Pacific Northwest state is also home to Portland, a place known for its somewhat quirky culture.
That said, Portland is also considered one of the safest places to live in the country despite its rather sordid history. If you're ever in Oregon to visit, or you happen to live there, you might be aware of some of the local haunts. We're taking a look at ten of the most haunted places in the state.
10 Mangiare Italian Restaurant
If you want some spooky activity with your Italian comfort food, look no further than Mangiare's in Independence, Oregon. Rumor has it that a ghost by the name of Lenora continues to haunt the place because it is where she ultimately died. In the year 1912, Lenora fell in love with a man who enlisted in the first world war.
After he departed, Lenora committed suicide by throwing herself through a skylight. The place she landed supposedly left a bloodstain behind that is impossible to move and still located on the floor in what is now an Italian restaurant. Guests have reported seeing Lenora's ghost wandering around Mangiare's and the surrounding city.
9 Candy Cane Park
For a name as joyful as "Candy Cane Park" you wouldn't expect the place to have such a sinister history but alas, this particular park located in La Grande is not exactly a dream come true. It is rumored that a young barmaid was brutally murdered in the park by someone wielding a hatchet.
Since her death, she has taken to strolling through the park and making the merry-go-round spin on its own. The merry-go-round was eventually removed but visitors still say her ghost roams freely in the area.
8 Shanghai Tunnels
Nowadays Portland, Oregon is considered a hipster haven and a pretty fantastic place to live. But it didn't always use to be that way. In the past, Portland was known for its seedy clubs, brothels, and general malaise. Perhaps most notable was the Shanghai Tunnels. These tunnels were used as a way to kidnap sailors and escort them onto ships where they would be sold into slave labor.
They would be drugged, abused, or knocked unconscious and then escorted through Portland's seedy underground when they awoke they'd find they had been "Shanghaid." While much of the area has been restored, the tunnels do still exist and are part of a ghost tour now. The area has been declared the most haunted place in Oregon by Northwest Paranormal Investigation.
7 The Egyptian Theatre
Located in Coos Bay, the Egyptian Theater is one of the coolest places to watch a movie, especially if you're a fan of that old-timey cinematic experience.
However, due to the age of the theater, you can imagine the kind of stories perpetuated over the years. Various stories claim that an old woman haunts the place and some say they can hear strange footprints in the stage area when no one is there.
6 Highway 101
This highway is known for being rather scenic and picturesque due to its location near Cannon Beach. However, it is also known for a rather sinister apparition appearing like a man with his head wrapped in bandages.
Depending on who you ask or what legend you read, those bandages may or may not be bloodied. Some have reported seeing the man simply standing on the beach, watching them. While others have stated he will actually clamber into the backseat of your car and give you a wicked scare if you happen to catch sight of him in your rear-view mirror.
5 Heceta Head Lighthouse
The Heceta Head Lighthouse was constructed in 1892 and named after a Spanish explorer. Interestingly, the hauntings aren't confined to the actual lighthouse. Instead, they are reported in the houses built alongside it meant to house the current lightkeeper and their family in addition to two lightkeeper assistants.
The main ghost people report is named Rue, although the circumstances of her death change depending on the legend. Some believe she lost a child on the premises and spends her days seeking her. Others think she was once the wife of one of the old lightkeepers. Heceta Head is considered one of the most haunted places in Oregon. There has been more than 100 ghost sightings reported on the property.
4 Hot Lake Hotel
The Hot Lake Hotel was initially constructed in 1864 near the hot springs in the area. It functioned as a hotel for several years before being purchased by a new owner who repurposed the third floor of the hotel into a functioning hospital and renamed it Hot Lake Sanitorium.
The property would undergo several more changes before falling into disarray for many years. Now it functions as a restored bed and breakfast. However, many still claim the place is haunted by former asylum patients and various guests from the years.
3 Geiser Grand Hotel
The Geiser Grand Hotel was opened in 1889 in Baker City. It was meant to pay tribute to the height of the gold rush and mining expeditions at the time. Beneath the hotel were several old tunnels that ran through the underground and lead to mining spots and brothels.
The Grand was a noble establishment meant for the aristocratic and wealthy. One woman in particularly, known as Annabelle, presided over the hotel from a reserved chair at the bar. They say her ghost still lingers in the place and she is known as the Lady in Blue. The hotel was featured on Ghost Hunters with the TAPS team coming to investigate.
2 McMenamins Grand Lodge
There are multiple McMenamin properties in the Oregon neighborhood consisting of pubs, movie theaters, and of course, hotels. The Grand Lodge hotel was constructed in back in the 1900s and is a great place to stay, if you don't mind cohabitating with a couple of ghosts.
The most frequent sighting involves an older women that guests believe might be named Virginia. She is seen shuffling around the lodge in a pair of slippers. Beyond that, there have been other strange circumstances such as scratching on the walls or clothes spotted seemingly suspended in midair.
1 Lithia Park
Hoping to take a quiet stroll through a wooded area? Lithia Park may be the first place you're recommended if you're in the Ashland area. It is considered a beautiful place for a leisurely stroll due to its serene landscape.
However, it is also perhaps one of the most haunted areas in Ashland. Ghost sightings include that of a young girl murdered over a century ago and a man described as having a "dog-face." There is also people who say they have heard strange sounds in the forest, like whistling and laughter.