Seen a Ghost?
Last year, we organized the monthly Paranormal Pub series at the Mission Theater, co-sponsored by the Oregon chapter of the Mutual UFO Network, as a way to help promote our annual UFO Festival (coming up on May 12-15 at Hotel Oregon). Along with UFOs, aliens, abduction experiences and more, the Paranormal Pub series focuses on “other topics and phenomena not currently part of consensus scientific knowledge and belief” – like ghosts!
On Sun., April 24, our Paranormal Pub series is pleased to offer “The Northwest’s Most Haunted Places,” presented by historian and paranormal investigator Rocky Smith. Will he focus on any of our hotels, pubs or breweries? Maybe. You’ll have to come by to find out.
And have you seen a ghost while at work or as a guest? Let us know.
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Rumors abound that several of our places are haunted. And who’s to say they are or aren’t? (Are.) We may just be keeping spirits alive through music, artwork and history.
The White Eagle, for example, has long been included on lists of Portland’s most haunted spots, while Edgefield even made it onto a national list of “Top Ten Most Haunted Hotels.” As you may know, we began keeping “ghost logs” so that our guests who have, well, baffling or questionable or unexplainable experiences with the otherworldly can write it down for us.
Here are just a few of the fantastic notes from our the ghost logs – sure, some may say that it’s just the Hammerhead talking, but there really seems to be something to this.
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“Sensed a middle aged/elderly woman standing over the bed. Struggled to wake up. No one there.”
“I was doing housekeeping about a month ago and I was standing at the foot of the bed when suddenly I felt ‘something’ firmly grab my ankle and not let go until I jumped away. I looked under the bed and there was nothing. Freaked me out a little.” – As noted by hotel staff
“I felt a quick breeze and the strongest sweet scent came over me. It smelled like flowers, kind of perfume-like. . . . I lay in bed for an hour and saw shadows dancing on the walls, the ceiling and the window. Spirits were flying around the room – it was a great encounter.”
“A woman informed us at check-out that she awoke to someone standing over her. That afternoon housekeeping reentered the room after cleaning it to find pillows tossed about. Then we had [another guest feel a] tap-tap on her chest in the middle of the night.”
“I was taking a shower then all of a sudden I felt a hand grab my butt. I screamed and grabbed my towel to dry off and get my clothes on. Right as I spotted my shirt, it flew up in the air!” — (Hey, not cool! Can the manager please speak to the ghost in question? Thank you.)
I have a story to tell – is this current?
My husband and I stayed a The Kennedy School recently. When we walked around I had thought I felt children nearby. So, I was not surprised when I was awakened by a touch on my foot around 2 in the morning, and heard the conversation of what sounded like a little boy and a little girl discussing whether or not they could get me to play with them. As I did not feel like playing, and it was quite chilly in my room, I didn’t move. I felt another touch before they got bored and quickly left. They seemed friendly and lonely. It would not stop me from staying there again.
We rented a suit with Mom and sisters and in the middle of the night I felt something try and get into my bed like a knee near my leg.. happened twice and no one was up and out of bed.
My sister also said she felt something looking at her and being in her space.
My family and I stayed in the Mcmenamins Kennedy school right before the ufo convention in 2016. The hotel was beyond amazing. That night I was woken in the wee hours, in our school room, but I was unable to move or talk. It felt like I was being held down and something was covering my mouth. My 3 boys and husband were in the room and I could hear them sleeping but could not scream for help. I was up for a while, and then must have just fallen back to sleep. I told them all in the morning, but quickly forgot until one of them recently reminded me. A ghostly experience or sleep paralysis? I can’t say, but it was haunting!
I stayed at the Kennedy School, and woke at 2am to what sounded like a little boy crying and two adults trying to console him. Might’ve been neighbors in the next room, but not sure. Shortly thereafter, I woke to what felt like a child jumping on the bed near my feet. I was scared, but fell back asleep somehow. Then, woke to the jumping on the bed sensation near my head a little bit later. I also had filled a glass of water for bed, leaving it on the desk across the room. I woke to find it empty. I know I hadn’t been out of bed to drink it in the night, because I was scared to get up. I was alone in the room. Creepy for sure.
I woke up at 2:30 am from a disturbing dream unlike any other I’ve had before. I couldn’t fall back asleep so I laid awake for about 20 minutes before the super spooky old fire alarms start going off for an hour straight.