Searching for Ghosts on Oregon's Coastline

Published 10/10/2012

(Oregon Coast) – It's not hard to get caught up in the whole spooky “thang” this time of year, and the beaches of Oregon present plenty of opportunity for paranormal exploration. After that delirium-inducing sunset and maybe an exquisite dinner some place, nightfall is an excellent time to go in search of Oregon's ghostly history – if you dare.

Here's a brief list of hotspots that have paranormal legends behind them.

At the very northern tip of Oregon, Astoria is full of major ghost stories of one sort or another. That's no surprise, considering it's the oldest settlement west of the Mississippi, and its history is rich with cutthroat maritime intrigue, along with a smattering of battles between the U.S., the English and the natives.

Among the legendary spooky spots are the Liberty Theatre (various poltergeists and a guy dressed in white) and the firefighter museum.

The sightings in Seaside are varied but a bit hard to pin down. Some of the restaurants along Broadway have talked about presences from beyond, including one restaurant (when it was Girtles) that claimed ectoplasmic former employees of the old Seasider hotel had moved there in the 80's after the big hotel was torn down. It's now called Twisted Fish and there have been no ghost reports from them.

The top floor of the Seaside Aquarium has some former employees swearing they've heard unexplainable noises from up there (it was for decades and apartment complex up top), and there are plenty of tales of smoky spectres from a former coffee shop as well as a Native American presence that haunts a porch swing on the north end of town.

Cannon Beach has a fair amount of hair-raising tales coming out of the Warren House restaurant and bar.

Some locals have told plenty of tales about the ghost of a soldier that has been seen wandering not only the Promenade but Fort Stevens State Park.

Above: some residents say various homes in Cannon Beach are haunted - but they won't talk about it publically. Only if you know them personally.

In Nehalem Bay – which includes Wheeler, Nehalem and Manzanita – weird stories abound. Various paranormal investigators have sworn certain buildings in town are haunted, such as the winery and the Old Wheeler Hotel. The upstairs of Tsunami Grill has some stories of spooky sounds (back when it was another restaurant). There is the freaky tale of a woman who had her house legally burned to the ground in the 90's because it was purportedly haunted by spirits of burned native children, and that property has been prohibited from being built on since.

Lincoln City is chalk full of the paranormal in some circles, such as the truly weird tale of a ghost ship that shows up now and then in Siletz Bay – and this has more than one credible witness. The North Lincoln Fire Station is said to have an apparition lounging in the recreation area.

Just south of there, Depoe Bay's Spouting Horn restaurant has hosted a film crew coming up with some truly spooky footage of a ghost getting angry at a couple of psychics.

In Newport, don't look to the lighthouses there for scary presences – as those legends have been debunked long ago. But restaurant Bay 839 recently discovered a see-through occupant, and some claim the ghost of a lighthouse keeper and his daughter still wander the beaches of Newport on stormy nights looking for each other.

Down near Florence, the famed Heceta Head Lighthouse (currently undergoing remodeling) has a long-standing story about a ghost that haunts the BnB that was made out of the keeper's quarters.

Not all the paranormal activity is ectoplasmic in nature along the coast. For decades there have been rumors of UFO's between in some parts of the coast range, including the Van Duzer corridor near Lincoln City and Highway 34 between Corvallis and Waldport.

Newport at night

More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging.....

More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining.....

LATEST OREGON COAST NEWS STORIES

Back to Oregon Coast

Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net
All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted