These 12 Urban Legends In Oregon Will Keep You Awake At Night (2025)

The ghost of an old woman and her daughter haunts this beautiful lighthouse. Nearly everyone who has stayed at the lighthouse since the 1950s has experienced paranormal activity, including things like disembodied screams, items moving or disappearing, and the reflection of an old woman's ghost in an attic window. With persistent Oregon legends like these, you very well may hear a few stories if you ever chance a visit.

The Flavel House is a mansion-turned-museum in Astoria, and it's said to be haunted by the ghosts of the family that once lived there. The Flavel's have made their phantom presence known by speaking amongst themselves and practicing music in empty rooms. A woman's ghost has been sighted in the hallway, and Mr. Flavel has been seen in his bedroom, before vanishing.

The historic Fort Stevens State Park is haunted by the ghost of a soldier who patrols the area at night holding a flashlight. There are many stories recounting encounters with the man, who, when approached, disappears into thin air.

Years ago, this hospital in Salem was an insane asylum where terrible malpractices were said to occur. Built in the 1800s, this place had secret underground tunnels connecting the buildings, where terrible experiments were rumored to have been conducted on patients. Part of the hospital was preserved as a museum, and to this day visitors claim to experience paranormal activity here as well as the eerie feeling that they're being watched.

The Grand Lodge, located in Forest Grove, is known as one of the most haunted places in Oregon. Staff and guests alike have reported seeing a woman with white hair, slippers, and a patterned dress. The descriptions of the ghost match the large portrait of a woman hanging on the premises. One common explanation is that the apparition is the ghost of a woman named Anna, who lived there for many years and died just before she turned 100 years old.

Located in Lebanon and built in 1932, this theater is reportedly haunted by the ghost of a young girl in a white dress who fell from theater's balcony to her death. Visitors and staff of the theater claim to experience strange activity like doors opening and closing by themselves and the disembodied laughter of children.

Said to be one of the most haunted places in America, the Shanghai Tunnels in Portland are bone-chillingly creepy. Located underneath the streets of the old town, these tunnels were used between 1850-1941 for illegal activity including human trafficking. Many people died in the dark, dingy tunnels, leaving their ghosts behind. You can now tour these tunnels, and many have heard phantom voices talking, moaning, and screaming.

In 1950, one of the most famous UFO photographs was taken on a farm near McMinnville. The controversial photograph shows what looks to be a flying saucer in the sky, and was printed in newspapers and magazines (including Life Magazine) all across the country. To this day, no one knows the truth - could it really have been a UFO?

Malheur Butte is a dead volcano in Eastern Oregon with a shadowy past full of dark magic. It's said that witches used to meet here to perform rituals. And strange imp-like creatures have been seen to appear in the night to scare visitors away.

This historic hotel and Baker City landmark is also a site of paranormal activity. People have reported seeing ghosts on many occasions (the hotel even offers ghost tours on Halloween). The most famous ghost who lives here is called Lady in Blue, who supposedly has been sighted walking up and down the main staircase dressed in a turn-of-the-century gown.

This hotel is located near a hot spring in La Grande. The hotel was originally built in the mid-19th century and then was converted into a hospital that was destroyed in a fire. After that, it was rebuilt into an insane asylum before it was closed down, seemingly for good. Years later, the decrepit building was renovated and turned into the Hot Lake Hotel. With a history like that, it seems natural that guests have reported various ghost stories, including hearing fleeting, sourceless piano music, ghost sightings, and strange clouds of fog that will suddenly appear.

The town of Lafayette is said to have had a curse over it since the 1800s when a woman accused of witchcraft was hanged for her supposed crimes. Before she died, she placed a curse on the town that it would burn down three times. Since then, it has burnt down twice. Freaky! Her ghost is said to roam the cemetery where she was killed to this day.