Beneath Portland’s indie shops and coffee-lined streets lies a history filled with ghost stories that refuse to fade. Old hotels, breweries and mansions are backdrops for tales of strange sightings and unexplained events that date back more than a century. Each October, these stories resurface as visitors follow the city’s haunted trails to see how Portland’s past comes alive after dark.
Some guests in historic hotels say they’ve heard footsteps and televisions flicking on by themselves. In downtown taverns, staff describe glasses sliding off counters, doors creaking open and faint laughter echoing through empty rooms. In pubs and tunnels below the city, stories of playful spirits, kidnapped sailors and long-gone residents keep the city’s eerie legends alive.
Haunted stays
Portland’s landmark hotels preserve a connection to the city’s early days through craftsmanship and quiet elegance. Built in 1913 by lumber magnate Simon Benson in downtown Portland, the Benson Hotel offers modern comfort alongside its historic stamp. Guests, however, remember it most for its ghosts, from housekeeper Becky and Benson himself to a helpful porter who vanished, spectral women in white and blue and a playful little boy said to appear from behind furniture as if eager to join in.
Opened in 1927 as a cornerstone of Portland’s theater district, the Heathman Hotel also carries echoes of its past while offering elegant rooms, local artisan touches and easy access to the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Visitors often speak of footsteps, voices and objects moving in rooms ending in 03, with Room 703 at the center of the lore after stories of tragedy and years of unexplained activity. Towels mysteriously fall, televisions switch on full blast, and guests claim to have seen a glowing ball of energy in Room 503, once caught on camera by a cleaner.
Not far away, the White Eagle Saloon & Hotel began as a hub for Portland’s Polish immigrants and later earned fame as a launchpad for local music legends. Today, its stage hosts everything from hip hop to country, while upstairs guestrooms named after Holy Modal Rounder tunes display vintage photos and painted lyrics…