The past month or so has been a busy one, traveling to different locations and deciphering my notes to get them into chapters and to my editor.  One thing I have realized is that we are at no loss for lighthouse in Oregon, even more than I realized.  And, of course, with lighthouses generally come ghost stories.  A few of the places I have visited this past month are Heceta Head Lighthouse, which I wrote about earlier, and Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, now a wonderful public museum.  Many get confused between Yaquina Bay Lighthouse and Yaquina Head Lighthouse, and I was one of them for a long time.  But there is a big difference between the two, with Yaquina Bay Lighthouse having a more tragic story involving the building itself.  In the end, however, it pulled through and stands exactly where it did when it was built in 1871 by architect Ben Simpson.

An interesting fact about Yaquina Bay Lighthouse is that it went through a number of occupants - Lightkeepers and their families and various groups and organizations.  One of the groups that occupied the quarters in 1906 was the U.S. Lifesaving Service, which later merged with the Revenue Cutter Service in 1915 to become the U.S. Coast Guard.

After decades of talk of demolition, the little lighthouse pulled through, and on December 7th, 1996, the guiding light was relit.  The Yaquina Bay Lighthouse is now operated by the Oregon State Parks Department with the assistance of Friends of Yaquina Lighthouses, and  offer year-round tours of the lighthouse and quarters.  If you are in the Newport, Oregon area, and have a desire to step back in time a bit, I would highly suggest visiting Yaquina Bay Lighthouse.  Enjoy the scenery and maybe even see a ghost or two!

Heceta Head Lighthouse

No book of hauntings in Oregon would be complete with the inclusion of Heceta Head Lighthouse and Lightkeepr's House in Yachats, Oregon.

My team, PSI of Oregon, had the privilege to investigate this historic location back in 2009, and the data we collected was astounding.  The stories of "Rue", we learned, we more accurate than even we expected.  Along with Rue, we met a few other spirits who found the location as enchanting as we did.

A road trip is coming up to go a bit more in depth with Heceta Head, with interviews with the Lightkeeper, a refresher tour and photographs; all which will be included in my upcoming book, Ghosthunting Oregon.

I will leave you with a video of the Heceta Head Lightkeeper's House attic, where Rue is reportedly seen often, and an original score by our friend James Beal.

WWII Lookout Bunker

A day was spent in the sunshine and shade of towering pine trees as we hiked a well-traveled trail on Cape Arago Highway to the site of a deserted World War II Lookout Bunker.  Men stood guard in this bunker during the war, keeping a close eye on the Oregon coastline for the threat of enemy invasion.  And, although roofless now, this sturdy concrete three room structure stand tall and proud, all wall intact and the smokestacks standing against the backdrop of the forest, very much the same as it did in WWII.

Rumors of this location being haunted have been whispered about for decades.  And, after hearing some of the EVP I recorded there, I must concur that there is something "other worldly" that remains within the concrete confines of the bunker.

However, whether you believe it or not, the hike it beautiful and invigorating, and a quite, historic location to stop for lunch before continuing on the 2.5 mile hike that leads you to 400 feet above sea level.

As winter turns to Spring here on the Oregon Coast, I have been mapping out a number of road trips and planning visits to reportedly haunted location throughout the state of Oregon.  Some I will bring to you here in a condensed form, and others will be added here that may not necessarily fit in with the upcoming Ghosthunting Oregon.

Oregon is not the first state that pops into mind in association with the word "haunted".  However, as a native Oregonian, born and raised, I can assure that much of our supernatural history could be considered a very well kept secret.  Many know of the more popular haunts in Oregon, such as The Shaghai Tunnels in Portland, Heceta Head Lighthouse in Yachats, Oregon Caves in Cave Junction, and many more.  But there are just as many locations that have remained hidden from public view for many years; numerous WWII Bunkers and Lookout Bunkers, hotels, hospitals. WWII military housing, etc.  I will share some of these locations here, while others will be "saved" for Ghosthunting Oregon.

I hope you will stay tuned for the many posts and photo's that I am anxious to share with you.  And I hope you will follow the progress of Ghosthunting Oregon!