It's no big secret that some of our joints are thought to be haunted. The White Eagle Saloon & Rock ‘n' Roll Hotel, for example, has long been included on lists of Portland's most haunted spots, while Edgefield in Troutdale, Ore., even made it onto a national list of "Top Ten Most Haunted Hotels"!
We can neither confirmed nor deny these reports - who are we to say either way? But you, our guests (and more than a few employees), are more than welcome to form your own conclusions -- and many of you have over the years, so many that several of our properties keep ghost logs at the front desk. So when someone comes down from their room and starts by saying, "You're going to think I'm crazy, but..." we simply hand them the ghost log and a pen.
Here are just a few excerpts from the ghost logs over the years... and some may say it's just the Hammerhead talking, but who knows for sure... Do you dare to stay the night with us, maybe get the chance to record your own entry in our ghost logs? Or do you already have a tale to tell?
"Sensed a middle aged/elderly woman standing over the bed. Fought out of sleep. 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 housekeeping 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 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!" -- (We, uh, apologize for that one... we'll have the manager speak to the ghost in question.)
“Wine is bottled poetry.” -- Robert Louis Stevenson The Centzon-Totochtin (“Infinite Rabbits”) was an Aztec group that represented the ways humans are affected by intoxication. At the Grand Lodge, the mosaics in the basement hallways were inspired by the work of Spanish artist Antonio Gaudi. “We borrowed golf from Scotland as we borrowed whiskey. Not because it is Scottish, but because it is good.” -- Horace Hutchinson What was the very first McMenamins pub, opened by Mike and Brian McMenamin? The Barley Mill on SE Hawthorne in Portland. “Wine is bottled poetry.” -- Robert Louis Stevenson Which beer is our best-selling ale? Hammerhead, of course. Have a pint or two today! How many McMenamins are there in the Seattle area? Three – Mill Creek, Six Arms and Queen Anne. Give it up for St. Arnold, the patron saint of brewers! His miracle was a tankard of ale that never ran dry… Put him on the invite list. Does each McMenamins pub brew beer? Nope – only our brewpubs and breweries do. They supply our other spots. What’s the name of the Kennedy brewery? The Concordia Brewery, named for the surrounding neighborhood. McMenamins has a full-time historian on staff. He collects stories, photos, anecdotes and more about McMenamins spots, past and present. “Give me a woman who truly loves beer and I will conquer the world.” – Kaiser Wilhelm II Queen Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry VIII, was said to be able to drink any man under the table. You show ‘em, Betsy!
Tags:
Comment on this Posting:
#1 Monique
I'd like to see the ghost log stories from October 2001's "Resonance from the Festival". How can i see a copy ?
Also, is there any followup research of any of the ghosts reported? Any historic background information specific to the experiences logged? In particular, The Grand Lodge's "Virginia" in the 2nd floor rooms. I'd heard she was the last resident to LEAVE... ?
Thanks!
#2 Angela
I would also love more ghost log stories as well, as I will be travelling to Edgefield later this month.
#3 Deanna
We were having lunch at the Old St. Francis school, My daughter was washing her hands in the bathroom and she saw a spirit with a pair of old black mens shoes in the corner of her eye standing right behind her.
#4 Meredith
My husband and I were married at Grand Lodge Childrens Cottage in November 2006 and many of our party stayed the night, but most claimed not to sleep well despite the evenings "high spirited" (double entaundre) frivolity. Most complained of being watched or hearing things, some saw doors open and other's left with a ride home because they couldn't stay! I love that place!
#5 tina
Captured the see-thru "orbs" on several of my photos. They only show in the hall on the 3rd floor. Nothing on lens as they change positions. My boyfriend took a photo of himself and he is half see-thru. Different camera, different year than the one where I am partially see-thru with an orange glow standing right next to me.
#6 Robin
My husband and I were married at Edgefield in August '09. As we were packing up and getting ready to leave, I wanted to take a picture of the inscription on the wall about the who the room was dedicated for. I lifted my camera, and before I put my finger on the shutter, the camera took a picture. Thankfully, my husband witnessed it happen, so I know I wasn't losing it! Awesome ending to an incredible event!
#7 Jennifer Smith
When my best friend and I stayed the night one weekend nearly 15 year ago, I felt something sit on the edge of my bed during the night. I either dreamt it. It did wake me up.
During my honeymoon 11 years ago, my husband and I took a ride on the elevator. We got in, the doors shut, we felt and heard nothing, then the doors opened. We talked about how it must not be working. So we stepped out and realized that the elevator did move us to the next floor. Because that tripped out out, we hopped back in. On the second trip we did feel and hear it.
#8 AlexSandra McNabb
My husband and I frequently go to Edgefield to just look around and catch a movie after dinner. One time when we were just wandering around the place we got in the elevator. This was before we were married, and as soon as the doors closed he started kissing me passionately. During the kiss, I felt someone grab a bunch of hair and pull! It was NOT my husband (his hands were nowhere near my head!). I sensed an older woman who was displeased with such a graphic display of private moments in a "public" place. Freaked me out at the time, but laugh about it now.
#9 Teresa S.
I was at Edgefield before you bought it. We had a company party there. I had no idea it was haunted at that time. I left the ballroom to find the ladies room and ended up looking at a wonderful mural of the history of the place (I hope its still there) I turned to find a janitor with an old rag mop in the hall and it smelled like someone was burning matches. I asked for the ladies room and he looked at me and pointed down the hall. I went where he directed me and it was really cold and no bathroom anywhere. I went back where i came from and he wasn't around so I went back to the ballroom and asked one of the hostess and she pointed me in the "right" direction and I told her about the Janitor and she said that was not a real janitor, and this place was haunted...i have not been able to come back no matter how curious i am about your renovations....Maybe one day.
#10 Angel G.
I'd like to know which room (s) at the White Eagle have had the most reported paranormal activity. If anyone knows, please share! We're local and want to check it out!
#11 Kimberley B.
My 5-year old and my husband were mentioning today, about how the property we live on (which was once part of the Multnomah Co. poor farm and is up the hill from Edgefield), is haunted. My husband said every once in a while, he'll get the sensation of his ankle being grabbed. And then my daughter mentioned how she sometimes feels her hair being tugged, or someone poking her shoulder while she is coloring. I've had moments, where I will walk in my home, feel a poke in the hip (as if I brushed up against an object), but when I look back, nothing is there. It reminded me though, of how my daughter was when she was between the ages of 1 1/2 and 3 1/2. I would always catch her in her room, talking to herself. At the hype of all these ghost shows, I sat down, and asked her a little more about it. She said that she was speaking to the "black guy" and the "white lady". I asked her what they looked like, and she described the black man wearing "dark clothes and dirt on top of his shoes". The white lady wore a white dress and a white hat. After a period of skepticism, I wrote into Edgefield, to ask if there was any information they could provide. (Because what year and a half year old describes a man wearing dirty clothes like that?) I was told that aside from apparations of a nurse, that there was also a black man that had wandered off the property, and when he was found, he had become trapped in a barbed wire fence and had died. I ask my daughter about it now, and she excuses it as an imaginary friend. But with the pokes here and there, you have to wonder...
#12 Ryon and Morgan
We stayed in room 209. at 3:30 we both heard noises, and she sat up in bed asking "what was that". i know its a creeky building, but we both think it was a ghostly guest
#13 Jennifer
Summer of 2009 my bf and I spent the day enjoying the city taking pictures and visiting historical sites like the Edgefield. Upon reviewing the day's pictures at the end of the night, every single picture that we had taken inside the hotel had been erased while all the other pictures from the day remained. Nobody but myself had access to the camera, wierd.
#14 dan whittaker
i stayed in room 6 at the white eagle for 2 nights with a good friend of mine sometime early april of 2011.. we were both hoping to witness something "supernatural".. we had a great time, enjoyed some awesome beer, but to our knowledge at the time nothing out of the ordinary happened.. when we made it back home, we hooked my digital camera up to a tv to watch footage we took of the hotel. to our surprise, our first night in the room at 4 am (right before we went to bed).. we went outside to smoke a cigarette. Nobody was in the room, no bands were playing, no noise.. my camera (which was set up on a tripod in the corner of the room by the window, facing the opposite corner by the sink and the mirror..) starting shaking violently for approximately 6 minutes as if someone was holding the back of the tripod and wiggling it around. as soon as we opened the door to get back into the room, the shaking stops, and in the audio you hear a eerie breathing sound, like an old man letting out his last breath.. sends chills up my spine. i still have the footage, i need to get it on youtube.
#15 debbie wilson
i have been going out to edgefield since i was 15 years old, and the house that used to be a boys home back in the1980s has always been creepy... and i know that its old land, and alot went on there before then, but my boyfriend, and i were walking around one night a while back it wasnt summer yet we snapped pictures all over thats what i always do hoping to get something, anything an orb, or a face,mist perhaps, but we were leaving the parking lot, and i was bummed not to get a thing. so i turned one last time to snap the house i was parked by, just one last shot i said, and looked at it and saw fog and a face of some kind in the middle of it, it freaked me out i just new there would be nothing there again, and there it was everyone could see it that i showed it to, and then i lost the disk from my camera but if i ever find it i will post it its freaky!!!! and i will be out there again snapping away!!!i am waiting to get a pic of those old rocking chairs on the old creepy porches lol i will im sure lol!!!
#16 Denise
just last weekend, 10-7-11 we spent the night at the Edgefield, in the middle of the night while I was asleep a old man was standing over my bed wanting to shake my hand and I kept asking him what he wanted and he had to go (in my dream) and he just wanted to shake myhand, I finally shook his hand he smiled and I woke up...I am convinced I was visited by a spirit that lived there.
#17 Kari
We had our own ghostly experience in Sam's room in late October of this year. When we arrived our window was open. It was chilly so I closed and latched the window (i'm sure of it!). We enjoyed some drinks and the entertainment downstairs. Went to bed. Next morning the window was wide open. Guess Sam was a little warm.
#18 Ally, Dyani, and Jenn
Hopefully this stuff and more will happen to us when we travel up to Edgefield this January. :)
#19 Renee
In the winter of 2010 my husband and i stayed at the White Eagle for the first time. When having dinner at the Widmerad we had been told by a waitresst that one of the rooms at the White Eagle was haunted. When she told us that it was the room that we were staying in (#2), we both could not believe it! My husband and I went back, listened to some music and then headed upstairs to our room. So i'm so scare, but still had to use the restroom before turning in. My husband waited in the room, i was hoping that he would come out and wait for me and then return to the room with me. when i returned to the room i tried my card key twice in the door and could not open it. i was thinking, "come on, stop joking!" my husband opened the door, he said that he was on the other side of the room. Stange! So, we turned in for the night. Of course the music was playing until the place closed, but after about 2 AM everything was quiet. i seem to recall that it was between 2 and 3 when all of the sudden, and while my husband was sound asleep, the bed shook horizontally six or seven time. There was no trains running at this time, there was no sound from downstairs... my husband woke immediately and asked, "Did you feel that? " In an effort to ignore it i didn't want to anser but did. "yes, i felt it." The next morning we were told by one of the hotel workers that a prostitute had been strangled in that room. OMG, what an experience. We have been back on three different occassions. We love the White Eagle!
#20 Renee
In 2010, My husband and i were staying at the Edfield on the third floor in a corner room. After a night of dinner and fun we returned to the room to sleep. the next morning my husband asked why i had to get up last night and where i had went. i told him that i did not leave all night. he said that he thought it was me pushing off the bed, putting on the white robe and leaving. my husband told me that he could feel the pressure of weight in the middle of the king size bed, he thought it was me that had gotten up and layed back down. IT WASN'T ME! We have been back to the Edgefield on two other occassions. What fun...
#21 Cat
I was in my room and there were five men in white coats examining me!!! It was so scary man!!!
#22 Cindy
The second time that I stayed, I was in the shower and it felt like finger gently stroked my front shoulder blade. It wasn't a scary or mean presence. In October 2011, the last time that my husband and I stayed, we were both sleeping and at about 2 in the morning it sounded as though a large block of wood landed on the floor in our room. Neither of us realized that the other had heard it. When we talked about it in the morning, we noticed that there was a large carpet and couch on the floor where we heard the sound (we both heard it in the same location. We can't wait to go back in April!!!!! We LOVE this place and it definitely has spirits!!!
#23 Eric C.
Spirit seeker here. I stayed in room #1 at the White Eagle on 4-21-12. Uncle Bills room. I stayed for 2 nights. I haven't gone over all of my evidence yet. I set up night vision cameras, digital recorders, did e.m.f. readings, took full spectrum photos. The first night I stayed, I felt the presence of the woman that roams floating over me as I was sleeping. This was around 3 a.m. It lasted for about a minute. I will post more when I go through all the evidence.
#24 Anonymous
I was at the Edgefield yesterday with my family to attend a wedding, and after the ceremony when the wedding guests were about to enjoy the wedding feast, I suddenly felt very groggy and fell out of my chair. {Good thing hardly anyone noticed when it happened.} Maybe whatever is haunting the Edgefield wanted to crash the wedding by pushing a guest out of his or her reception seat. {lol} Later, when my sister & I checked out the Edgefield's gift shop, I needed to use the bathroom, but had to hurry on out of there because I felt like I was being watched. It was creepy!
#25 Ashley
Staying at The White Eagle in a few days. Would love to hear more stories about it!
#26 Kevin
While enjoying the soaking pool at the grand lodge at 1030 pm I noticed a child standing over us on a balcony. It struck my odd that the child didn't seem to be looking at us in the pool. My daughter and her boyfriend witnessed the same child on the balcony. The child seem to be fixated on something across the pool directly opposite of the balcony. I watched him for what seemed like 2 or 3 minutes. We talk about how eerie he look almost radiant without any features. My wife approached us and asked what we were looking at? I laughed thinking she was joking us. My daughter then decided to approach him yelling what are you looking at in a flash he ran away. I realized he was gone and we then all laughed about how strange he was. The next morning I decided to see if we could locate a child fitting his description. My daughter thought he was 8 years old I laughed and said I thought he was close to 15, here boyfriend thought he was 12. I found the idea of his age being different added to the many question I had. I have never had a ghost encounter and not sure this was either. But I couldn't rule it out either. After spending time looking for the little boy we found no one that fit the 8 to 15 male figure we say the night before. Very strange encounter.
#27 Justin
Stayed at Edgefield one night back in late 90s during a company christmas party. Did not know the place was reputed to be haunted, and didn't believe in such things anyways. However as my wife and I were gettting ready to go to bed, I distinctly recall the strong presence of an elderly lady sitting in the room with us. I never get weird feelings like that (and never have again to this day). It was so strong I hesitated to disrobe for bed, and I even examined the room, wondering why my mind was insisting something was there when it wasn't. My wife remarked that she felt like we were being watched, which is an unusual statement from her. Oddly enough, it was a friendly, almost grandmotherly feeling, and I felt no fear or creepiness at all. Years later when I found out about the reputation and past of the hotel, it rattled me. Still does. Don't remember the room number, but it was on the ground floor and looking out the window, facing west, you can see the main entry way staircase.
#28 Deanzie
I have also been haunted when I unwittingly stayed in a room on the third floor at the Edgefield in Troutdale (McMennamin's). When we got our room, I tried opening the closet door for extra pillows, but the door was locked. I then realized that there was a standing wardrobe in the room that had these items. Later that night, as my husband and I went to sleep, my head was on my pillow, and I heard an "unlocking" sound very loudly in my ear, like my ear was right up against a door. Shortly afterward, I heard creaky footsteps circling the bed. At the time, I was dismissive, and thought it was someone walking above our room. Even my husband woke up with a start, because the sound of the footsteps were so immediate. We both managed to sleep, but the next morning, we realized that there were no rooms above us, and no rooms were immediately next to ours. We were at the South end of the main hallway on the third floor. I think it was #304.
When I went back to work, I mentioned the event to my boss, who is familiar with The Edgefield (lots of interesting history to the place), and he described the shape of the slanted locked closet in the room, which I confirmed, and he said that that room was haunted. He reminded me of one of the paintings in the building that I clearly remember of one of the guest rooms showing a slanted closet with the door open, and in the blackness, there are a pair of eyes. I wasn't frightened during the event, and even the painting, the eyes themselves didn't look nasty, but that was quite memorable for me.
#29 Jeremy
On Oct. 10, 2012 a group of friends and I went to see The Gossip at the Crystal Ballroom. We were waiting for the elevator after pushing the button and decided to take the stairs, as soon as we decided the elevator arrived. The security staff looked at us and said that the elevator had been doing that all night. We were the first in line and you can see the elevator through the doors. We personally witnessed it operate on it's own twice. It was pretty cool. More please!!
#30 king size bed
The second time that I stayed, I was in the shower and it felt like finger gently stroked my front shoulder blade. It wasn't a scary or mean presence. In October 2011, the last time that my husband and I stayed, we were both sleeping and at about 2 in the morning it sounded as though a large block of wood landed on the floor in our room.
#31 Caroline
Though I was shy to put it in the "ghost log," I most definitely had a paranormal experience while sleeping in a room on the third floor (Bastian's room - 315?) in January 2013. I can only describe it as a moment of terror, something human-like but small and sheer, sitting, shaking, and shrieking on my chest -- but just one moment. It literally only lasted a second or two, not long enough to terrify me, but long enough to pierce my dream consciousness. It was nothing like a dream; I was half-awake. I fought myself fully awake at which point I noted I had chest pain. The chest pain lingered for several hours. I am 35 years old, and a registered nurse (i.e. I know what chest pain is and shouldn't be having it). I have never had chest pain before, but I have had a few other ghost sightings (I'm open to that sort of thing). My friend stayed in the room next door and had no such experiences, doesn't really believe in this sort of thing, and didn't think it was worth talking about. So, like I said, I left without writing in the log. The place is... interesting.