About Spirits of Early Oregon
Presented by Rocky Smith, Historian and Paranormal
Investigator
2019 is bringing changes to Paranormal Pub! We are moving
from the Mission Theater to the larger Kennedy School, and Paranormal nights
will now fall on the second Monday of each month. New day, new location, but
still as free and fascinating as always!
For our first program of the year, we’re examining the
Spirits of Early Oregon. 2019 marks Oregon City’s 175th Birthday, making it the
oldest incorporated City in Oregon. Join Historian and Paranormal Investigator
Rocky Smith as he shares some of his favorite pioneer ghost stories from Oregon
City and Portland, while revealing a bit of the process of piecing these
incredible stories together.
Smith will share some unbelievable ghost stories,
accumulated from his years of experience with the paranormal, his knowledge of
Oregon history and passion for historical research, and his willingness to
listen carefully while Oregonians share their paranormal experiences. Smith has
compiled hundreds of ghost stories while living in Oregon City, and has a gift
for telling those stories, whether it’s on one of his popular Northwest Ghost
Tours or on a stage. This will be Smith’s third appearance as a Paranormal Pub
speaker and he is excited to share some of his favorite ghost stories from
around Oregon.
About the Speaker:
Rocky Smith was born and raised in Oregon City. Today, he teaches
art at Oregon City High School, where he has been for the last 16 years. He is
well known in the community as a local historian and paranormal investigator.
Smith recently finished his second term on the Oregon City Commission and is
currently taking a much-needed break from politics.
In college, Smith worked for three years in the historic
Ermatinger House, the oldest house in Oregon City and the third oldest house in
the state of Oregon. He has had many paranormal experiences over the past 20
years, including his first in the Ermatinger House, which was featured in Susan
Smitten's book, Ghost Stories of Oregon. Smith has spent 20 years working to
preserve this historic house; now restored, it should be open to the public
this summer.
Smith started researching paranormal activity in Oregon City in
1995 and has documented close to 100 haunted places within the city. In 2006,
he combined his love for history and knowledge of the paranormal by founding
Northwest Ghost Tours and now leads the “Walk with the Spirits” tours in Oregon
City. In 2006 and 2007, Smith was named Teacher of the Year at Oregon City High
School and was the recipient of Oregon City's Citizen of the Year Award
for 2013. In 2017, Northwest Ghost Tours won the “Best of Oregon City” award in
the “Best Oregon City History or Story” category. After speaking at several
West coast paranormal conferences, Rocky is now Director of the Oregon Ghost
Conference.
