Haunted walking tour of Bend Oregon
Bend-Lapine Schools Admin Building: Formerly
Bend Union High School, the historic building now houses the administration
offices for Bend-La Pine Schools. Tupper, who was our tour guide, says an individual on the
last walking tour she led, a district employee, said she had experienced
"disembodied footsteps." Rumors include sightings of a ghost of a
little boy who rides his bike through the halls at night and lights going on and
off by themselves. Tupper herself collected an EVP in the building. A tour
guest chimed in to say that when she was in the building signing her daughter
up for home school, she heard a large "banging" sound in the basement
and was told by an employee that the basement is haunted.
Deschutes Historical Museum: This is located in the Reid School
building, which was built in 1914 and was Bend’s first modern school building.
During construction, one of the contractors, George Brosterhous, fell from the
third floor and died, and now it’s believed his ghost haunts the building.
George has been known to move or take objects, and there may or may not have
been footsteps walking around the third floor after-hours, when the building is
otherwise empty, or possibly even a misty apparition. “How
that manifests itself is the elevator door will open and close all of a sudden,
things will disappear and reappear," says Tupper. "If you want help
finding something, you can say, 'Hey, George, you know what, I can't find this
book, can you help me?' and sometimes that book will suddenly appear on a table
that wasn't there before." Tupper herself has experienced "George
moments," as the staff calls these encounters, but she says she's also captured
EVPs, or "electronic voice phenomenon" in a corner room on the second
floor. "It all began with this old-fashioned tape recorder and all I
did was push record and play," says Tupper. "And multiple voices came
out of that recorder—male and female—came out of that recorder." Tupper
says it sounded like some of the voices were speaking in present moment, while
others seemed to be "reliving" a moment from the past.
McCann House on
Congress:
(440 NW Congress) Take a stroll down Congress Avenue downtown and you cannot
miss this stately white manor. It was built as a mansion in 1915 for Thomas
McCann, the first general manager for the Shevlin-Hixon mill. Legend has it
several families living there over the years have died or suffered some other
tragedy, though the only definitive story (if “definitive” can be used with
ghost stories!) comes from the book Ghost Stories of Oregon: “When Sharron
Comeau moved in 60 years later, she says the spirits were there to greet her
and her family.Sharron believes the ghost was the mother of a former owner. The
woman apparently died in one of the upstairs bedrooms. Although Sharron sensed
a presence in the home, it was her daughter Mary who saw the apparition. Mary
slept in the bedroom that had been the woman’s. It wasn’t long after moving in
that Mary told her family there was something odd in one corner of the room.
They discovered it was the corner where the woman’s bed had been. The ghost, a misty blue-gray shape of a
woman with dark hair, appeared often and would pace in front of the bedroom
window wringing her hands. She would even sit on Mary’s bed and talk to the
teenager.”
Lara House Bed and Breakfast: This craftsman-styled home was
originally built in 1910 across from what would become Drake Park. Reports of whispering noises and
objects being moved amp up the creep factor, and I’ve heard stories of seeing
what appears to be a woman through the window of the top floor—when it’s
supposed to be empty.
O’Kane Building: This historic building at the
heart of downtown Bend has had a long and varied history. It was built in 1916
by Hugh O’Kane, one of the most colorful business of the time, and I believe it
was the third such building of his (the previous two burned down). There have
been reports of “ghostly smoke, weird lights, footsteps, and voices,” and
on occasion a ghostly voice has been heard shouting out orders in the
restaurant (but which restaurant?
There have been a number over the years). Furthermore, it’s said the basement
of the building is haunted by the ghost of an old man. People
have reported seeing strange lights on the top floor of this building from the
outside and have heard voices and seen smoke when there is no one around. A
ghost waitress has been heard shouting orders in the restaurant and an old man
apparition is said to haunt the basement.
Downing Hotel
Building:
Now the site of Seven (and host to a number of restaurants and bars over the
years), the Downing Building was built in 1920 and despite being “the
finest building in town and held a 24-hour restaurant, a taxi stand, a clothing
store and a hotel,” there was a much seedier reputation attached: that of a
brothel. From an article in
The Source five years ago:
“Take a walk down the alley between
Bond and Wall Streets, behind the Downing Hotel (featuring the Superior Café,
later known as The Grove, now Seven) then gaze at the rear-upstairs of the
buildings on the Bond side. Above and behind Seven and New York City Sub Shop
were at least 20 “cozy rooms” or “cribs.” During renovations along this rear
stretch of buildings a few years ago, narrow rooms side-by-side and each no
bigger than a closet were “rediscovered,” purposely designed to use space
efficiently (a single mattress) and maximize clients, thus profits.” Ten
years ago in the now-defunct “Bend Living” magazine had an article about
haunted Bend that mentioned the former brothel—possibly haunted by the ghost of
a woman (I’m guessing a former prostitute).
Sparrow Bakery: Some
bakery employees report ghostly encounters they’ve had in the space, which used
to be an iron works foundry and a payroll office with a giant vault. The bakery
ghost — whom workers have named Jackson — has the peculiar habit of sneaking
bread and opening and closing doors. Those who have encountered Jackson assume
it’s the restless spirit of one of the payroll workers from decades past.
(Sparrow not shown on map below as it is outside of downtown).
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