McMenamin’s Edgefield Oregon’s Haunted Gem
Photo by Kevin Butz on Unsplash
Have you ever walked into a place and felt you went back in time instantly, almost as if you were greeted by a forgotten time yet still alive and well? As each footstep takes you further down the hall, unseen eyes with a whispered greeting welcome you. You turn right and then left but there’s no one there except other guests and passers. Maybe a gentle hand caresses the side of your head making you feel light-headed or within the blink of an eye, you glimpse a shadow walking by. Well, this is how a multitude of people feel when they walk through the front doors of McMenamin’s Edgefield Hotel in Troutdale, Oregon.
The interesting thing here is, most of those whispered hellos and wispy silhouettes are seemingly friendly even if you can’t see or touch them. From astonishingly beautiful paintings on walls to an ambiance of old-time charm, there is so much to do. Think of a ghost adventure where all the modern conveniences are at your fingertips such as small bars, edible gardens, and an expresso bar. I think of it as ghostbusting at your leisure.
The charm keeps coming as you choose from, a day at the spa at Ruby’s Spa and Soaking pool, or an evening of live music and if that doesn’t float your boat, you can enjoy a movie after dinner. The best part is there are so many wonderful places to go, you’ll never get bored. But let’s not forget the best part of Edgefield, at least for me, is its history and its lively ghosts.
Edgefield back in the day was built in 1911 becoming the Multnomah County poor farm which eventually progressed into a nursing home. Today, it is a 74-acre hot spot for its own brewery, vineyards, and distillery. My favorite is their hard cider!
As an Empath, I find these kinds of locations are the catchup to my fries. You can’t get any better than this outside of literally living in a haunted house. I’m not talking about the spooky kind but those old beloved Victorian or turn of the century homes that kept all the residual memories of all the families that lived within their walls. Edgefield’s energy reminds me of multiple bubbles bobbing up and down with old memories that linger, occasionally touching the living as they move along.
Are there haunted rooms, you may ask? Of course! The most requested room at Edgefield is room 215, called the Amazing Grace room. Supposedly when they were renovating the property they found animal bones and a pentagram on the ground within the area. I can only assume they did a cleansing of sorts, hence the name. In addition, room 214 also supposedly has paranormal activity in it especially with it being in close proximity to room 215.
Walking around, I found that it didn’t take much prodding on my part when I asked some of the Edgefield staff who worked there if they had any ghostly experiences. Here are a few that I want to share with you that I feel are great testaments because not everybody who experiences ghostly activity is a believer … at first.
Imagine, there you are, playing golf on one of Edgefield’s 2 golf courses and you catch a glimpse of a shadowy figure walking by. Perhaps, late at night, you are strolling along the path with snow coming down, footsteps appear out of nowhere. Where they begin or end is anybody’s guess.
Here is Ryan’s story. He is one of the shift managers at the Black Rabbit Restuarant.
This happened two winters ago on the property. He and his wife were walking past one of the golf courses and stopped by the distillery to have a drink to make sure their boss saw them so he wouldn’t call them in to work on their day off because it was snowing. He remembered walking around with their coffee drinks and then walking through the golf course meandering back towards their home.
Ryan said, “Not that we were following footsteps but we realized there were like footsteps in the snow and within 10 to 15 steps, they just stopped, like into the nothing. They didn’t fade out they didn’t go around the corner. They just stopped.
Rainbow:
“Were they human size? Like a man or a woman?”
Ryan:
“They were like a woman or adolescent child. They seemed as fresh as could be. And it was actively snowing at the time. We stood there for about 10 to 15 minutes trying to figure stuff out or trying to make sure nobody was stepping backward, trying to play a prank on us. We couldn’t come up with any other explanation other than something weird was going on.”
Rainbow:
‘Is there anything else?’
Ryan:
‘There have been situations in the distillery where the broom will stand up on its own, like unsupported. I can’t imagine that being done without somebody manipulating it first but just the fact that it stands there for a number of minutes on end without falling over is strange.
There is somebody who took a video of it and walked all the way around it. The first time I remember it happening recently, whoever came into open the bar that particular day found it already standing. The only logical explanation is the person the night before left it that way and it stayed that way all night. He was a little weirded out and went and did some other stuff after that.”
Clara’s story:
Clara is a bartender who has been working at the Black Rabbit for 4 years. Here is her story:
“One morning, it’s 6 am when I first started working here, I was walking down the hallway here and this door was cracked open and there should have been no one in the bar and I turn and I look and standing in the archway over there is a very tall man. We made ghostly eye contact and then I shuffled off and was freaked out.”
Rainbow:
“Was it a shadow or full-body apparition?”
Clara:
“No, it was a full apparition. And then I’ve seen another one on the other side of the bar, It almost looked like an Asian woman peeking her head around the pole and back and then I never saw her again. I even went around to make sure no one was hiding from me and there was no one there.
I have also heard twice now, bagpipes off in the distance when we haven’t had any events happening here. One time it was the opening line of Amazing Grace. I was thinking, we shouldn’t have any bagpipers here now. The second time, I heard it and one of our skeptics heard it at the same time so I know it wasn’t just me.
Christina’s story:
Christina is a bartender and has been working at the Black Rabbit for 7 years.
“My husband used to work here and he was the bar manager. And a part of his duties was to come in here, once a month and do the inventory which required him to be here at 4 o’clock in the morning. So we just thought let’s spend the night. He could go downstairs to do his thing and then come back up to bed.”
“I told you I’m a bit of a skeptic We have a ghost Logue that you can check out at the front desk and read people’s stories. I was always like, people are drunk, whatever, of course, they’re going to see things.”
“ So, there wasn’t much drinking, a little bit but we weren’t drunk and went to bed like normal, everything was good. He got up and went to do his thing and I remember him leaving and I fell back asleep. We were on the second floor in room 214. It’s right next to the room that’s suppose to be really haunted, the Amazing Grace room which is 215. So I remember waking up and looking and seeing a grey cat walking towards my bed. Of course, I’m going through my brain, how a cat got into my room, justifying the purpose and the meaning of this cat being in my room. I feel the cat jump up on the bed. I pet the cat, I feel the cat, I interact with this cat. This is weird. I thought it probably came in through some air vent or something. And then the cat jumps off the bed and I see it walk away.”
“I fall back asleep. The door opens, my husband comes in, sits on the bed. I feel the bed sink in. I feel him move over towards me and put the blanket up over my shoulder like he usually does. I start to tell him about this cat. I turn around and there’s nobody there. I never felt scared or anything like that. So my husband comes back and I ask him, “Have you been to this room? There was a cat in this room.” He said, “No, no.” So I said, “Cool, listen to my story!”
“I came to work the next day and I’ve been working in this department for 7 years. So I go to one of the night bartenders who have been working here a while too and told him my story. I said, “A little grey cat was in my room and he went, ‘That cat?” He pointed to painting here on the wall. Well, I never noticed ever but there is a little grey cat in the woman’s arms that’s in the tub. You have to actually get up close to see it. There has been a grey cat in the painting the whole time I’ve been working here and yes, that is the grey cat.”
After hearing everyone’s stories, I decided to walk around the grounds of the hotel, when one thought came to my mind, I could stay here forever! I guess that explains why Edgefield attracts the living as well as the dead. Everybody has a good time and nobody wants to leave!
McMenamins Edgefield is just 15 minutes from the airport and 20 minutes to downtown Portland. It’s become one of my most favorite haunted locations but then, McMenamins does have other supposedly haunted locations that I have yet to visit. You know what that means, I’m going to have a lot of favorites!
Paranormal Awareness
Sometimes I listen to paranormal shows and I often wonder what their impact on people is. What are the do’s and don’ts of living in a haunted house? What are the signs that there is a problem and when should a person get professional help? It’s not easy living in a haunted home or for that matter experiencing the paranormal on a daily basis. It usually happens when we least expect it which in a warped way, is the paranormal’s way of showing us; it has a dark sense of humor.
When I was in my early teens, I realized that there were some things I had to learn to do to survive even the slightest hint of anything paranormal. I didn’t have any tools so I did what I could to feel safe. I realized even back then that there were people like me who were experiencing the paranormal but that there wasn’t a specific rule of thumb to go by. Maybe it’s time I wrote about my version of this rule of thumb so to speak and how it helped me get through some dark and tough times. This is obviously based on my experiences so I hope in some manner, large or small the advice I give will help those in search for answers.
Closets From childhood on up to this very day, closets still scare the bejeezus out of me. If a child or young adult tells their parents there is a problem in the closet, in most cases, they won’t be believed. This happened to me and it was really more about my parents didn’t want to deal with something that could possibly be a problem. The door would be shut and if it opened, there was a rational explanation. A closed door that doesn’t usually open on its own isn’t normal. Sounds from a closet are not normal. Things being messed with in a closet isn’t normal. Something coming out of a closet definitely isn’t normal. If any of these things I spoke of are part of a conversation you have with your kids or family members, there’s a problem. The real question is, why would a parent discount what a scared child or young adult tells them?
I believed my daughter when she told me something was in her closet watching her and what was worse, she then proceeded to tell me a voice told her to go to the closet. When she told me this, I immediately knew something was up. I mean, that is not a regular conversation I would usually have with my four years old. First and foremost, believe what your kids and family members are telling you. Secondly, it’s important to go and open the door, look around in the closet and state you are aware it’s there. Claim the closet as part of your house and smudge the inside of it with sage. I would also light either, frankincense and myrrh or dragonsblood incense in the bedroom. I would call my daughters guardian angels into the room and ask them to watch over her. I would also place a piece of tiger eye or serenite in the closet. I also do this for myself.
Antiques I’m a sucker for antiques and in some ways, they can be my downfall. There are two things you can do if you want to bring a piece of the past home with you, first, ask the history of the piece, where it came from and who owned it before it came up for sale. Secondly, ask the salesperson if anything strange has happened around it. If you get bad vibes meaning heart racing, headache, stomach tightening or goose-bumps from being around the piece, that’s usually a sign you should not buy it. Remember if something is attached to a piece of furniture, art or lamp, you will feel it. It’s harder for the darkness to hide when the room temperature changes. Beware of cold spots.
Haunted Rooms In a prior post I wrote about a house I lived in, in my early twenties. The room was one of the most haunted spaces I even to this day have come across. Usually haunted rooms or locations occur when a death, natural or unnatural has occurred. This means that perhaps violence and or negative emotions were absorbed into that room. Sometimes spirits like to occupy a space even if they did not live or experience anything there, it just depends on the circumstances. For example, a little boy spirit would peer in my daughter’s room from an outside window when she was young. He didn’t have anything to do with the house but was more attracted to her and her playing in her room. He wanted her to invite him in; I made it clear there would be no uninvited spirit playmates in the house.
Clearing a haunted room isn’t that easy. As a homeowner, it’s important to state it’s your house and that includes those spaces that are apart of your house that is compromised. I have always had an altar in my bedroom anywhere I’ve lived. It’s the one thing that I think people should do in their homes. Once I get my altar set up, I then make it clear that my guardian angels and spirit guides are invited in besides friendly contacts but all others with negative intentions, have to leave. If they don’t like it, I ask my guardian angels to take care of it. The important thing here is to know without a shadow of a doubt that your guardian angels will take care of it. If you doubt this, you take away their ability to get rid of unwanted spirits and you actually empower the unwanted spirit with the fear of uncertainty. Your convictions as a live human and your beliefs are put to the test when you have to get rid of unwanted spirits. They have to know that you have dominion in this reality. If they are mean, it may take some time but when I’ve had my fill of activity, I’m steadfast and stick to my guns in order to get them out.
Attachments Spirits have their own agendas and sometimes figuring out what their agendas are can be like going down a rabbit hole. It’s important to look at yourself as a whole individual with a protective bubble around you. The one-way spirits can attach themselves to people is when they are depressed and unprotected. Think of all the people who take medication for depression, it’s a real problem and a part of this problem is dark energy taking advantage of the low points in people’s emotional lives.
Here’s something that might help, first off, it’s important to have daily goals even habitual routines that are reminders to keep our shields of protection up. All this shield is, is asking your spirit guides or guardian angels or whoever to protect you. Imagine wings around you all day or a wonderful array of lights engulfing you. However, you can imagine your shield around you because it is the most important part of keeping the darkness at bay. Imagining it, feeling it and relaxing in its protection is what makes it real. It’s a daily ritual of asking that reminds us that at certain times within a day, we can become vulnerable. This is when we need help the most.
Dark Shadows Every so often in the various houses I’ve lived in, I have seen dark shadows. I don’t always see them as something apart of the house because I have seen them outside as well. I think they are beings from other dimensions who are fascinated with our energy. I think our vibrations of emotional highs and lows attract the attention of these creatures. Whatever appearance you see them it doesn’t really matter because they all seem to show themselves in whatever image gets the worst scare out of you. I’ve seen black blobs, shadows of men in military uniforms, tall and short figures of people and the list goes on. Whenever I see them, I say out loud, “I see you!” This has always worked in making them leave because for some reason they don’t like for the people to know they are watching them. I can’t say in all cases that if you let them know you see them that they will leave but at least it puts you on an even keel with whatever is looking at you. Awareness is key here.
Paralysis This is a weird one here because I have woken up on my stomach totally paralyzed except for my eyes looking around. I have had a strange dark figure try to pull me off the bed a few times with me paralyzed except for my eyes and a difficult time speaking or should I say screaming! If I focus on my vocal cords and really try to get them to work, I usually can make a sound squeak out and then I can get it louder from there. I think on this one if you can stay focused on your body and not what’s going on around you it helps. It’s important to try to get your mind over matter and focus on what works so that you can go to that inner place within you that is your source of power. This is what I call the sanctuary of the soul where God presides. In my opinion, there is nothing more powerful than this place within a person and if we can learn to focus on it, we usually can free ourselves. I know I did it in Egypt when I woke up paralyzed. The Medicine men and women I studied with showed me how to focus during times of distress.
You have to calm down your breathing, almost feeling your heartbeat, feeling it within your chest beating in a more relaxed manner. Secondly know that you are working from your mind and that what the mind tells the body to do, it does. Its part of the reality of this dimension, our mind is the pilot of our body. Focus on your inner sanctuary where your essence is most comfortable and at home. Between the two, mind and essence, focus on easing yourself from the confines of the paralysis. As it was told to me, all humans need to get used to going within themselves instead of focusing outside themselves. By going within, we make it harder for paralysis and mind control to happen. There’s a vast Universe within us that we never venture into, maybe it’s time you did.
Hope these examples help you. I’ve been dealing with all kinds of things for 50 years. Not much surprises me but there are those exceptions. I’ll talk about those in my next post.
e it harder for paralysis and mind control to happen. There’s a vast Universe within us that we never venture into, maybe it’s time you did.
Hope these examples help you. I’ve been dealing with all kinds of things for 50 years. Not much surprises me but there are those exceptions. I’ll talk about those in my next post.
Rainbow
Haunted Houses- Walking into another world —-Is it was True Series #440
A while back I received a phone call from a woman who thought she had a poltergeist in her house. I listened to her talk about doors slamming, shadow people walking about and things being moved or disappearing. It affected one child but the rest of the family didn’t seem to be bothered by the activity. This made me think, “Why would a few members of the family be affected but not the rest?”
It seems that the activity followed this woman from one house to another. When I hear this happens, it’s clear to me that either, a person is the one being haunted and not the house or that they are Empathic which opens them up to spirits in and around the house itself.
As I was listening to this woman talk, a few things came to my attention. First, she was laughing about some of the experiences which made me wonder if it was just her way of dealing with stress or did she know something she wasn’t telling me? After about 20 more minutes on the phone, I realized that this woman not only had a secret but I was able to figure out what it was by a few things she said. She said she had a friend who dabbled in the occult. (Lightbulb moment) It came in loud and clear to me that she was had done some sessions with this woman. If you play with Ouija boards, do séances or play with magic spells, the outcome will likely come back and bite you in the booty or as in this case, slam doors and become a daily menace.
Interestingly enough, it was almost as if two voices were speaking through her to me at once, one pleasant and the other a bit darker. I knew at that moment, going to her house was out of the question.
Funny though, as if on cue, she urgently asked to me to come to her house that same day, stating that it was imperative that I help her out. I not only saw a set up but sensed it, but not from this woman, from whatever dark energy was controlling her and her environment. Sometimes, we have to say no to unsafe and undesirable situations.
Being an Empath has its advantages but it can also be a double edged sword especially when our guard is down or as in my case so many years ago, I was naive and green between the ears.
Years back when I was in my early twenties, I rented a house with my ex-husband in Arizona. I can’t quite remember if it was in Flagstaff or Williams but it was large, by a river with lovely views. It only had one problem; there was a bedroom that faced the hallway next to the master bedroom that was strangely odd, foreboding and terrifying. The owner, who was a famous writer and dietitian, was leaving to go abroad. He made a comment about the ominous room which made my skin and hair stand on end. He said, “Don’t go into that bedroom. It’s not welcoming and I don’t think you’ll feel comfortable in it.”
Come to find out, he lost two loved ones in the house. First, his wife and the other I believe was a son. I could only gather from this information that the infamous bedroom was his sons. From the day we moved in, I found it very hard to be anywhere near that bedroom. For instance, at night I would usually wake up to use the bathroom. I would lie in bed and try to get up enough courage to cross the hallway into the bathroom. I had to pass the doorway to “that” bedroom and found that every fiber in my being was yelling at me to stay in bed. My bladder on the other hand was screaming for me to hurry up and pee. What’s a girl to do?
Well … I would smack, roll over or talk loudly to wake up my ex and act like it was an accident. I knew that if he was awake than at least if anything grabbed me, he would be awake to rescue me. It wasn’t fun for him but I at least could make a run for the bathroom, peeing in record time.
Daytime didn’t make things any better. You know those stories on TV about the haunted house being dark even with all the windows open and the blinds up; well this house was exactly like that. The hallway leading to the scary door would always seem longer than it was. I couldn’t be in the house by myself and before long my ex got so exacerbated at me that he told me I had to finally face my fears.
With a knowing and long sigh, I slowly walked down the extremely long hallway with the floor somehow becoming uneven and moving, making me really dizzy besides that upchuck feeling like I was going to puke my brains out. The door was ominous and as I reached for the handle, it felt extremely cold to the touch, almost like I had grabbed on to an ice cube. The door creaked open and a gust of wind hit me, making me feel like I was in the North Pole. I can’t really explain it; it was like I passed beyond the veil into another world void of emotion, empty, dark and cold. Did I mention I could see my breath? The more I saw my breath, the more I felt like something was sucking the air out of me like a cinched up corset, way too tight. I felt eyes peering down on me from the moment I walked in. I knew that whoever was waiting and watching was going to pounce on me any second. The fight or flight feeling hit me like a ton of bricks and I flew out of there so fast that I didn’t even bother to close the door. But that didn’t matter because within seconds of me running out of the room,the door slammed shut behind me.
Rainbow
To be continued …