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Portland-area hotel named among top 25 most haunted in U.S.

McMenamins Edgefield, April 2021 (KOIN)

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Check in, grab your keys, and settle in for some nightmares. On Monday, Yelp released its list of the Top 25 Haunted Hotels in the U.S. and one of them isn’t far from Portland. 

From unexplained noises to translucent human figures, the stories of ghosts walking the halls of hotels have abounded throughout history. 

The frightful TV series “American Horror Story” even based an entire season inside a horrifyingly haunted hotel in Los Angeles. 

According to Yelp’s list, California has the most haunted lodgings of any state, with six, but Oregon has one hotel that might provide a paranormal experience during a night’s stay. 

McMenamins Edgefield in Troutdale made the list. 

The hotel was built in 1911 as the county’s poor farm and is now a destination resort in the Pacific Northwest. Edgefield hosts dozens of concerts throughout the summer months, making the hotel a convenient place to stay for music lovers. 

Edgefield has more than 100 guestrooms and hostel accommodations without televisions or telephones. Guests can book either rooms with bathrooms en suite or rooms that share common private bathrooms down the hall. 

Since Edgefield is a McMenamins location, guests can find restaurants and bars scattered around the 74-acre campus. There’s also a distillery, brewery, winery, spa, soaking pool, golf course, movie theater and more. 

While this all sounds pleasant enough, Yelp said it identified the most haunted hotels based on businesses in the “hotels” category with a large concentration of reviews mentioning relevant keywords. It then ranked those spots using factors such as the total volume and ratings of reviews mentioning those keywords. 

In reviews about Edgefield that mentioned the word “haunted,” one person wrote, “The rooms are a bit dated and we found out in the middle of our stay that the room we booked, 215, is allegedly haunted. That was a fun surprise. Nothing strange happened but if you’re sensitive to that kind of thing, be aware.” 

Another person said, “The place has a creepy vibe which I absolutely love, and Edgefield is also reportedly haunted which I also love because I love haunted places and ghosts!” 

A third person said they woke up at 3 a.m. to the sound of creaks and crackles coming from the corner of their room. 

“It went on for 10 minutes and when we said ‘is anyone there?’ it stopped.” 

Most people who mentioned the rumors that the hotel is haunted said they didn’t experience any paranormal activity during their stay. 

So, whether you’re looking for a scare or just wondering if the rumors are true, McMenamins Edgefield is a short drive from Portland and most people who leave Yelp reviews for it said they enjoyed their stay. 

According to Yelp’s list, the next closest haunted hotel to Portland is The Palace Hotel in Townsend, Washington.