White Eagle Saloon and Rock & Roll Hotel – Portland, Oregon

Founded in 1905, the White Eagle Saloon was nicknamed “Bucket of Blood” for the frequent brawls that erupted among its patrons, mainly post-shift workers from the nearby docks, rail yards, and factories. Legends say the bar hosted a brothel (white prostitutes worked on the second floor, while minority women worked in the basement. The basement also housed an opium den, and was said to connect one of Portland’s infamous “Shanghai tunnels,” a web of underground passageways that led to the waterfront. Able-bodied men were drugged or beaten, then kidnapped and taken through the tunnels to waiting ships, where they would awaken far out at sea. Women of color were also reportedly sold into sexual slavery and kept prisoner in the basement. Today, the saloon, located in the shadow of the Fremont Bridge, offers pints of handcrafted brews and nightly live music to the residents of its North Portland neighborhood.

Stories

Ghost stories abound at the saloon, which is said to be one of the most haunted buildings in Portland. In the basement, which is now used for offices and food storage, freezer doors are reported to open and close, people have been groped, and coins are said to drop from the ceiling. The second floor, which was renovated and now used as a hotel, is said to be haunted by two ghosts, Rose and Sam. Rose is said to be a prostitute killed by an angry boyfriend. It is said she can be heard crying. Sam was a housekeeper who lived on the second floor from age 10 until his death in his room. The doors and windows of all 13 rooms on the second floor have all reportedly opened and closed by themselves. Apparitions have been seen on all floors of the building. In the main bar area, an entity walks through the hall from the bar to the men’s bathroom, and reportedly flushes the toilet. The ladies room has its own hauntings as well. One story tells of a woman who saw a roll of toilet paper sail over the top of the adjacent stall. Thinking her friend was in the next stall provoking her, she returned the volley. The roll flew back again and the toilet paper fight continued until the woman left the stall and found the stall next to hers empty. In the dining area, chairs are said to move by themselves, and in the kitchen, cooking utensils have been reported to “fly around.” There are a few versions of a story of a waitress being pushed or carried down the basement stairs by an unfriendly entity.

Information

836 North Russell Street, Portland, OR 97227
(503) 282-6810
McMenamins White Eagle Saloon

Sources

• Haunted Places: The National Directory: Ghostly Abodes, Sacred Sites, UFO Landings and Other Supernatural Locations
• McMenamins White Eagle Saloon History Data Sheet (pdf)
• HauntedHouses.com
• Travel Channel Website
• HauntingAmerica.com
• Spirited Away Ghost Tours
• Haunted Places to Go