Oregon's Haunted Museum

Local historical societies are a wealth of information when it comes to ghosts.

These societies sometimes have ghosts of their own--this might be because they are often housed in old historic buildings.

Many of them embrace these hauntings and even offer ghostly tours of their buildings.

Some of these groups, familiar with their local ghost tales, offer walking tours of various haunted areas. 

In a past post entitled, The Ghosts of the St. Francis Dam Disaster, I wrote about a California historical society which offers unique ghost tours.

A Tragic Accident

The Deschutes County Museum and Historical Society located in Bend Oregon is one society that is housed in a building with its own ghost. This museum also offers haunted tours of downtown Bend.

The building where this museum and historical society is located is over 100 years old. Two brothers, George and Ed Brosterhous were the contractors who supervised its construction in 1914.

Deschutes County Museum and
Historical Society

One Saturday, George was on the new building’s roof to supervise the delivery of needed materials. When he left, he fell through a gaping hole in a staircase that was under construction.

He fell three stories and died instantly. But his story does not end here.

George Brosterhous

Over the years several witnesses have stated they encountered George’s ghost.

Members state he has helped with research projects. They see him sitting quietly in one corner.

In 2014, a concert pianist who was scheduled to perform in Bend visited the museum. He sat down at an antique piano and began to play.

An employee on an upper floor hearing the music, came downstairs to listen as she worked.

When the pianist finished, he stopped to chat with her. He asked, “Who was the man across the room who was watching you work?”

Confused, this female employee stated they were the only two people in the room.

Equally confused, the pianist insisted there had been a man watching her.

As the pianist walked through the lobby to exit the museum, he froze. He shouted, “That’s him!” he pointed to a photograph that hung on the wall. “That’s the man who was sitting next to you.”

This photograph was a picture of George Brosterhous.