Portland Ghosts

4. Benson Hotel

Portland, OR

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The doors of the luxurious Benson Hotel, on Southwest Broadway and Oak, opened in 1913. The grand building was erected to rival the large, luxurious hotels common on the East Coast. Simon Benson, a self-made logging magnate, had the hotel built and ran it himself until 1919. It was called The New Oregon Hotel until 1959, when it was expanded to nearly 300 rooms and renamed; some of the doorknobs still have 'OH' engraved on them. The elegant interior is almost completely original, with a cast-iron railing and marble staircase. This stately aspect has lead the Benson to host multiple dignitaries and celebrities visiting Portland; every president since Taft has stayed in the presidential suite, for example. Thousands of guests from all walks of life have stayed here, and it appears some have not left, though their checkout times passed years ago. Mr. Benson himself is said to still linger in his old hotel. He was a teetotaler, so it only makes sense that glasses and bottles have been broken in the bar and disgruntled noises have been heard when patrons get a little too intoxicated. A finely-dressed man is seen floating down the main lobby staircase; perhaps this is Mr. Benson, surveying to make sure the hotel has remained as grand as he knew it to be. An elderly guest of the Benson was having trouble getting into bed one evening. When the guest turned around, a friendly-looking night porter had appeared in the room. He helped the guest into bed, but disappeared before he could be thanked. The front desk confirmed that no one had been sent up to the room. The smell of cigarettes lingers in the air. This cigarette smell is not so spooky in and of itself, but no one can explain the sounds of jazz in the distance that sometimes can be heard when the Hotel is silent, or the sounds of parties when no parties are being held. It is said that renovations and construction can make spirits stir, and that seems to be the case with the Benson. Indeed, the paranormal activities that started in 1959 haven't seemed to stop!