Portland Ghosts

14. Jantzen Beach Carousel

Portland, OR

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When Jantzen Beach Amusement Park opened in 1928, it was one of the largest amusement parks in the entire country. There were swimming pools, a ballroom, roller coasters, and other midway attractions. One of the favorite rides was the C.W. Parker Carousel, built in 1921 and transported to the park from Venice Beach, California. The carousel was immediately popular because of its marvelous twinkling lights and large size; legend says that some of the 72 “jumper” horses were carved by inmates at a penitentiary, but that doesn't diminish the beauty of the ride. Today, the ride can reach 10MPH and is the largest and fastest carousel in the United States. The amusement park was booming and popular until the early 1950s, when people began moving away from the area and stopped visiting the park. A large, destructive flood and the construction of an interstate helped speed up the park's demise. It was closed for good and the land sold in 1970. The buildings were razed and the rides sold, including the famous carousel. It sits at the Jantzen Beach Shopping Center today as the only remaining part of Jantzen Beach Amusement Park, and as such, children and adults alike love to go for rides on it—including the two children that seem to be from the 1920s that are seen there. In the center column of the machine, in the twinkling lights, two children (one boy and one girl) are often seen playing or staring out at the passengers. They're dressed in clothing of the late 1920s or early 1930s, obviously out-of-place among modern children. Sometimes they speak, begging for companionship in their games, but other times they look around as if searching for someone that would now be long dead. They are only seen when the door hiding the machinery is open, because they appear to be hiding inside of the ride. Unsurprisingly, it is usually children that have the creepy encounters with the spirits of the carousel. Multiple children have told their parents about the ghosts inside the ride, some going so far as to suggesting the little children need help. Only a few parents have reported seeing anything. If you're in the Jantzen Beach Shopping Center, take a ride on the carousel. It's up to you to decide whether you want to look through any open doors. [Photo: Scott Swigart]