The Haunting of Thompson's Mills State Heritage Site

Join us as we explore a popular state park tucked away around 2 miles from Shedd, in Linn County, Oregon... that hugs the breathtakingly scenic Calapooia River. Recognized as the oldest existing water powered mill in the state- and surrounded in a wealth of ghost stories and chilling legends- are you prepared to brave the history and hauntings of the Thompson's Mills State Heritage Site?
Thumbnail:
"Thompson's Mills [IMG_4478-HDR]" by Andy Melton (www.flickr.com...) is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Photos:
"Buildings at Thompson's Mills State Heritage Site", "Entrance to Thompson's Mills State Heritage Site", "Old farmhouse at Thompson's Mills State Heritage Site", "Restrooms at Thompson's Mills State Heritage Site", "Carriage shed and farmhouse at Thompson's Mills State Heritage Site", "Rooster at Thompson's Mills State Heritage Site" by Rick Obst (www.flickr.com...) is licensed under CC BY 2.0
"Thompson's Mills [IMG_4553-HDR]", "Thompson's Mills [IMG_4478-HDR]", "Thompson's Mills [IMG_4559-HDR-Pano]", "Thompson's Mills [IMG_4533]", "Thompson's Mills [IMG_4530]", "Thompson's Mills [IMG_4549]", "Thompson's Mills [IMG_4535-HDR]", "Thompson's Mills [IMG_4479-HDR]", "Thompson's Mills [IMG_4540-HDR]", "Thompson's Mills [IMG_4492-HDR]", "Thompson's Mills [IMG_4543-HDR]", "Thompson's Mills [IMG_4544-HDR]", "Thompson's Mills [IMG_4529-HDR]", "Thompson's Mills [IMG_4537-HDR]" by Andy Melton (www.flickr.com...) are licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

[@HouseofHighSpirits]

I think this is the same mill I took a tour of in 2004 with an historical archaeology class I took. At the time, the state was just beginning to assess the site to preserve it and make it available to the public-basically, for what it is today. By historical archaeology, I mean sites that are relatively recent in history, such as sites like this one that are less than 200 years old.
We went in the daytime, although in western Oregon, “daytime” does not necessarily mean “sunny”. We do have four seasons in this region: Rainy, Rainier, Rainiest, and Construction.
It was Rainier season, although most just call it Autumn or Fall.
We toured the inside of the mill with its machinery, and looked over the grounds. We got some practice at examining the surrounding ground on the site for any indication of possible artifacts in the ground (hours old cigarette butts don’t count but if we had seen the stem of a very old pipe working its way up, that would count) and flagged each spot. We had GPS scanners (big clunky ones, not apps in a personal device) to indicate the exact location of each possible spot artifacts could be below the ground.
I’m trying to remember more details, but if I’m not mistaken, there had already been scans of the bare land around the mill and other structures with ground penetrating radar. They’d located areas where old mill equipment parts and other things were beneath the ground. This was in the very beginning of the process of preserving the site and making it what it is now, so they still had a lot to do.
Now, drat it, I don’t recall seeing anything strange or anyone looking bug eyed and asking, “Wut. Was. That.” But do I believe its possible the site is haunted? Definitely. Why? Mills are dangerous places and always evolving in response to keeping employees safe while being profitable, and always have been. The safety standards in place today are relatively new, but in the past, many mill workers were killed, sometimes as the result of disasters at mills. Those things had ripple effects on entire communities when they happened. So, for a variety of reasons, it’s hardly surprising for mill sites to be haunted.

[@4-1Love]

Sounds like a great place to explore!

[@Opaque28]

You guys are almost @ 100k...proud of you!

[@verawalters6673]

Enjoyed the upload. Thankyou

[@LillithYvonne]

I live in Shedd, I want more scary stories of my town lol

[@cherylm9770]

Very Cool

[@tedbundy7858]

I bow fish close to there

[@jorgemangual56]

First