If ghost stories scare you, you will want to stay at ground level for this story. What lies beneath the surface of Old Town Portland is downright unnerving and may make you never want to walk down a dark hallway again. While present day Portland shakes off these haunted legends, this tunnel holds its secrets and is said to be haunted by its old inhabitants. If you are ready to come face-to-face with a ghost, dare to take the trip the Portland Underground.
Around Old Town Pizza and the surrounding stores, there is a network of tunnels that interconnect the basements of the buildings. These tunnels, originally built to transport good from sea to the shops, became widely known for a different purpose entirely.
During the late 1800s and early 1900s, these tunnels were used to hold otherwise fit men and women from the city and ship them off to sea to be used as slave laborers on boats headed to China.
To steal these ordinary men and women, a trap door system was developed and people were drugged to be subdued.
Walking through the tunnels today is an eerie proposition, especially considering the fact that they are thought to be haunted by the spirit of those enslaved.
Beyond stealing citizens for labor, the tunnels were also used for prostitution and there is a creepy sense that someone is still lurking down there.
Workers in many of the local restaurants have reported hearing moaning, screaming, crying, and talking.
It is thought that a woman named Nina haunts the tunnels. Nina was a prostitute that worked in the area who was sedated and taken into the tunnels. She was thrown down the shaft of an elevator, resulting in her death.
Visitors today still report smelling her perfume in the tunnels, as well as a pulling on their clothing when they walk by various places of the tunnel. Some have even said that they have seen her lurking below.
According to legend, the spirits trapped in the tunnels do not know how they got there, and therefore, cannot find their way out. Makes you happy you can climb the stairs to the surface and return to your regular life again when the tour is over.
Have you been in this haunted tunnel in Portland? What were your experiences?
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