The Portland Underground---more commonly referred to as the Shanghai Tunnels---is a network of underground tunnels that is said to be the most haunted place in the city, and one of the most haunted places in the entire country.
Even if you don't believe in ghosts, the terrifying history of this place will send chills down your spine. Located beneath the streets of Portland's Old Town district, these tunnels are said to have been a hotspot for illegal activity (most notably between 1850-1941), including "shanghaiing": the act of kidnapping people and selling them into slavery as crewmen on departing ships.
Built as a way to transport supplies directly from ships to businesses, the tunnels connected downtown Portland to the Willamette River. Here's a photo of one of the staircases descending into the dark tunnels.
Some of the bars on the street above had trap doors that opened up to the tunnels. It is said that unaware customers were sometimes drugged and then dropped through the trap doors down into the tunnels, where they were held before being taken to the river and sold onto ships as slaves.
All these years later, the tunnels are said to be haunted by the ghosts of the tunnel's many victims. Visitors have claimed to hear disembodied screams and groans, feeling the eery sensation that someone was standing right behind them, and even seeing the apparition of one ghost in particular, who goes by the name of Nina.
If you're interested in seeing the tunnels for yourself, you can visit them on a guided tour.
Although much of the evidence supporting these stories is speculative, it's bone-chilling to imagine that such awful things could have happened here all those years ago.
Oregon is full of creepy haunted places. Check out these 10 hauntings in Oregon that will send chills down your spine.
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