Upcoming St. Helens tour may convince you that there are ghosts

St. Helens is considered one of the more haunted cities in Oregon. You simply don’t know if you’ll bump into a friendly or not-so-friendly ghost in one of the town’s historic buildings.

If you’re ready to get goosebumps, the second annual Old Town Ghost Walk takes place every Friday and Saturday night until the end of October, beginning Friday, Sept. 27. Tours begin at 9 p.m. on the stairs of the county courthouse. Admission is $15.

Tour guide Darrin Scholl said, “Basically, all of downtown, all of Old Town, is pretty much seriously haunted. The Klondike has multiple ghosts, we call it the crown jewel of St. Helens’ haunted locations.”

Scholl said the ghost walk evolved from the efforts of the ShoeString Community Players, a performing arts group in Columbia County.

“ShoeString used to do a walk years ago, but they had actors at each stop that would tell a story,” Scholl said. “We’re actually a paranormal team so we’ve actually investigated a lot of Old Town St. Helens.”

Scholl continued, “As a paranormal investigator, you have to do your research on a building, your names and dates … We talk about our findings and bring a little bit of the secrets to modern day.”

Buildings along the tour will include the Klondike, the county courthouse, the Masonic Building, the McCormick Building, city hall and the site of the old Liberty Theater.

“We are going to hit the McCormick Building, we’re going to talk about Charles Muckle’s House,” he said, noting that the Muckle family had a lumber mill and ran the docks during the early years of St. Helens. “The fire in 1904 kind of wiped them out and they had to sell all their properties to the McCormick brothers.”

Of particular creepiness along the tour is the site of the 1902 public hanging of August Schieve in the town square.

“He was actually convicted of killing his roommate,” Scholl said, noting that five years later, his father admitted that he killed the roommate and let his son hang for it. “It was the only public hanging in St. Helens.”

Scholl addressed those who simply don’t believe in ghosts.

“Basically, what I do with the Oregon Ghost Conference, my group does lectures and public investigations with people,” he said. “What we do with the walk and the public investigations is basically to say we’re not here to tell you yes or no, we’re here to give you the evidence and let you decide.”

Scholl hopes the Old Town Ghost Walk provides entertainment during the weeks of Halloweentown.

“I think people are going to have some fun,” he said. “We’re not actors but we put a little dramatic flair into it, just for entertainment. They’re going to learn a lot about the history of St. Helens and Old Town … sometimes they’re going to get a little ghost story on top of everything else.”

Scholl added, “Hopefully, they see a face in the window.”

The Old Town Ghost Walk is sponsored by the ShoeString Community Players and tours are limited to 20 people in each group.

Visit the ShoeString Community Players website at www.sscptheater.org for sign up information.