Like every state in the nation, Oregon has its share of places that are supposedly haunted. Whether you believe in the supernatural or not, one thing is for certain: the terrifying tales or ghosts and ghouls can make your hair stand on end. Here’s a tragic true story that some people say led to a haunting that’s been going on for almost 70 years.
On August 6, 1949, 15-year-old Thelma Anne Taylor was brutally murdered beneath the St. Johns Bridge next to the Willamette River in what is now Portland’s Cathedral Park.
dieselboii/flickr She was waiting to get on a bus for a job interview on the evening of August 5th when she ran into 22-year-old ex-con Morris Leland. He coerced her into the park with him and held her captive there.
In the early morning hours of August 6th, Thelma heard some construction workers nearby and began screaming for help.
mike krzeszak/flickr Morris bludgeoned her with a steel bar, then stabbed her repeatedly with a knife until she was dead.
Morris buried Thelma in a shallow grave underneath the bridge.
Nina H/flickr A few days later, Morris was arrested for stealing a car and admitted to killing Thelma. He was later executed in the gas chamber at the Oregon State Penitentiary in 1953.
Throughout the years, many park visitors have heard screams coming from underneath the bridge.
Ingere/flickr Some believe that Thelma’s spirit still resides under the bridge, and people claim to hear her chilling screams at night. In fact, the Portland police are often contacted by concerned citizens… only to find the area underneath the bridge completely empty.
Have you ever heard Thelma’s screams from under the St. John’s Bridge? It’s been said that Oregon is the most haunted state. Do you agree?
dieselboii/flickr
She was waiting to get on a bus for a job interview on the evening of August 5th when she ran into 22-year-old ex-con Morris Leland. He coerced her into the park with him and held her captive there.
mike krzeszak/flickr
Morris bludgeoned her with a steel bar, then stabbed her repeatedly with a knife until she was dead.
Nina H/flickr
A few days later, Morris was arrested for stealing a car and admitted to killing Thelma. He was later executed in the gas chamber at the Oregon State Penitentiary in 1953.
Ingere/flickr
Some believe that Thelma’s spirit still resides under the bridge, and people claim to hear her chilling screams at night. In fact, the Portland police are often contacted by concerned citizens… only to find the area underneath the bridge completely empty.
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