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| Ebenezer Chapel, located next to the Odell Cemetery |
The Myth
Ebenezer Chapel is supposed to be one of the most haunted places in Oregon. According
to local legend, the Preacher Ebenezer, who founded the Ebenezer Chapel, was a polygamist
cult leader with seven wives. In a violent rampage, he murdered his thirteen children
(aged 9 mo-13 years) then burned their bodies in the chapel’s fireplace.
The
remains of the corpses were buried in the cemetery attached to the Chapel.In recent years, a man was supposedly hit by a car next to the cemetery and was abandoned
there to die.
For years the chapel has been haunted by
glowing lights, voices, and scratching sounds in the walls.
The facts
As
romantic and chilling as the above story sounds, I have found no historical
data to back the legend. According to historical documents, the
chapel was built in 1860’s. It was rebuilt in 1926 using the original fireplace
and much of the building's materials.
There
was no proof of a preacher named Ebenezer. No one is sure how the chapel got
its name. There was a man named John Odell who had thirteen children. Like most
families from the time period, some of them died, and some lived to have their
own families.
The
Odell cemetery has 48 people buried there, eighteen don’t have headstones.
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| side view of the chapel |
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| Inside the Chapel |
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| a large hole in the fireplace wall |
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| Inside view of the chapel |
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| Yes, I brought Edgar | . |
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| Oldest Headstone in the Odell Cemetery. It belongs to Samuel Angel who died in 1856. What an appropriate last name. |
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| Civil War Veteran, William J Carpenter |
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| I loved this cross |
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| Most of the headstones are broken off, leaning against the trees. Everything is covered in ivy. |
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| Willard Coovert 1855-1882. I loved the rose on the headstone. |
The day was beautiful and I got my first sunburn for the year. It was wonderful to get out with my friend, Adrienne, for another bike ride. In total we biked about 15 miles. Expect my rides to get longer to prepare for the Cycle the Lakes ride of 100 miles!
