Haunted Places: Ebenezer Chapel of Dayton, OR

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 According to historical documents, the  chapel was built in 1860’s. It was rebuilt in 1926 using the original fireplace and much of the building's materials.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.

side view of the chapel

Inside the Chapel

a large hole in the fireplace wall

Inside view of the chapel

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.

Civil War Veteran, William J Carpenter

I loved this cross

Most of the headstones are broken off, leaning against the trees. Everything is covered in ivy.

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!

Unveiling the Newly-Painted Bike

Finally, after a long and miserable winter, spring has arrived. Just in time, the hubbyman finished painting my bike. Here it is in all its heavenly glory.

Yes, that is a new backpack too. It was a birthday present. The backpack has a spiffy pocket for Edgar-the-teddy-bear to sit in and a hydration unit so I don't  die of thirst.
     Taking advantage of the first sunny day this spring, I hopped on my bike and rode up to the cemetery. It was a nostalgic ride. For so many months, I haven't been able to bike because of the nasty weather. Just getting out on the familiar roads made me giddy. The sun was warm, the birds were chirping, and the air was tinted with the scent of magnolias.

Isn't that a beautiful view. The sky is blue, not gray, and the hills are lush and green.

         The cemetery was alive with spring colors. One thing that I adore about the South Yamhill Cemetery is the unique flowers that are planted there. Most cemeteries are boring and immaculately landscaped. Here, flowers are allowed to flourish.

Because the cemetery is nestled in a forest, periwinkle blooms everywhere. I had to tread carefully in order to not step on one of the blossoms.

Daffodils and hyacinths were blooming.

Hellebore=awesome! What an appropriate plant for a cemetery. I want one of these planted at my grave.

Normally, I'm not a primrose person, but this looked stunning. I especially love the dark wine color.

Hyacinths

The daffodils that I planted were still blooming.

I left an Easter egg at Edgar's grave, figured he would appreciate that.

I don't think I mentioned this before, but the cemetery has an outhouse. Just one more reason why this cemetery rocks.

 A real mother out there thought "Yes, I will name my son Shirlock." For some reason, this just struck my fancy.

      After visiting the cemetery, I rode a little further down the road to the McCabe Chapel. 

 
I was able to get in a 15 mile ride without getting rained on. That in itself was an Easter miracle. I look forward to more beautiful days and wonderful rides. This year, I plan on driving to more remote areas to bike. I can't wait for my next adventure.

Finding the Obscure: Vintage Shops of Portland

     Oregon is never dull. There is always something interesting to see. For my latest adventure, my buddy and I took to the streets of Portland, in search of the obscure and noteworthy. Our first stop was the City Liquidator's store. It screamed interesting and unique. I had to grab a photo of the mural on the side of the store.

Inside was just as amusing. There were antique vehicles hanging from the roof including this cute bike.

These helmets and armor are perfect for when I stock up for a zombie attack. I wonder if I can find a katana there?

  

Look it's an elegant statue of Scooby Doo!

 

This couch belongs in our house. I want it now!

 

Leaving the liquidators store, I caught this bike rider pulling a small trailer. It just screamed Portland.

 

Our next stop took us to Vintage Pink. What a spiffy store. I could spend hours and tons of money at that place. 

 Isn't this tandem bike adorable. It would be fun to ride it with the hubby through the streets of McMinnville.

 I loved the color of this dress. Too bad I'm not skinny enough to dream of wearing it.

Hehe, this would make for an interesting piece of furniture in our house.

 

Boots appropriate for a zombie attack. In fact, I want them for anytime wear.

 

I liked these owl salt and pepper shakers. It was only later that I really looked at the squirrel behind the shakers and thought What the heck? I think those are nuts it is holding.

 

 Cute vintage slippers that are nothing like the above boots, but still fit under Laurie's style.

 

Driving up in the hills I saw this building. It looks like the perfect place for a haunting. I want to go inside and see what the interior looks like.

My bike is now painted and hubby will start putting it back together soon. Expect another biking post within the month. Can't wait to get back on two wheels.

Naughty Girls get Haunted

Ooh, I've been a naughty girl. I'm just asking to be haunted. I left that beautiful little pumpkin at Joseph Houk's grave, then I didn't come back to clear it up all winter. Now it looks like this. Blech, can you see the slug on the pumpkin?

     Aren't you grateful that I shared that photo with you? 

     But I quickly remedied the situation. I cleaned up the nasty mess and planted daffodils next to Joseph's headstone and the broken, anonymous one next to him. I have officially dubbed this grave "Edgar's grave" since it is so prominent in the book I wrote. So here are photos of Joseph and Edgar's graves.

  

     Speaking of Edgar. In my book, Edgar-the-teddy bear ends up thrown in the trash heap at the cemetery. For anyone interested, the trash heap does exist. But I promise you, the teddy bear I found will never end up in this heap.

     For sunny, damp days like this. I took an emergency blanket and cut it into squares. This makes a nice little seat for me to sit on without getting my big bum all wet from the moist ground. I set up my square on the ground next to the headstones and proceeded to write for awhile.

    

    I love this cemetery because it isn't over-manicured. So many cemeteries don't allow you to plant flowers near the graves. The grass is always green and nicely trimmed. It is absolutely boring. Every time I visit the South Yamhill Cemetery, there is a new treasure to discover.

 

There were lots of spring flowers blooming at the cemetery. A patch of violets caught my eye because I could smell them as I walked by. You don't expect such a pleasant smell at a place dedicated for the dead.

Here are a few more photos I took of the cemetery before a bunch of people showed up. I like my solitude. Whenever there are other visitors, I get annoyed and leave. How dare they trespass in my cemetery?  Perhaps, if I am buried there someday, I will haunt anyone who dares to enter my graveyard.

An Unexpected Adventure

Nothing is more enticing than a sunny, winter day in Oregon. That brief lapse in the rain is a stolen moment of bliss. Wednesday I took advantage of the weather to take off on another adventure.

My goal was to go to Baskett Slough near Salem for a hike at the wildlife refuge. Of course, after driving all the way there, I learned that the trails were closed. Still it was warm and beautiful, so I didn’t want to waste the day.

Driving home, I decided to turn off on a side road just to see where it led.  I ended up in Perrydale, a tiny, forgotten, little town.  There was basically one intersection with a garage housing this antique contraption.

And this old, Italianate home.

And finally, this beautiful Victorian home.

Again, I turned off on an unknown road. It led the itty-bitty town of Ballston. I call it a town, but it really is a huddle of broken down buildings. For instance, the general store with it’s broken sign.

And the strange little boat with creepy dolls as occupants.

Leaving Ballston, I headed west, ending up on some little dirt road. I had to take a picture of this Espalier fence with hubcap lining the posts.

It reminded me of something I'd see in the areas north of Spokane, where I grew up.

Speaking of which, this also reminded me of that area.

Bwahaha, I would love to know why they did this. Is it even street legal?

Luckily, I eventually drove west long enough to hit highway 18, from there I found my way home.