Scenic Oregon Coast

Tillamook Rock Ghost.


tillamook rock lighthouse ghost There is a Tillamook Rock ghost that is said to reside at the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse. The lighthouse is located off shore and many Oregonians have glimpsed the impressive structure.


The stories of ghosts are bound to come up when you talk to people about the lighthouse.


Some stories have been written about the ghost and the most proment was written by Jim Gibbs in the book West Coast Lighthouses: A Pictorial History of the Guiding Lights of the Sea.


Jim Gibbs was once stationed as a keeper at Tillamook Rock. He tells of lighthouse keepers working up to their necks in water to keep the light going during winter storms.


Gibbs says that Indian legends told of an underwater tunnel running from the mainland to a hollow room inside the rock where spirits resided. He tells of numerous lighthouse keepers who heard a ghostly cry as they climbed the circular staircase to the tower.


And to this day mainlanders claim to see at times a ghostly glow from the lamp room of the deserted lighthouse.




Terribly Tilly Ghost

Two other ghosts are said to reside at the Rock, one a former keeper who loved it so much he wanted to be buried there. Of course, he wasn't, but his spirit is said to have returned to Terrible Tilly to spend eternity. When he died they of course took him away, but they say that the old man loved the lighthouse so much that his ghost returned.


The one thing nice is that he is a peaceful ghost and some people have claimed to have seen him or heard him.


Then there's the tale of another keeper who threatened to kill the next one who took his job. When his replacement showed up, he tried to make good on his promise and chased his replacement up the stairs. When they reached the top, the new guy pushed the slightly insane old keeper down the stairs, and he had to be taken away in a strait jacket.




If you have any information or stories about ghosts on the Scenic Oregon Coast please let me know.


I love to get stories on ghosts and I will add them here. contact me and let me know if you know anything about this ghost.



Tillamook Rock Ghost

Another take of a ghost on Tillamook Rock happened about 3 weeks before the light was lit. Workers on the rock saw a vessel approaching so they hurriedly lit bonfires to warn the ship. The ship veered off and disappeared into the night.


The next morning they spotted the wreck of the British ship Lupatia. The ship had missed the lighthouse but drove into Tillamook Head. All sixteen of her crew perished, only the ship’s dog survived. To this day people believe that they hear the dog howling.




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