The woman in the attic Our creepiness rating 💀💀💀💀💀
A U.S. Forest Service history of Heceta House cites a November 26, 1975 Siuslaw News story, "Lady of the Lighthouse Baffles Workmen." In it, a workman reported seeing a gray-haired woman in an old-fashioned gown in the attic. The Tammens reported a scream, and broken glass was later found swept into a pile. Source: USFS Heceta House history (via NPS History).
Facts below are drawn from the linked sources.
Real history
Congress set aside $80,000 in 1889 for the light station. The tower was finished in August 1893, and the light was first lit on March 30, 1894, under keeper Andrew Hald. The Oregon Encyclopedia says Hald's infant daughter died because medical help could not arrive in time (Oregon Encyclopedia).
The light was automated on July 20, 1963. Lane Community College leased the keepers' duplex as classrooms beginning in 1970, and caretakers Henry and Anne Tammen arrived in 1973. The light station, including the lighthouse and keepers' quarters, was listed on the National Register in 1978 (NRHP nomination).
Ghost stories
These are reported legends, not verified events. The creepiness score (1–5) is Spook Atlas's own editorial rating, not a measurement.
A child's grave Our creepiness rating 💀💀💀💀💀
The same history records that a keeper's daughters described a small grave on the grounds, and later lore ties the haunting to it. That link is a legend, not a documented fact. Source: USFS Heceta House history.
The same history records that a keeper's daughters described a small grave on the grounds, and later lore ties the haunting to it. That link is a legend, not a documented fact. Source: USFS Heceta House history.
Then and now
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Public access
Access unverified We could not confirm current visiting hours or arrangements from an official page this time. Last checked: Oct 31, 2026.
Explore more
- More places in Florence and Oregon
- More haunted & abandoned lighthouses
- Nearby: Yaquina Bay Lighthouse (Newport, OR), Shelton McMurphey Johnson House (Eugene, OR), Oregon State Hospital (Salem, OR), Bayocean (Tillamook, OR)
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