November 15, 2018 Episode.
Did you know Salem had a designated hanging grounds? True! It was located just southeast of the downtown core, on the south bank of Pringle Creek. This area today is Pringle Park, where an ample quantity of trees of the hanging sort can still be found. Our guest Tim King is quite knowledgeable about the darker side of Salem, as he is the developer and head honcho for the popular Salem Ghost Tours. He seems to be just as comfortable in the realm of the paranormal, if his new book, Haunted Salem Oregon for History Press, can be the gauge.
Did you know Salem had a designated hanging grounds? True! It was located just southeast of the downtown core, on the south bank of Pringle Creek. This area today is Pringle Park, where an ample quantity of trees of the hanging sort can still be found. Our guest Tim King is quite knowledgeable about the darker side of Salem, as he is the developer and head honcho for the popular Salem Ghost Tours. He seems to be just as comfortable in the realm of the paranormal, if his new book, Haunted Salem Oregon for History Press, can be the gauge.
Tim King, author "Haunted Salem Oregon" [Photo: T King] We have interviewed Tim before, shortly after he began the Salem Ghost Tours in 2015. Tim is an experienced journalist who has written and produced both in print and television. He was assigned to cover Salem for KATU-2 in 2002; was embedded with the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan; and published a newsblog, SalemNews.com, for ten years. He is passionate about human rights, history, and his five sons--who he says are the reason for the happiness in each day. The book has provided him a venue to expound on the stories from his tour, as well as touch on other disquieting facets of our history.
Pringle Park, site of Salem's hanging ground [Photo: T King] When asked to share with us a few of his favorite stories he discovered while researching his book, Tim seemed hard-pressed to narrow the field, as he is intrigued by them all. He told us more about the official hanging ground on the south bank of Pringle Creek (now part of Pringle Park), and that the victim of the first hanging was most likely innocent, resulting in some "unsettled feelings." He describes other hangings in Salem's history, as well as relating the background of several more nefarious happenings in our past.
Skylites found outside Bike Peddler store, 174 Commercial St. NE [Photo: T King] Some of the stories that intrigue Tim will require even more research, and that's part of the fascination. Salem has a web of underground tunnels in the downtown core area that can be identified by the glass "skylights," purple with age, still visible in the sidewalks at various locations. These tunnels were mainly used for accessing basement storage, but others have more colorful histories.
Columns of State Capitol Building, left from 1935 fire [Photos: T King] Salem has been the site of three Capitol buildings, or statehouses. Each, in turn, was destroyed by fire, with the last one burning in 1935. Lives were lost and legions of records destroyed through these events, making the site rich for disconcerting experiences which have been shared over time. As a matter of fact, the current building does not even face the same direction as the first two. The two earlier buildings faced west, toward the river, as originally platted by William Willson in 1850; the reconstructed version completed in 1938 now faces north. Even the outlook for any lost souls would be disoriented now.
These are just a few stories from Tim's collection. And he's still gathering more, just as he learns more each time he takes a group out on his ghost tours. He plans on producing more books for the "Haunted" series," with his next endeavor focusing on the central Oregon coast. I suspect we'll be visiting with him again in the near future. If you would like to contact Tim for more information or to share a story of your own, you can reach him through his Facebook page or by phone at 971-304-1345.
~~Posted by Deb Meaghers
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