The Haunted Cathedral Park
Posted: 11.16.2024 | Updated: 11.16.2024
Portland’s famous slogan is “Keep Portland Weird.” Perhaps, it refers to the eclectic array of indie artists, boutique shops, and niche subcultures.
However, it could also refer to some of the more haunted elements of the city. Behind these foggy hills and rainy shores lay some truly tragic history and ghostly tales.
One notable example of that is Cathedral Park, a real-life tragedy that has spun out into quite the ghost story that many locals swear still haunts the park.
Who Haunts Cathedral Park?
Cathedral Park has an interesting history regarding its development. It’s a history we’d love to get into, were it not for the dark moment that always comes up whenever one tries to talk about Cathedral Park.
Unfortunately, it’s impossible to talk about the history of the park without talking about the horrific murder of Thelma Anne Taylor. It’s a real-life criminal case, and it’s haunted the legacy of the park and of Portland for almost a century.
Keep reading to learn the full details and take a ghost tour with Portland Ghosts to explore Portland’s haunted history further.
The Park, Then and Now
Cathedral Park has an interesting story behind it. Right away, the park stands out, as it’s located beneath the historic St. Johns Bridge. Oregon is full of bridges, giving rise to the nickname “Bridge City.” But St. John’s stands out, even amongst them, for being Portland’s only steel suspension area. Standing at a whopping 400 feet high with its Gothic-esque towers, the bridge almost resembles a grand sweeping cathedral of old. These towers and arches led one local reporter to describe the bridge as cathedral-like, which led to the name, Cathedral Park.
Cathedral Park seamlessly blends the flow of the industrial steel bridge and the beauty of Portland’s natural surroundings. This is no easy task, especially considering how untamed some of this wilderness used to be. In fact, it was one of the campsites of the fabled Lewis and Clark expedition in the early 1800s. Despite this historical significance, the park as it exists today wasn’t officially established by the city until 1980, after decades of local cleanup and fundraising efforts.
Nowadays, it’s the very model of a picturesque park with boat docks, restrooms, canoe rentals, off-leash dog parks, and even an amphitheater. Although not without its issues (the state of Oregon was forced to address some local soil contamination in the area), it remains a local fixture, hosting the city’s famous Cathedral Park Jazz Festival, which has been running for almost forty years and is the oldest free jazz festival west of the Mississippi.
An Ill-fated Meeting
However, things were not always so idyllic in Cathedral Park, and that does not refer to a few local pollution incidents or soil contamination. No, the story we’re about to discuss is that of a brutal and horrific murder.
Unlike many ghost stories we cover, this one was not from the early colonial days of America’s history or even in the 1800s. This one took place in 1949, after World War II, and at the beginning of what could be called America’s modern era.
The victim of this tragedy was Thelma Taylor. By all accounts, Thelma was a sweet, hardworking child who, unfortunately, had to deal with something many children endure; bullying. Despite being beloved by many in her community, her peers relentlessly mocked her, and she had a challenging social life.
However, Thelma didn’t have time to let that get her down. Coming from a low-income family, Thelma got a job picking beans in order to help out. In 1949, Thelma was on her way to catch the bus to work. At some point on her route, she encountered Morris Leland.
The Tragic Death of Thelma Taylor
Leland was a twenty-two-year-old drifting criminal at the time. Leland spotted the young, skinny Thelma standing alone in the street, waiting for her ride, and sprang upon the opportunity. He abducted her and attempted to assault her. She fought back and, scared and overwhelmed, Leland took Thelma and hid her in the park, trying to figure out what to do with his new captive.
In captivity into the night and still fighting, Thelma overheard a group of railroad workers above Leland’s hiding spot on the bridge. She screamed for help, and Leland, fearing that her cries would summon the police, silenced her with a piece of nearby steel and his knife. After he’d killed her, Leland buried her in a shallow grave that he dug himself and then rolled some logs over it.
However, despite that, Leland could not resist staying out of legal trouble and was eventually arrested for a completely unrelated crime. After that arrest, Leland confessed the murder to the police, and Thelma’s body was discovered. Leland was executed by the state.
The Cathedral Park Haunting
Some claim that Thelma can still be sensed or seen at the park if you know where to look.
Subscribers to the “Stone Tape Theory” claim that particularly tragic events can leave remnants behind in some nearby inanimate objects, like rocks and trees, similar to how a tape recorder can record people’s voices. Whether such a theory is true is anyone’s guess, but some say that Thelma’s death has left behind some fragments of her that still haunt the park.
Many report hearing screams, especially on windy nights, which creates a spooky atmosphere in the park. Perhaps, that’s some echo of Thelma, warning others to be careful so that the same fate doesn’t befall them. Or perhaps, it’s just the wind. Whichever it is, it’s clear that the town of Portland hasn’t forgotten Thelma or the tragedy that befell her.
Haunted Portland
If learning about Portland’s dark side sounds like your idea of a good time, be sure to book a ghost tour with Portland Ghosts today and step into the city’s haunting past. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and keep reading our blog for more real Oregon hauntings.
Sources:
http://americashauntedroadtrip.com/cathedral-park-portland-haunted-by-stories-of-ghostly-screams/
https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/experiences/oregon/st-johns-bridge-haunted-or
https://www.oregonlive.com/books/2016/10/ghostland_cathedral_park_st_jo.html
https://www.portland.gov/parks/cathedral-park
https://www.outdoorproject.com/united-states/oregon/cathedral-park
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