Inside the Haunted Astoria Elks Lodge: Oregon Ghost Conference Investigation

So, I recently had the opportunity to attend the Oregon Ghost Conference in Seaside, Oregon. It was a chance to connect with other paranormal groups, listen to guest speakers, and explore vendor booths filled with intriguing equipment and artifacts.

But the real highlight came later that evening.

We were given the chance to tour and investigate the Astoria Elks Lodge—particularly the basement, an area that has been extensively explored by the local paranormal group, Ghostoria, due to reports of strange occurrences. The Astoria area itself is well known as a hotspot for haunted activity, and the Elks Lodge sits right in the middle of it all.

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Our group assembled inside the main entrance around 11:15 p.m. for a two-hour investigation.

We began by proceeding up a beautiful stairway adorned with black-and-white portraits of past Elk members. Something about it immediately struck me. It reminded me of the final scene in The Shining—that eerie photograph of past guests in their formal attire, all smiling at the camera… with Jack Nicholson among them, as if he had always belonged there.

It gave me pause.

Were we, too, stepping into something we didn’t fully understand?

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Our first stop upstairs introduced us to Sarah Lemos, a psychic medium who has appeared on Portals to Hell and Ghosts of Morgan City. She wasn’t there to lead the investigation, but rather to assist—pointing out areas where she felt strong spiritual energy.

We moved down a dark hallway and entered an old bedroom believed to be the site where a prostitute had lost her life. In the late 1800s, Astoria was a rough maritime town where prostitution was widespread, and the history of that era still seems to linger.

After running a brief REM-Pod and K2 meter session without any significant responses, we decided to move on to the grand ballroom.

That’s when things got a little more exciting!

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The ballroom quickly became the most active area of the night.

Multiple REM-Pods were set up, K2 meters flickered intermittently, and a spirit box session was conducted in the center of the room. But it was the dowsing rod session that stood out the most.

Through this method, we were given a name: Otis.

At first, we assumed Otis was a former male member of the lodge. However, as questions continued, we learned that Otis was a woman—married to a past lodge member. Through the dowsing rods, she indicated that she loved attending parties in the ballroom and had an active lifestyle, including playing golf and volleyball.

She felt… friendly.

At one point, the person holding the rods asked if Otis could point toward the individual operating the flashlight.

That person was me.

Slowly, deliberately, the rods turned—and pointed directly in my direction.

She did this a second time a little later on.

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The basement presented an entirely different atmosphere.

It featured what was once a shooting range, as well as a three-lane bowling alley. Guided by Sarah Lemos, we focused our investigation on areas where she sensed residual energy.

We conducted a flashlight session in the shooting range, but nothing responded. Sometimes, whatever is there simply chooses not to engage.

The bowling alley, however, told a different story.

A paranormal music box (Para4ce) was set up—designed to detect motion up to 16 feet in front of it and play music when triggered. I was careful to remain outside its detection range.

And yet… it activated.

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There was another interesting area in the basement that stood out as well.

Sarah directed us into a small room that immediately carried the strong smell of cigarette smoke—despite the fact that no one present was smoking, or even allowed to smoke.

Inside this room was a small cutout in the concrete wall, leading into an even smaller enclosed space. A laser grid had been set up inside.

And this is where things became difficult to explain.

At various moments, a mist—or fog—would appear, visible only as it passed through the laser grid. I was unable to capture the mist on camera but several people in the group includig myself had witnessed this phenomenon.

This wasn’t anywhere else in the basement.

Only here.

There are no ventilation ducts in this room. No noticeable airflow. No drafts. If this were simply the result of poor circulation or some opening to the outside, you would expect to see the same effect elsewhere in the basement.

But it didn’t happen anywhere else.

Only in this confined space.

This is an image of the small enclosed room with the laser lights grid.

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As we were concluding our investigation, we found ourselves back near the front staircase.

Suddenly, my wife’s K2 meter began lighting up—spiking off the chart.

At the same time, another investigator’s K2 meter nearby started registering strong signals as well.

That’s when I remembered something we had been told earlier…

During a previous investigation, someone had reportedly captured a visual anomaly at the top of this very staircase.

Could this staircase now be a hotspot?

Could this be something more? A portal… or something trying to form?

Or are the long-past Elk members of the lodge still lingering—nothing more than forgotten fragments of a bygone era?

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Thanks for reading. And if you’ve made it this far can you do me a favor and hit the like button below. Maybe even subscribe. It would make my day!

I have posted a link that will take you to my video of the investigation. Click below!

https://youtu.be/y6Mns3xOJ1M?si=stNfkuKp1cr0F9Uk