Heceta House: A History and Architectural Survey

Despite the inclusion on the National Register, Heceta House gained public recognition not as a historic site, but as a "ghost house."

In November of 1975, a headline of The Siuslaw News read, "Lady of the Lighthouse Baffles Workmen."¹ The mysterious lady was no visitor in the usual sense; in fact, she could only be described as the station's "ghostly occupant."

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¹The Siuslaw News (Florence, Oregon), November 26, 1975, p. 1.

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Ghostly manifestations were reported shortly after the Tammens moved to Heceta Head. Initially, they noticed strange noises, but attributed them to a combination of squeaky floor boards, high winds and whistling chimneys. However, a series of unexplained events convinced the couple that no natural phenomena could be responsible for the commotion.

At a card party one night, the Tammens and their two guests were turned ashen-faced by what they described as a high pitched scream. In other instances, cupboard doors definitely shut at night were open the next morning, and rat poison left in the attic was exchanged for a single silk stocking.

The Tammens weren't alone in sensing the presence of the supernatural. Two students who had been relaxing on the porch of Heceta House reported seeing something gray ascend the porch steps. They described "it" as long and flowing, almost like a puff of smoke.

This evidence was culminated by the experiences of workmen who had been commissioned to undertake painting and repair projects at the house.

On a number of occasions, they noticed tools missing and padlocks mysteriously opened. However, they managed to concoct logical explanations for the occurrances, until tools and sandpaper began disappearing and later reappearing in the same spot.

One day, workman Jim Anderson was cleaning a window in the attic when he noticed strange reflections in the glass. He turned around and caught a glimpse of a gray haired, elderly woman dressed in an 1890's style gown. She peered at Anderson out of a wrinkled face. The worker wasted no time in vacating the premises.

Anderson refused to return to the site for some days. He finally built up the courage to finish the Heceta job, but adamently rejected ideas of entering the attic.

The workman had not heard the last of his gray lady. While working on the exterior of the house, he accidentally broke an attic window. He repaired it from the outside, but the broken glass remained on the attic floor.

That night, the Tammens were awakened by scraping sounds coming from the attic. They commented that it sounded like glass being swept up by a broom, without having known about the broken window. The next morning, they found the glass swept into a neat pile.

The last incident permanently scared away the workers, but the Tammens were not deterred from remaining in the house. In fact, they maintain the ghost is friendly, and the trio have worked out a peaceful coexistance. To hear the Tammens talk, you might think the spirit was part of the family.

Identity of the ghost is a much speculated subject. She has a name, Rue, which was spelled out on a Ouija board. A long abandoned grave figures in two of the stories about Rue. According to keeper Hansen's daughters, a small cement slab was located on the point of land between the residence and lighthouse. The marker has since been overgrown, but it originally served as headstone on the grave of a baby girl, presumably the daughter of an early keeper.

Some reason that the ghost is the baby's mother, who has come back in search of her child, while other maintain Rue is the child herself, looking in vain for her mother.