Explore St. Johns Beyond the Tour
Slabtown Tours Presents: The Curious Traveler’s Companion
We made this page for our walking tour guests—past, present, and future—who want to dig deeper into the legends, history, and lore of St. Johns and beyond. Whether you’re joining us for a History of St. Johns or Murder Mayhem and Oddities of St. Johns or wandering solo, this guide is your curated companion to Portland’s stranger side.
Where to Shop For Books Locally
Support local! Many of these books can be found at:
St. Johns History Reads
St. Johns Streetcars: The Streetcars of North Portland
– Richard Thompson (2022)
Discover how streetcars shaped the heart of North Portland. St. Johns was served by a ferry until our beloved and iconic bridge was completed in 1931. The street car served residents and in the early days brought passengers from the big City out to Cedar Park.
St. Johns and the North Portland Peninsula – Donald R. Nelson (2020)
A love letter to the neighborhood by local legend Don Nelson—building savant, photographer, and historian. This edition marks a shift from self-publishing to History Press format. If you can find the larger layout self-published edition go for it.
Theaters of Portland – Gary Lacher & Steve Stone (2009)
A look at the golden age of Portland’s theater scene—lavish, storied, and full of local character. St. Johns had a cluster on par with with Downtown Portland.
Punjabi Rebels of the Columbia River: The Global Fight for Indian Independence and Citizenship by Johanna Ogden (2024)
Intro: Johanna Ogden, a Portland-based independent historian and activist, explores the lives of Indian migrant laborers in Oregon who supported the Indian independence movement. Her book examines citizenship, labor, whiteness, and an overlooked chapter in U.S. and Indian history. the 1910 riot in St. Johns is a piece of history that should not have been erased.
Watch Before or After Your Tour
A Journey Through Time: Archaeology at St. Johns (2004)
Produced by Guy Prouty, Ph.D., this short film explores the Chinookan village once located where St. Johns now stands. The documentary follows an archaeological dig revealing a thriving Indigenous community—now buried beneath modern fill and development.
Historic Websites Worth a Visit
- A Positive Spin: A lovingly outdated website devoted to history—charming as an unintentional time capsule. Thankfully the history is solid.
- 1910 St. Johns Riot Podcast: A powerful episode from PSU’s Public History PDX project.
- St. Johns Heritage Association: A great place to dive deeper into local landmarks and legacy. Group meets monthly and is welcoming to all with an interest in preserving and sharing history.
Curated Ghostly Reads & Oddities
Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places
– Colin Dickey (2017)
Thoughtful, skeptical, and deeply human. Dickey explores what ghost stories say about our past—and the people left behind. Ghost stories aren’t just about fear; they’re about memory and meaning.
“Paying attention not only to the true facts behind a ghost story, but also to the ways in which changes to those facts are made—and why those changes are made.”
– Julie Carr (2023)
Originally encountered at a McMenamins’ History Pub, this book covers populism, spiritualism, and land control in the American West—especially how the federal government took on swamp land as an issue whereby that land was seized from low income farmers and drained. More history than hauntings, this book unpacks how land, power, and belief systems collided out West.
Travels of Terror Strange and Spooky Spots Across America– Kelly Florence & Meg Hafdahl (2024)
The Portland chapter features the St. Johns Bridge, Forest Park lore, and even the Freakybuttrue Peculiarium. Bonus: cocktails at Raven’s Manor. I took issue with the section on the Witch’s House, the ghosts of Forest Park in my opinion are probably from the pest house hospital, where half the patients died in 1911. Anna Balch’s home where she lived with her bastard of a step-father was closer the flat area under the Thurman Street Bridge.
A Haunted Road Atlas: Sinister Stops, Dangerous Destinations, and True Crime Tales – Christine Schiefer & Em Schulz (2022)
From the podcast And That’s Why We Drink. Whimsical, spooky, and surprisingly family-friendly. Cities are divided into “Team Wine Haunts” and “Team Milkshake Haunts.”
Ghosthunting Oregon
– Donna Stewart (2014)
The author signed a copy at the Lloyd Center Barnes & Noble in our early days. A great local pick. Includes Thelma Taylor and the Witch’s House—both of which we cover (accurately!) on our tours.
♀️ Portland Ghost Lore – Characters & Cautionary Tales
- Thelma Taylor: Widely written about, often misunderstood. Our tour offers a respectful retelling.
- The Witch’s House: A Forest Park favorite—often misrepresented, but we’ll bring clarity. It was never a house the restroom designed by architect Ernest Tucker. If this structure damaged by the Columbus Day Storm has ghosts they are most likely those who succumbed to smallpox from the pest house hospital.
- McMenamins Edgefield: A former poor house turned hotel and concert venue by McMenamins. As a poor house, Edgefield was home to hundreds of people overtime – may of whom were unhappy with this quasi prison. Room 215 is particularly haunted – they also keep a ghost log behind the desk in the lobby for the discerning ghost hunter.
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Coming Soon: Photos, Guest Favorites & More!
We’re updating this page regularly with new images from our tours, guest submissions, and bookshop finds. Have a favorite ghost story or hidden gem? Let us know during your tour—or drop us a message below!
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Mud, Blood, and Ghosts: Populism, Eugenics, and Spiritualism in the American West by Julie Carr
( 2023) I learned about this book at a MacMinamin’s History pub. I was hoping to learn more about spiritualism and ghosts but what I really learned about was how swamp land was taken away from
Thelma Taylor is in many many books:
(So is the Witch’s House but they all off the mark on that narrative)
Travels of Terror: Strange and Spooky Spots Across America by Kelly Florence, Meg Hafdahl (2024) The chapter on Portland has an amazing horrified image of the St. Johns Bridge. I only can wish that the authors horror lovers, lifelong best friends, and co-hosts of the Horror Rewind podcast, Kelly Florence and Meg Hafdahl, had reached out to Slabtown Tours. If the old restroom designed by Tucker in 1929 in Forest Park damaged in the Columbus Day Storm has any ghosts they are probably from the pest house the hospital on Balch Creek where half the patients died in 1911. “If you visit the crumbled manse in Forest Park, let us know if you bump into the immortal witch Anna Balch.” They do promote The Freakybuttrue Peculiarium. Funny that they should mention Charity Lamb. “Grab a cocktail at Raven’s Manor, a horror-themed bar with drinks like the Black Widow, Lilith, and Draught of Asphyxiation.”
A Haunted Road Atlas: Sinister Stops, Dangerous Destinations, and True Crime Tales (Volume 1)
by Christine Schiefer and Em Schulz (2022). Another podcast duo I’m going to have to find That’s Why We Drink(started in 1996) because I can’t figure out why the book focuses on milkshakes (I get the Team Wine Haunts for the entries for each city are “Team Milkshake Haunts”. This is a decent book for coming up with places to stop on your next road trip. Very family friendly despite the title.
Ghosthunting Oregon by Donna Stewart (2014)
I met the author at a book signing at Barns and Nobles in Lloyd Center Mall. Her coverage of Thelma Taylor and the Witches House are online.