{"id":73473,"date":"2026-03-25T09:03:06","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T15:03:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rovidx.media\/unexplainedco\/?p=73473"},"modified":"2026-03-27T09:31:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T15:31:13","slug":"the-haunted-house-that-built-oregons-largest-ghost-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unexplained.co\/news\/the-haunted-house-that-built-oregons-largest-ghost-conference\/","title":{"rendered":"The Haunted House That Built Oregon\u2019s Largest Ghost Conference"},"content":{"rendered":"

A local-feature story out of Oregon has turned into something bigger than a simple event preview. The Oregon Ghost Conference<\/strong>, often described as the state\u2019s largest ghost-focused gathering, is now being framed through the haunted reputation of the Ermatinger House<\/strong> in Oregon City \u2014 giving the story an unusually rich blend of real history, place-based ghost lore, and a modern paranormal events ecosystem.<\/em><\/p>\n

At the center is Rocky Smith Jr.<\/strong>, an Oregon City commissioner, teacher, ghost-tour operator, and founder of the conference, whose reported paranormal experiences at the historic house helped shape what would become one of the Northwest\u2019s most recognizable ghost conventions.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The Haunted Origin Story<\/h2>\n

According to OregonLive<\/a>, the Ermatinger House in Oregon City played a major role in inspiring the Oregon Ghost Conference. Built in 1845<\/strong>, the house is one of Oregon\u2019s oldest surviving homes and has long accumulated stories of unusual activity.<\/p>\n

Smith has said his interest in the paranormal deepened while working there in the 1990s. Reports tied to the house include oddly behaving doors, stories of spirits associated with the property, and recurring lore about a child spirit nicknamed \u201cApril\u201d<\/strong>. Another long-circulating tale involves the spirit of a steamboat captain affecting dining room chairs inside the house.<\/p>\n

Whether one reads those accounts as paranormal evidence, folklore, or community storytelling, they helped transform the house from a neglected historic structure into a place people felt invested in preserving.<\/p>\n

From Haunted House to Conference Ecosystem<\/h2>\n

That is what makes this story more than another ghost-tour feature. Smith\u2019s involvement reportedly expanded from the house itself into ghost tours and eventually into the Oregon Ghost Conference<\/strong>, now a multi-day event featuring workshops, readings, demonstrations, paranormal investigations, walking tours, and theatrical s\u00e9ance experiences.<\/p>\n

According to the official Oregon Ghost Conference site<\/a>, the 14th annual event is scheduled for March 27\u201329, 2026<\/strong> in Seaside, Oregon, and is marketed as the Northwest\u2019s largest paranormal convention.<\/p>\n

The event is also listed by the Seaside Civic & Convention Center<\/a>, underscoring that this is no fringe back-room gathering. It has become part of Oregon\u2019s wider tourism and event culture.<\/p>\n

Why This Matters<\/h2>\n

The Oregon Ghost Conference story works because it hits several powerful themes at once:<\/p>\n