A local shop owner in St. Helens (who wished to remain anonymous) is convinced that most of the paranormal activity in St. Helens is concentrated in the Old Town area from the old theater to the old Klondike Hotel (now a restaurant) at the end of South 1st Street. His knowledge is based on personal experience.

One night as the shop owner worked late hanging things, a hammer was laid down to grab something; but when the shopkeeper went to grab it again, it was gone! Knowing the ways of prankster spirits, the keeper demanded the return of the hammer by scolding the spirit--and magically it reappeared! The trickster-like occurrences led our source to believe the spirit of a small child inhabits the shop.

This claim seems to be corroborated by Robert Chamberlin, the founding member and president of Northwest Paranormal Investigations--a group that seeks out and documents strange activity in the Pacific Northwest. Mr. Chamberlin has investigated the Klondike Restaurant (71 S. 1st Street) and has "e;found paranormal activity throughout the old hotel."e; One upstairs room in particular was striking in that his team "e;had sensed a feeling of death. It was very strong and more than one person picked up on it... We took photos and had some spirit orbs on them. We were later told that a gentleman had died a tragic death in that room."e;

(Check out Bob's website for more mysteriousness, www.northwestparanormal. freehomepage.com.)

Other paranormal hotspots (according to website www.theshadowlands.net) include the high school auditorium--called "e;The Old School"e;--in St. Helens, which is haunted by a woman named Vera who died there and has been seen messing around in the lighting booth. The site also lists the Kinder Cemetery, located on the north side of Highway 30, which is inhabited by an old ghost named George who when angry has been known to push and slap people! Youch! Some ghosts are jerks.