Heceta Head Keeper’s House
Near Florence and Yachats, Oregon, United States
Historic house · established
The Story
On Oregon’s coast, the Heceta Head keeper’s house offers overnight rooms and a long-lived story about Rue, a presence associated with the attic and guest rooms. It is the house—not simply the nearby lighthouse tower—that anchors this haunting tradition.
The Hauntings
The lighthouse beam belongs to the working coast; the keeper’s house offers a more intimate view of life beside it. Guests climb a wooden staircase to six rooms, with parlors and a shared breakfast bringing travelers together. Rue’s name appears in the inn’s own room descriptions. Her reputation is part of that hospitality: a story carried from earlier visitors to the next person settling into a room above the sea. In a 2024 Portland Monthly account, Jessi Bunch describes Rue as a household presence associated with tapping, displaced belongings and activity in the attic. The name is said to have emerged during a student Ouija-board session decades earlier. It is a name from the haunting tradition rather than an identified person in the keeper families’ records. Bunch also retells an encounter attributed to a worker in 1975: while cleaning an attic window, he reportedly saw the figure and would not return upstairs. Guest-book entries described a woman in a chair and tapping on the walls. During Bunch’s own stay, ambiguous scraping sounds disturbed the night; at breakfast, other guests spoke of moving furniture and a door banging. Those conversations show how the house’s reputation continues through individual stays. The inn also names Rue in its description of Victoria’s Room. The stories of the attic, guest rooms and household disturbances belong to this keeper’s home, separate from the working lighthouse tower.
The History
Construction of the lightstation was under way when a first-order Fresnel lens was ordered from England’s Chance Brothers in 1892. The lighthouse first shone on March 30, 1894. Two Queen Anne-style keepers’ houses formed part of the original station, providing domestic accommodation beside a demanding navigational installation. The surviving house allows that household side of lighthouse history to remain visible. The U.S. Forest Service owns the keeper’s house, while a concessionaire operates the inn. Historic preservation and overnight hospitality therefore share the building. Seasonal first-floor interpretation gives some day visitors a way to learn about the house without entering occupied bedrooms. The adjoining tower has its own management and access conditions.
A sense of place.
Visitor Experiences
Have you experienced something here?
This future chapter will bring together stories from the PHASM community. An unexpected encounter, a lingering feeling, or a quiet visit—your experience will be welcome.
Submissions are not open yet.
Sources & further reading.
- American Lighthouse Foundation — Heceta Lighthouse Bed & Breakfast (history)
- Heceta Lighthouse B&B — Unique Rooms (history)
- Heceta Lighthouse B&B — construction notice and visitor information (history)
- Portland Monthly — Sleeping with Ghosts at Heceta Head Lighthouse’s Haunted B&B (reports)
- Heceta Lighthouse B&B — Unique Rooms (reports)
- Heceta Lighthouse B&B — Unique Rooms (visiting)
- Heceta Lighthouse B&B — construction notice and visitor information (visiting)
- Directions to Heceta Lighthouse B&B (visiting)
Plan Your Visit
Prepaid reservations are required for overnight stays. Day visitors should use public parking and check whether a first-floor tour is offered; registered guests receive separate arrival instructions. As checked October 8, 2026, roof and porch work that began October 5 is under way, with the inn still accepting bookings. Expect possible noise and restricted porch access, and recheck the notice before reserving. Lodging does not grant access to the attic or another guest’s room.