Is Clark County haunted? Why yes, very, according to local historian, archeologist and paranormal investigator Jefferson Davis.
In Battle Ground, spirits have been reported in various places in old town, such as the haunting of Julio’s Coffee and Breakfast and a milkman apparition appearing on the streets. Other hauntings at the Fort Vancouver barracks and the entire area of Yacolt and more provide enough spookiness to say Clark County has its fair share of paranormal occurrences.
According to a 2007 thread online titled, “Washington’s Haunted Places List (Scary Stuff),” workers of Buzz’s Sports Bar and Grill, now Julio’s Coffee and Breakfast, report that the property is haunted. The thread states that a worker of Buzz’s Sports Bar and Grill has photos of the ghosts. As of 2007, the building was only 9 years old, but the building site packs history. According to local lore, the property was once the site of a brothel owned by a woman named Mary. Earlier this month Davis and paranormal investigator colleague Lindsay Ellis performed a brief investigation at Julio’s Coffee and Breakfast on Oct. 6 and reportedly made contact with Mary and other spirits while using a ouija board.
According to “Here Are The 11 Best Places To Spot a Ghost In Washington,” by onlyinyourstate.com, the ghostly occurrences have continued through the years. When the building changed from Buzz’s Sports Bar and Grill to El Rancho Viejo Sports Bar and Grill, new staff reported paranormal events. The activity included “pranks from a poltergeist” with change moving in the register, and guests reported feeling cold spots or rushes as they sat at the bar. Sometimes other items would move on their own, as well.
“But the manager has seen a ghostly woman in blue, and the surveillance cameras have picked up an apparition on more than one occasion,” the onlyinyourstate.com article stated.
During Davis and Ellis’ investigation through ouija board communication, Mary said she wears a blue dress.
Another haunted place of Clark County includes all of the Yacolt valley as the Klickitat word “Yahkohtl” or “Yalicolb” translates to “haunted place” or “place of evil spirits.”
Davis leads ghost walks at the Fort Vancouver barracks, which is also said to be haunted, he said.
“It’s mathematical, the longer you have people living in any one place, the more people are going to be dying in that one place, and then the odds of leaving some kind of paranormal signature increases,” he said.
Davis said the hauntings in Clark County are not just from European Americans, but from Indigenous peoples, as well. He said there are plenty of locations in the county where Native American spirits and paranormal activity have been seen and reported, including the Yacolt valley and more.
To learn more about Davis’ work, including books he has written about the paranormal across Oregon and Washington, visit jeffdavisghostguy.com.
