The Haunted Dome Building

In the 1990s, I worked for the Department of Corrections / Central Administration located in the Dome Building, on Center Street, in Salem. This structure was part of the Oregon State Mental Hospital, and was connected to a neighboring building by an underground passage. The Department rented the building from the Mental Hospital. At one time it had been the Salem Hospital, and was an old, ornate building.

I worked on the first floor. I would use the women's restroom, down the right hallway from the front entrance. Many times when I was in a stall, it sounded like someone else was in the restroom. I would hear the paper towels being taken from the receptacle, and the sound of the towels being used to wipe hands. Many times when I entered the bathroom, the stalls were empty, so no one came in before me, and no one was there when I came out.

One winter night, I had been asked to work overtime. I was the only person left in the building. When I walked down the hallway to use the restroom, I looked upward. Near the high ceiling (about four stories high) were many cloud like objects, floating back and forth. It was fascinating to watch the clouds floating around.

It was a long drive home, so I stopped watching the clouds, and used the familiar restroom. While I was in the stall it sounded as if the door opened and someone was using the paper towels. I looked underneath the stall door, and there were no feet to be seen. Of course, when I came out of the stall no one else was in the room.

Other employees told stories of working in the building "by themselves", too. Employees heard doors slamming, keys rattling, doors were left opened that had been shut; and lights turned on or off.