Deep within the shadowy groves of Forest Park in Portland, Oregon, where ferns creep across the forest floor and moss weaves over fallen logs, lies the crumbling remains of a structure known as The Witch’s Castle. Officially named the Stone House, this moss-clad ruin is more than just a curious stop for hikers; it is a place where real history and supernatural lore blend into an inseparable tapestry.
Originally built in the 1930s by Portland’s Parks Department, the Stone House served as a public restroom and shelter for visitors to Macleay Park. But after a devastating storm in the 1960s, it was abandoned. Over time, nature slowly reclaimed the structure: walls crumbled, graffiti blossomed, and vines wrapped the stones in a shroud of green, giving it its eerily enchanting appearance.
Yet what truly fuels the mystique of The Witch’s Castle is an older, darker legend tied to this land. In the mid-19th century, settler Danford Balch lived near this area with his family. When his daughter, Anna, fell in love with a young laborer named Mortimer Stump, Balch violently opposed the match. In a tragic climax, he murdered Stump with a shotgun. Captured and tried, Balch became the first person to be legally executed in Portland’s history. Since then, whispers of curses and hauntings have clung to this part of the forest.
Reaching The Witch’s Castle today is an easy hike of about half a mile from the Macleay Trailhead. The path is shaded by towering firs and follows the gentle course of Balch Creek, accompanied by the sounds of water and rustling leaves. As you approach, the ruin materializes through the undergrowth—a weathered, mossy structure covered in graffiti that somehow enhances its haunted aesthetic.
The Witch’s Castle remains a place suspended between worlds: a relic of public works, a canvas for urban artists, and a magnet for ghost stories. Here, history and imagination intertwine, and the forest holds its secrets close.
