Old Town Pizza and Brewing

Old Town Pizza and Brewing, located in Portland, Oregon, occupies a historic building constructed above the famous Shanghai Tunnels, the underground passages that once facilitated the clandestine transportation of unwilling people into forced servitude aboard ocean-bound vessels. The restaurant and brewery was founded in 1974, establishing itself as a commercial food and beverage establishment within a location that carried the weight of historical trauma and exploitation. The physical structure sits directly above these tunnels, creating a direct spatial and spiritual connection to the subterranean passages where human suffering and exploitation occurred. The building's commercial success as a restaurant and brewery operated successfully for decades, serving the Portland community. However, the location's historical associations with human trafficking remained embedded within the space.

The Shanghai Tunnels themselves represent one of Portland's most significant historical features, a network of underground passages constructed in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries for primarily commercial purposes initially. The tunnels connected buildings throughout the downtown core, facilitating the transport of goods, mail, and other materials beneath street level. However, the tunnels acquired a darker reputation as facilities for human trafficking, where individuals, particularly young women and destitute men, were kidnapped, coerced, or deceived into captivity before being transported to ships departing Portland's docks. The practice of "shanghaiing," forcing unwilling people into maritime service, became associated with the tunnels and the corruption that allowed such operations. The suffering of countless individuals created intense emotional and spiritual impressions.

The resident ghost of Old Town Pizza and Brewing is known as Nina, a young woman whose tragic history exemplifies the suffering experienced by victims of Portland's historical human trafficking operations. Nina was sold into white slavery, a catastrophic fate that involved her capture and coercion into sexual exploitation and servitude. Her story culminated in her death, which occurred in a hotel rather than in the restaurant itself, but her spiritual connection to Old Town Pizza remains profound and enduring. The trauma of her victimization, the violation and abuse she endured, and the violent circumstances of her death created powerful spiritual bonds that tied her consciousness to locations associated with her historical experience. Nina appears in the form of a woman wearing a long gown.

Paranormal phenomena at Old Town Pizza and Brewing center on the manifestations and activities of Nina's spirit, which appears to be not malevolent but rather deeply mournful and seeking connection with the living world. Apparitions of the woman in the long gown have been observed floating through the restaurant, moving with the grace of a spectral presence between the basement and the dining area. Feminine whispers emanate from the basement areas, voices that seem to emerge from an unseen speaker calling out or attempting to communicate with those present. The scent of perfume materializes unexpectedly in various locations throughout the building, a fragrant signature of Nina's presence that manifests without any obvious source. Staff members report feeling the sensation of a presence behind them.

Old Town Pizza and Brewing continues to operate as a successful restaurant and brewery, serving both tourists and Portland residents while functioning simultaneously as a memorial to historical trauma and a location of documented paranormal activity. The proprietors have embraced the building's haunted history, acknowledging Nina's presence and creating a space where her story and that of other victims of Portland's historical human trafficking are remembered and discussed respectfully. For employees, working at Old Town Pizza involves awareness of and respect for Nina's presence, a ghost whose suffering demands acknowledgment. The restaurant stands as testimony to how trauma and exploitation can create paranormal phenomena rooted in the profound human need for recognition and remembrance.