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| 2500 Westgate, Pendleton, OR 97801, USA (Pendleton, Oregon)
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Eastern Oregon State Hospital
Although the facility is now the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution, it only began accepting inmates in June of 1985. Prior to that, the facility served as a state mental hospital as Eastern Oregon State Hospital. It formally opened in January, 1913 to provide treatment to people with mental illness. In 1965, the facility again changed names to the Eastern Oregon Hospital and Treatment Center with the goal of restoring the patients to optimal physical and mental health and returning the patient to the society. With a declining population of patients, in 1983 the Legislative Assembly decided to turn the facility into medium security prison.
Frankie Baker
One of its more famous residents during the time it served as a mental hospital was Frankie Baker, originally from St. Louis, Missouri. In 1899, Baker shot and killed Allen Britt in St. Louis. She would later argue self defense and be acquitted for the crime. However, the crime gained legendary status as one of the possible sources for the murder ballad, Frankie and Johnny. Though the true facts of the case would be misrepresented in the song, it would become something that Baker could not escape. She fled Missouri for Omaha, Nebraska but quickly found the song followed her there. She then moved to Portland, Oregon but still found no escape when a series of films based on the song came forth. She would later be committed to this facility, where she died shortly thereafter on January 10, 1952.
Ghosts?
The site has some legends floating around about it naturally. Guards have been reported as hearing cries for help when no one is around and other strange events. Given the facility's past, it really should come as no surprise. |
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| Related Sites |
Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution
The official site of Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution, which was formerly a mental hospital in Pendleton, Oregon. The location is reputed to be haunted and also was the last home for Frankie Baker of the murder ballad Frankie and Johnny. |
Wikipedia: Frankie and Johnny
Wikipedia's entry for the murder ballad Frankie and Johnny. |
Shadowlands Haunted Places in Oregon
Courtesy of Shadowlands, a list of sites throughout the state of Oregon that are reputed to be haunted. |
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| Similar Destinations |
| Old Pickens County Courthouse |
| Ohio State Reformatory |
| Eastern State Penitentiary |
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| See Also on TheCabinet.com |
| Blog: Frankie and Johnny Were Sweethearts (10/16/08) |
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| Available from Amazon.com |
The Rose & the Briar: Death, Love and Liberty in the American Ballad |
The Rose & the Briar: Death, Love and Liberty in the American Ballad |
The Saga of Frankie & Johnny |
The Truth about Frankie and Johnny and Other Legendary Lovers who Stalked the American Scene |
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