From the windy roads of the south Salem countryside, the Daniel Delaney House looks like many others in the area. The tan three-story home has white trim and a porch that overlooks acres of farm fields to the south. The landscaping is lush with trees and shrubs, and a gazebo offers shade to guests who want to enjoy the chirping of the birds or the occasional encounter with a passing ghost.
Joce Johnson
Delaney House - Vicki Woods
Because, yes, the Delaney House is haunted, according to its owner Vicki Woods. She ensures all who enter are privy to the frequent activities of visitors from the other side. In fact, paranormal activity is the main draw for guests of the Airbnb and Spirit Gallery Tea events.
When guests arrive, they are greeted at the door of the second floor by Vicki or her husband Tim, who also live in the house. Built in 1845, it is the third-oldest residential home still standing in Oregon. They are taken to the kitchen, where there are snacks, and offered a tour of the home. In every corner and on every surface, there is a framed black and white photo or antique. In the background, an old record plays “Puttin’ on the Ritz” from a Sonora phonograph built in the 1920s.
“We’ve collected things from all over the place,” Vicki said.
A table and chairs sit in the middle of the dining room where the Spirit Gallery Teas are held. Vicki works with a local medium named Maggie Murphy and hosts parties of up to six people who want to connect with spirits in the house and witness a brief paranormal investigation. Guests leave with a bespoke party favor–a “manifestation spell bag” filled with crystals, gems, herbs, spices, and hand-written affirmations.
Delaney House - Trinkets
Delaney House Living Room
Delaney House interior
Delaney House Rocking Chair
Beyond the dining room is a living room with windows to the porch and a view of the backyard and fields. On one mantle, there is a framed photo of David Delaney, the son of the home’s original owner, Daniel Delaney. The elder was the victim of an 1865 murder well known to local historians. He was shot to death on the porch of the house, and months later, two men were found guilty and hanged on public grounds in downtown Salem before a crowd of onlookers, according to records from the Willamette Heritage Center.
Despite the gruesome events that took the original owner’s life and the frequent reports of paranormal activity, “haunted” just doesn’t feel like quite the right way to describe the Delaney House. Vicki has accomplished a sense of whimsy and nostalgia.
“I felt welcomed and happy,” she said of when she first came to the house. Her goal is to make sure guests feel the same.
The single guest room, located just off the living room, has a playful, almost childlike feel. Vicki said the house has kid ghosts.
Upstairs is a double guest room, a bathroom with a clawfoot bathtub where investigators have discovered jubilant spirits dancing to the sound of the music downstairs, and a rocking chair built by Daniel Delaney in 1843. The chair tends to move slightly when no one is upstairs–perhaps a signal that the original owner himself still enjoys the comforts of his home.
Spirit Gallery Teas
6:30 p.m. (about 3.5 hours long)
Sep 20, Oct 4, Nov 15, and Dec 6
$75 per person. (Up to six guests)
To book, email Vicki Woods at zombies.vicki@aol.com
This story originally ran in Press Play Salem issue 25 (Fall 2025)
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