Before Del Rio became a vineyard, this land bore witness to conflict, settlement, and stories that still linger. In the 1800s, the push of “Manifest Destiny” and the lure of gold drove white settlers into the Rogue Valley, leading to violent clashes with the Athapascan, Takelma, and Shasta peoples (comprised of many different tribal groups).
These conflicts escalated into the Rogue River Wars of the mid-1850s, which were among the bloodiest wars between settlers and Indigenous tribes in U.S. history. In the aftermath, the surviving Indigenous peoples were forcibly removed to the Siletz Reservation and Grand Ronde Reservation, and opened the way for further settlement of their homelands.
John B. White was awarded a tract of land for his participation in the Rogue River Wars. In 1861, he developed a homestead on the north side of the stage road after a flood destroyed the bridge over the Rogue River along with his home on the south side of the river.
Later in 1863, he opened a general store and sold his remaining homestead to Lytle J. White - no relation. In 1864, Lytle established the Rock Point Hotel at the edge the property and began work on a new bridge. The hotel opened to the public with a grand ball on February 8, 1865.
After the death of her husband Adna Beach, a widow named Adelia (Adams) Beach moved to the Oregon territory from Michigan with her children: Hattie, Jay, Fidelia, and Ida.
In 1860, Adelia married J.B. White and took up residence in his home, which was built next door to the Rock Point State Hotel. White also operated a post office and general store, and later entered into a business partnership with Benjamin Haymond in the community of Rock Point.
Benjamin Haymond (b. 1829 - d. 1906), a thriving business man and later-elected county commissioner, courts and marries Hattie Beach (b. 1845 - d. 1891), step-daughter of his business partner in 1868. It is reported that Benjamin and Hattie never had children before her death in 1891. But that's where the mystery begins...
The circumstances surrounding Hattie's death are vague. By all printed accounts, Hattie passed away at the age of 46 on June 16th, 1891, but no details to the reason of her passing are offered. The State of Oregon also did not require death certificates at that time, so one does not exist for Hattie.
Benjamin later remarried on October 24, 1892, to a woman named Rose Morris. They later went on to have four children: Ralph, Benjamin Jr., John Creed, and Gladys.
However, during our research, we noted that the eldest child Ralph was born on May 30, 1891—two weeks before Hattie passed away.
Not necessarily. Although Benjamin's first child was born two weeks before Hattie passed away, we cannot determine what actually happened. Yes, it is possible that Hattie passed away due to postpartum complications, illness, infection, or something else more nefarious. But we also cannot determine the real relationship of Rose to Ralph—Rose has always been accredited as being his mother.
Was Hattie Ralph's mother and Rose stepped in to fill that role after she passed, or was Ralph born out of wedlock?
In either case, it lends credence to the idea that Hattie has some kind of unfinished business and has chosen to remain on the property.
In 2024, wine reporter Michael Alberty and videographer Samantha Swinder conducted a paranormal investigation. Watch the video to learn about the folklore, first-hand accounts of strange happenings witnessed by staff and patrons alike, and the eerie occurrences that happened during their investigation.
Over a decade ago, a team of paranormal investigators presented us with a portrait of a woman from the 1800s telling us it was Hattie Beach Haymond, the ghost that haunts Del Rio Vineyards. Since then, we've operated under the assumption that this portrait was in fact her. Afterall, the ghostly apparitions that have been witnessed over the years all have been encounters with a woman with long dark hair in a dark Victorian-style dress. Years of research have yielded us very few results.
With the help of a reader of The Oregonian's article written by Michael Alberty (in coordination with their paranormal investigation), we now know the identity of the woman in the portrait - Fidelia Sarah Beach Goodale (b. 1847 - d. 1881). Hattie's sister! Even more interesting, this reader also informed us that Fidelia's portrait was taken by Peter Britt.
It's possible, but we don't think it's likely. Fidelia was a teacher in nearby Jacksonville, and married a man named Greenleaf Austin Goodale, a Brevet Captain in the 23rd U.S. Infantry stationed at Fort Klamath in 1870. Together, they moved to the Arizona territory in 1874, when Capt. Goodale was stationed there.
Fidelia spent less time in Oregon than Hattie, and was even less engrained into the community of Rock Point as her sister was. And considering she had a beautiful marriage with Goodale, we don't foresee the same reasons for her soul to stay on our property. You can read about Goodale's Reminiscences, which include his relationship with Fidelia (or more lovingly—his Fide), via the Southern Oregon Historical Society.
We do still believe that our ghost is Hattie, but has suffered a case of mistaken identity! Considering that known photographs of Adelia (mother) and Fidelia (sister) bear a striking resemblance to one another, we believe that Hattie would have looked similar to the other women in her family. You can compare these known photos below to draw your own conclusions.
We are on the search for an actual photo or portrait of Hattie Haymond. We've scoured digital archives, books, articles, and newspapers to no avail. If you have any information that can help aid us in our search, please contact us!