Now that I’ve equipped myself with a good ghost hunting app, I’m ready on this Day 4 of my 13 Days of Halloween to go on a ghost hunt. What better place to look for ghosts than the Huntsville Ghost Walk. The popular tour recently received national recognition when Livability included it on it’s “8 Cities with Great Ghost Tours” list.
Jacque Reeves, a local historian, started the Huntsville Ghost Walk with her husband, Robert Reeves, and paranormal investigator Kevin Thompson. Participants can choose one of three guided walking tours – Downtown, Twickenham or Old Town – that go past infamous murder sites, alleged haunted houses and other spooky places. To quote Reeves, “We’re not trying to convince anybody that ghosts are real, but it’s a fun way to learn history.”
The Twickenham Tour
Our group chose the Twickenham tour which included walking through Huntsville’s oldest neighborhood called Twickenham. he Twickenham tour makes stops at many of Huntsville’s earliest dwellings including the Weeden House, First Presbyterian Church, First Presbyterian Church, the Bibb House, Helion Masonic Lodge, Leroy Pope Mansion, and the homes of Samuel Moore and Thomas Fearn.
Our guide informed us the tour’s talking points are based upon actual medium interaction compared against historical accuracy and research. The historical aspect is what sets the Huntsville Ghost Walk apart from other types of attractions of this type. There aren’t any shady characters jumping out from behind trees to scare you.
Unfortunately, we didn’t see any ghosts during our tour but some of the apps did register readings. We did learn more about Huntsville history and the Twickenham district. Here’s an example of the type of information you learn at each stop on the tour.
The Weeden House Stop
At the Weeden House, our guide told of mysterious hands that could be seen touching an upstairs window. They are presumed to be those of William Frye, an artist from Bavaria, who came to America to paint the American Indians but only got as far as Huntsville. He tutored Maria Howard Weeden, who is famous for her detailed paintings of slaves, for two years.
Apparently Mr. Frye had a habit of removing excess paint from his brush with his tongue. There is speculation that he succumbed to heavy metal poisoning. He was eventually declared mad and died in Bryce Hospital in Tuscaloosa.
Overall Rating
Although our guide seemed knowledgable, he would oftentimes discuss several different storylines at each stop. Unfortunately he wasn’t skilled at articulating their relation to each other and left the group bewildered more than once.
Another minor complaint was the guide didn’t stop and pause when nearby auto and train traffic made it difficult to hear. Although the guides wear a microphone, it wasn’t loud enough to overcome the background noise.
A friend who has done the tour before says its success is in large part to the knowledge and personality of the guide. She rates the guide we experienced on our recent tour as mediocre compared to a previous guide who was fantastic. Our group agreed that if we had to recommend the tour based upon our most recent experience, we wouldn’t be inclined to give it our overwhelming support. However the $10 ticket price doesn’t break the bank it is a great way to learn a little Huntsville history and a wonderful activity for one day of the 13 Days of Halloween.
Tour Info
All tours begin at Harrison Brothers Hardware Store, located at 124 South Side Square, promptly at 6 p.m. every Saturday night from June through October. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children 12 and under and the tour is dog friendly. A trolley tour is also available for an additional $2.
Visit Huntsville Ghost Walk for more information.