RIDGWAY – Just in time for Halloween, the Elk County Historical Society announced today plans to present haunted history tours beginning in the spring of 2019. The first tours will be conducted in Ridgway’s historic Pine Grove and Thayer cemeteries and may later include Main Street and town walks.
“These kinds of tours have become extremely popular at major historic sites around the country.” Said Kurt Hughes, Board President of the Elk County Historical Society. “We recently polled our followers on Facebook to see if there would be any interest in this type of event and the response was overwhelmingly in favor of it.”
Tours that retell lore, urban legends and ghostly happenings have been popular attractions at places such as Gettysburg National Monument, Historic Williamsburg, and cities such as New Orleans, Louisiana, Hughes added. These events draw new audiences and inspire younger generations to take an interest in historical events.
The Elk County Historical Society Cemetery Tours will focus on Elk County’s regional history with an exploration of gothic subjects such as the Victorian practice of body snatching, mausoleum and headstone design, and the historical origins of popular expressions such as “dead ringer” and “saved by the bell”, which originated from technologies designed to save loved ones from premature burial in the 19th century.
Cemetery tours are designed not merely as entertainment, but to educate the public on the need for the historic preservation and care of burial sites, which can be costly, according to Hughes. Many cemeteries fall into disrepair over time and become neglected. Tours raise vital public awareness of cemeteries while encouraging the public to have respect for these hallowed resting places.