Fincastle will host a Haunted History walking tour on October 28-29, thanks to the Botetourt County Historical Society and Museum, the Botetourt County Chamber of Commerce and Muddy Squirrel.
Fincastle is set to get a lot spookier just in time for Halloween.
Haunted History: A Walking Tour of Historic Fincastle will be held Oct. 28 and 29 in Fincastle.
The tours are being presented by the Botetourt County Historical Society and Museum, the Botetourt County Chamber of Commerce and Muddy Squirrel.
“We’re really looking forward to resurrecting the Fincastle ghost tours for this great family-oriented event,” Jennifer Vance, marketing and events coordinator for the chamber, said.
The tours are a reboot of an event that was held a number of years ago.
Tim Miller originally started holding haunted history tours in Fincastle when he was teaching at Central Academy Middle School, with seventh graders serving as tour guides.
Miller’s organization, Muddy Squirrel, also held a haunted hike with the county’s parks and recreation department at the historical site Greenfield between 2013 and 2015.
Lynsey Allie, the director of the historical society, has been wanting to start an annual haunted history walk since she assumed her position in the spring of 2021. Her hope of starting a tour like this one last year didn’t materialize due to a spike in COVID-19 cases.
“I love a walking ghost tour. I’ve done them in Lexington and Williamsburg. Anytime I see one, I’m always interested and want to go,” Allie said. “I love a spooky story. I also love history. It was a good tie-in. It’s not just going to be ghost stories, but it’s going to have some actual history mixed in with it.”
With the town turning 250 this year, Allie said Fincastle is the perfect place in Botetourt County to hold a haunted history tour since it’s old enough to harbor plenty of ghosts. Allie explained that “practically every building in Fincastle seems like it has a ghost.”
In the future, she said, she’d like to see similar tours in other parts of the county, including Buchanan and Troutville.
While the event is meant to be fun, Vance said it goes hand in hand with the chamber’s increased push to drive tourism to Botetourt County’s historical sites.
Organizers note that the tours will be family-friendly, meaning scare tactics will not be used.
The description of the tour reads: “We’ll share spooky stories highlighting local legends and lore as we transport you back to a time when the nights were darker, and the mountains were wilder and more dangerous.”
Miller said he has been collecting local haunted and historical stories for years, many of which will be told during the tours. “Some are specific to Botetourt and Fincastle. It’s a variety of stories. Some of them are generalized to the region,” he said. He added that the stories that will be generalized to the region will include Appalachian superstitions. Other stories will come from L.B. Taylor’s writings.
Highlights of the tour will include both the old and new Botetourt County Historical Society and Museum buildings, Hayth Hotel, Big Spring Park, James Matten Early Cabin, Kyle House, Fincastle Presbyterian Church Cemetery and Godwin Cemetery.
“I think it’s going to be fun. It’s not a haunted house format. Nothing will jump out at you. It’s meant to weave in some interesting stories with history,” Miller said.
Tours will start at 6, 7 and 8 p.m. both nights at the Botetourt County Chamber of Commerce at 23 S. Roanoke Street. Each tour will last approximately 90 minutes. Participants are encouraged to bring flashlights and wear comfortable walking shoes. The tours will end at the Botetourt County Historical Society and Museum at 26 East Main Street.
Tickets for the tours are $5 for children, $12 for adults and $25 for families. They can be ordered at: https://www.ticketsignup.io/TicketEvent/HistoricFincastleGhostWalk.
While tickets will be sold on-site, they will cost more.
Ghost Walk
A similar event will be held in Salem earlier in the month. The Salem Museum and Historical Society’s 24th Annual Ghost Walk will be Oct. 6-8 from 6-8 p.m.
“Visitors can expect a fun, not scary, tour through East Hill Cemetery. They will meet the founder of Salem, a teacher from the old Carver School, the builders of the Duck Pond, the wife of a Revolutionary War hero and many more figures from Salem’s history,” Garrett Channell, director of education archives at the museum and society, said.
The family-friendly tours will depart the Salem Museum at 801 East Main Street every 15 minutes to visit the East Hill Cemetery.
Those who are interested are encouraged to order tickets in advance at: salemmuseum.org. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students.
