EATON — The Preble County Historical Society (PCHS) closed out its month of Halloween events on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25 and 26, with this year’s Ghost Tours.
According to Executive Director Misti Spillman, the Ghost Tours at PCHS include touring the society’s 1860 Sayler Swartsel farmhouse.
“We decorate the house in 1800s mourning and talk about mourning practices and superstitions of the Victorian Era. We also include stories of the paranormal and what staff and volunteers have experienced over the years. It is a good mix of history and ghostly tales,” she said.
“This is the third year of doing the program and we had 57 people attend Friday and Saturday. The past two years we have sold out. This event brings people out to enjoy PCHS and learn about the history of the Sayler Swartsel House and also hear some spooky tales which fits in to the October/ Halloween theme.
“We take the groups around the darkened house and the guides have lanterns while they give the tour. We also exhibit some of our spooky items from our collections, such as a portable mortician’s table and a Victorian wicker casket.”
PCHS celebrated Halloween with three main events: the Historic Ghost Walk of Fort St. Clair and Mound Hill Cemetery Tour, two weekends of haunted hayrides, and the PCHS Ghost Tours.
“All of our October events fit in with the Halloween theme, but we also incorporate history in them. Our Hayrides did really well. The first weekend we had 170 people and the second weekend we had 239 people,” Spillman said. “We sold out of our Historic Ghost walk of Fort St. Clair and 20 attended our Mound Hill Cemetery Tour. A lot of new people came out to PCHS and we had people come back. By doing these events we are keeping PCHS relevant in history and the community more aware of what is going on out here.
“A huge thank you to our volunteers for helping out this past month. We could not have done these events without your help.”
PCHS will be holding a bourbon tasting event on Saturday, Nov. 9. For more information, visit the PCHS Facebook page or the website at www.preblecountyhistoricalsociety.com.
