Join Historic Jacksonville, Inc. at 7 and 7:30 p.m. on Friday, July 8, for Jacksonville Haunted History walking tours. These approximately one-hour docent-led tours leave from the Jacksonville Visitors Center at the corner of North Oregon and C streets and include some moderate elevations. Tours are limited to the first 15 people. The cost is $5 per person, with profits going towards HJI’s historic preservation efforts.
“Here in Jacksonville we take our history seriously,” notes Carolyn Kingsnorth, President of Historic Jacksonville. “We respect the legacy the pioneers left us. But we’ve also learned that some of these pioneers have been reluctant to leave and are still with us in the form of spirits and ghosts.
“These tours will not be your typical ‘ghost tours’ with special effects. They are history tours about real hauntings resulting from past events. The stories come from multiple sources, from people who have experienced these lingering spirits. These tours are our attempt to recognize and honor these restless souls.”
Spirits include victims of arson, white slavery, disease epidemics, and homicide as well as benign souls who have chosen to linger in places with special meaning.
When asked if she herself believes in ghosts, Kingsnorth replied, “Well, I have had a couple of experiences that I would put in the ‘woo-woo’ category. And science tells us that energy can be transformed into matter and matter can be transformed into energy. Most memories are associated with emotions, and I can certainly see where an event that generated strong emotions in a person’s life could transform into a lingering energy that might manifest as an essence or a spirit. And perhaps if the emotion was strong enough or the event was life changing, the energy could even create an apparition.”
Jacksonville Haunted History tours will repeat on Friday, August 12; and in September and October, dates to be determined.
For additional information, contact info@historicjacksonville.org or phone 541-245-3650.