Curious Parents Places to Go

Spooky Harvest

Some Haunted Sites are a Great Way to TEACH YOUR KIDS HISTORY
By Jennifer Mathews

People claim to have seen a ghost of a woman wearing a long dress with a high collar floating around the staircase and the upstairs at The Inn at Phillips Mill in New Hope, Pa. But that’s just a rumor. Or is it? There is also said to be a ghost sitting in a rocking chair. The one thing you can be sure of is that the town is a great place for a sightseeing tour. Bucolic, historic, family-friendly: That describes the town. And, since it’s October, you can add some flavor to the drive to scenic New Hope with the kids by telling a few ghost stories.

October is great time to explore all our region has to offer. The trees are orange and red and brown and all different types of hues in between. But the other thing the area offers is history, which brings on all the ghost stories we hear about.

Among other places in New Hope in which paranormal sightings have occurred are: the Pickett House, Odette’s Restaurant and the Van Sant Bridge. One should be sure to take a trip to the Van Sant Bridge, where it is said that when standing on this covered bridge, you can hear a baby crying. Not only that, but the bridge is also claimed to be the place where horse thieves were hung and some say that their ghosts could still be seen hanging from the bridge. If you have younger children, you probably won’t want to tell these stories, however this covered bridge (and many others) harks back to an era long past and gives children an excellent feel for 19th century America and its archaic, wooden bridges. And Bowman’s Tower is right around the corner, where you can survey the most wonderful view of the Delaware River and possibly spot the ghost of Dr. Bowman, a pirate and surgeon for Captain Kidd.

Thirty five miles south from New Hope is another haunted place: Philadelphia. This city is well known for some of its eerie sightings. Why not visit the haunted Civil War Library and Museum, which was featured on the television series, Unsolved Mysteries? In this mysterious building, one may be surprised upon seeing a few ghosts playing cards! Walking tours are also available to the public any night of the week. Throughout these tours, one will visit some of the most historic and haunted places imaginable.

Another thrilling place to travel is Fort Delaware. The site is open to the public and offers tours and events year-round. Brave souls can discover the site where Civil War soldiers were kept as prisoners and can be guaranteed to see some real ghosts. Here, orbs can be seen in photographs taken at the site, and ghost hunters have recorded cold temperatures and voices of ghosts or Electronic Voice Phenomena. Fort Delaware offers ghost tours that are different from anywhere else.

“What makes these ghost tours at Fort Delaware stand out from ghost tours in Philadelphia, Cape May or Gettysburg is that it is completely isolated on Pea Patch Island,” says Ed Okonowicz, professor of folklore and storytelling at the University of Delaware and regional author of 24 books, including Civil War Ghosts at Fort Delaware.

Okonowicz said the highlight of the tour is the presence of the “kitchen ghost,” also known as “Lady in Black.” This ghost is the apparition of a woman who is believed to have worked in the kitchen during the Civil War. Her ghost was discovered 15 years ago during a Civil War re-enactment. Then, during one of the ghost tours in September 2005, a woman captured the “Lady in Black” on her digital camera.

“At Fort Delaware, the isolation makes it feel magically delightful in being taken back into time,” says Okonowicz.

For those thrill seekers who are over the age of 12 and enjoy Hitchcock stories, then the Halloween tours at Fort Delaware are highly recommended. These tours are somewhat different, but definitely much more scarier than Ed Okonowicz’s ghost tours. Historic Site Manager, George Contant, will guide his brave audience through the Fort, adding a little bit of storytelling while they experience unexpected and strange occurrences.

The goal is “scaring the pants off of you before you walk out of the place,” says Contant. He promises that interesting things will occur at the end, “things that you can’t see anywhere else.”

Who Ya’ Gonna Call?

Whether it’s New Hope, Philadelphia, Delaware or all three places, why not brave your soul and reserve tickets before it’s too late. To schedule a walking tour through New Hope’s mysterious and historical streets, contact Adele Gamble by calling 215.343.5564. To reserve a spot for taking a candlelight walking tour through America’s most historic city, Philadelphia, call 215.413.1997. For more information on tours and events of Fort Delaware, contact George Contant at 302.834.7941. All these places have tours and events available throughout various days in October—perfect for a Halloween treat!

Jennifer Mathews is a freelance writer from Hamilton, N.J.