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Haunted History, October 2019
CLHO Member Events in the Halloween Spirit
This October, Connecticut history has a spooky vibe. From ghost walks and cemetery tours to readings and explorations by lantern light, our members' Halloween-themed events are sure to send a shiver down your spine.
Haunted history on social media
Use hashtags #hauntedhistory, #cthistory, and #spookyCT. Tag CLHO in your posts and we'll repost you! You can find us on Facebook at @CTLeague and on Twitter at @CTLHO. We'd love to see your event photos.
Member Events
Spooktober!
Westport Museum for History and Culture, Westport
Events all month long!
Experience the spookiest time of the year with a month-long exploration of strange and eerie history.
Family Creep Fest
Saturday, October 5, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Embrace your scary side with fun for the whole family, including a fortune teller, pumpkin decorating, and rides on the hay wagon. Costumes encouraged!
Washington Irving Reading of Sleepy Hollow
Wednesday, October 9, 6:30–7:30 p.m.
The ghostly apparition of Washington Irving, author of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, has been resurrected for a special reading of his frightful tale. Hear his famous story with light refreshments before discussing the piece and its impacts with Irving himself.
"Illuminating the Past" Lantern Tour
Saturday, October 12, 5:30–6:30 p.m.
Creep through Willowbrook Cemetery with your lantern and guide to discover Westport’s most notable departed residents. Costumes are encouraged!
Art from the Beyond Walking Tour
Saturday, October 19, 9:30–10:30 a.m.
Ever wondered why you shouldn’t walk on a grave? Or why there are so many skulls on tombstones? Learn what urns, willow trees and other artistic symbols on gravestones mean as you meander through the Greens Farms Lower Cemetery.
Westport Sanitarium Walking Tour
Sunday, October 20, 9:30–10:30 a.m.
A hospital known for its bucolic grounds and wholesome recreation, Westport Sanitarium catered to elite clients suffering from nervous and other disorders, and was the site of some unusual events over its multi-decade history.
Night at the Haunted Historical Society
Saturday, October 26, 6:00–10:00 p.m.
Play ghoulish games, purchase sinister souvenirs, and capture petrifying photos before taking a guided tour through the haunted house!
Complete event listing and registration: westporthistory.org/spooktober/
Tours of Essex's River View Cemetery
Essex Historical Society, Essex
Saturday, October 12, Starting at 4pm
Essex history comes alive during the Essex Board of Trade's Scarecrow FestiFALL. Trained, knowledgeable guides will lead tours of the cemetery’s oldest sections, tracing its history over three hundred years. Come hear stories of the cemetery’s ‘residents’ and enjoy its park-like setting, especially during this twilight tour starting at 4pm. The tour lasts about an hour over uneven, sloped, grassy terrain for about half a mile.
More info: www.essexhistory.org or (860) 767-0681
Halloween Family Night
Old New-Gate Prison & Copper Mine, Granby
Saturday October 12, 19, from 6-9pm
Old New-Gate Prison & Copper Mine is delighted to embrace the darker side of our history for Halloween. This year we are having a Halloween celebration featuring reenactors (reenacting the true and troubling stories of the site) as well as live music and a beer tasting.
More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/2412482978969988/
A Haunting at Mill Hill
Norwalk Historical Society, Norwalk
Friday, October 18 and Friday, October 25, Tours starting at 7:30pm and 9pm
Saturday, October 19, and Saturday, October 26, Tours starting at 6pm, 7:30pm, and 9pm
As the sun sets, the spirits come out to play... Take a lantern-lit tour through the old Mill Hill graveyard! Hear chilling tales based on real events from Norwalk’s hidden past at the Norwalk Historical Society's 9th annual, “A Haunting at Mill Hill”. Each tour is approximately one hour. Space is limited!
Purchase tickets online at MillHillHaunt.com or norwalkhistoricalsociety.org
Behind-the-Scenes Tour: CHS Gets Creepy
Connecticut Historical Society, Hartford
Saturday, October 19
History gets creepy with this spooky look behind the scenes. Tales of vampires, corpses on ice, and death portraits haunt the storage vaults of the CHS. Get ready for Halloween with this look at our most spine-chilling objects! You’ll visit storage and collection areas not normally open to the public, and learn how the CHS preserves the stories of Connecticut, with a focus on our creepiest tales and objects. Tours last approximately 1 hour and are appropriate for ages 12 and up. Space is limited, and pre-registration is required.
Questions? Call (860) 236-5621 x289 or email natalie_belanger@chs.org.
Scarecrows & Cocoa
Leffingwell House Museum, Norwich
Saturday, October 19, from 11am-4pm
What makes haunted history more spooky than an entire Scarecrow Garden? Start the day with a scavenger hunt in the Scarecrow Garden. Take a few moments to watch the craftsmanship of a blacksmith, Brian Dimmock and a chocolatier, Robert Lecce (and of course taste the results of the latter!). Make your very own corn husk doll with Ms. Jane. Then end the day with the tales from a wonderful storyteller, Morning Star.
All Hallows Eve: Cemetery Tours & Haunted Museum
Glebe House and Museum, Woodbury
Saturday, October 19, Tours starting at 5:30pm, Final tour starts at 8pm
Rain Date: October 26
This one night only event is sure to bring out the ghost, goblins and other scary creatures that go bump in the night, and is guaranteed to cause nightmares in even the bravest souls. Led by lantern light through a trail of luminaries, attendees will tour the ancient cemetery with their spirit guide visiting the final resting places of some of Woodbury’s notable and not-so notable residents.
Book your reservations early by calling 203-263-2855 or emailing office@glebehousemuseum.org.
More info: glebehousemuseum.org
Edgar Allan Poe Lives!
Hill-Stead Museum, Farmington
Tuesday, October 22 and Monday, October 28, Starting at 6pm
Revel in the written work of the dark genius who still inspires... this is a Poe like he has never been experienced. See the master of mystery and the macabre come to life inside the historic house after dark.
More info: www.hillstead.org
Annual Ghost Tours: Explore Mysterious Bridgeport!
The Barnum Museum
Thursday October 24, Friday, October 25, and Saturday, October 26, Starting at 7pm
Join The Barnum Museum for a fascinating—and slightly macabre—Wicked Walk lantern stroll of historic downtown Bridgeport, Connecticut, led by author-historian-lecturer Michael Bielawa. October provides the perfect time to visit scenes of suspected hauntings, Victorian-era murders, and unexplained phenomena. Remarkably, these mysteries and mysterious sites are centrally located and within easy walking distance. Join Mr. Bielawa for a one-hour tour, as he sheds light on some of New England’s strangest and eeriest tales!
Please call (203) 331-1104 ext. 100 during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, if you have any questions.
REGISTER to reserve your place!
Haunted History
Leffingwell House Museum, Norwich
Friday, October 25 and Saturday October 26 from 6pm-11:30pm
Have you ever wanted to go back in time? Join the Leffingwell house and two paranormal teams to travel back 344 years. Learn how to be a real life paranormal investigator. This event is for everyone 12 years old and up. Tarot readings will also be available.
Reservations: redlakenation24@gmail.com
Tarot reservations: crossingtheveilparanormal@gmail.com
Haunted River: Ghostly Tales & Valley Lore
Connecticut River Museum, Essex
Friday, October 25, Saturday October 26, and Sunday October 27, Starting at 6 pm
Want to learn more about Witch Trials, the XYZ Bandit, Madam Sherri and more. ALL NEW stories based on Connecticut River Valley Myths and Legends! So spooky this event is not appropriate for children under the age of 7.
Tickets at ctrivermuseum.org
Legends and Hauntings Tour
Fairfield Museum and History Center, Fairfield
Friday, October 25, from 6-7:30pm
Saturday, October 26, from 4-5:30pm
Get chilled to the bone listening to haunting legends, superstitions, and local folklore as night descends. Did body snatching happen in the cemetery? Are there ghosts in Sun Tavern? Did witches really live here? Find out tonight! Attendees are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes! Please register early, as this popular event does fill up quickly. Please bring a flashlight!
Halloween at Henry’s
Henry Whitfield State Museum, Guilford
Saturday, October 26, from 10am-4:30pm
Bring a flashlight and explore Connecticut's oldest house, and for the extra brave the basement which may have surprises for its future visitors. Admission includes crafting gravestones and gargoyles out of clay, displays on the Guilford Green graveyards and the Whitfield collection to the Salem witch trials, the origins of Halloween traditions in the Holidaze display, and of course CANDY!
More info: www.ctvisit.com/events/halloween-henrys
Halloween on the Green
Fairfield Museum and History Center, Fairfield
Sunday, October 27, from 12-4pm
Families are invited to come in costume to the Museum Commons behind the Fairfield Museum & History Center (370 Beach Road) on Sunday, October 27 at noon for a day of free, fantastic fun! This family event, presented by the Fairfield Museum and the Town of Fairfield, will feature trick-or-treating, giveaways, performances, music, food trucks, bounce houses, games, hayrides, crafts, activities and more! The beloved Costume Parade begins at 1:00pm! Elaborate Halloween displays will be set up in the historic buildings on the Museum Commons (Kids’ Cottage, Sun Tavern and Old Academy Schoolhouse) and the entire area will be transformed into an enchanting Halloween village.
Dearest of Spirits
Hill-Stead Museum, Farmington
Thursday, October 31, from 7-8pm
On Halloween night, by the flickering lamp- light of the hill-Stead drawing room, see interpretive artist Kandie Carle in a "first- person ghost" portrayal of Theodate Pope- Riddle! Guided by the true story of Theodate’s involvement in the world of psychical research, hear true encounters with those who preceded her to the afterlife.
Connecticut League of Museums |
