Lawrenceville's Ghost Tour

After learning about the Spirits of Hopewell Valley, I was pretty excited to learn more about Lawrenceville's history. The Lawrence Historical Society hosted their first ever bus tour last weekend. It was a sell out.

The event started and ended at the Brearley House on Princeton Pike -- a spooky enough looking place in the dark. 

We boarded our bus and stopped at several local places. We learned about a couple who was moved posthumously from Trenton to their final resting place in Lawrenceville. She joined our bus asking which one of us moved her.

She was creepy, and had an excellent speaking voice (especially for a dead lady). She stayed with us the entire time. Next up we went to the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville where we learned while the tombstones were moved during the construction of the parking lot, the bodies were not. 

We drove next door to the Lawrenceville School and learned about the headmaster who haunts the school. A similar stop took place at Rider University.

Our next hitch hikers were General Washington and Col. Hand -- familiar faces to anyone who attends reenactments in this area. They met us at Notre Dame, I mean the Shabakunk Creek. 

We double backed, pausing at a haunted house on Darrah, and at another one originally owned by the same family on Princeton Pike. 

I purposely kept the stories brief -- short enough to entice you to go on it next year for yourself, yet long enough to jog my memory about the event later.

It was a good first attempt. There were technical issues on the bus making it nearly impossible to hear the actors, especially if we wanted the fans to also run. There were timing issues that I suspect will be worked out in the future. Overall the event felt more like a dress rehearsal than the actual show.

I would suggest handing out a program listing the stops. Either before hand so people could anticipate the stops, or afterwards to refresh us with the names and dates. One of the volunteers said a similar event took place at a historic site with reenactors hanging out in each room telling their story. That would be great since it would allow for more interaction. It was too dark to appreciate where we stopped along the way. An image of the building and a storyteller in each room would be just as effective, perhaps even more so.

If it is repeated next year, while I would recommend it, I wouldn't attend it again.