Spirits of the Season

Ghost Tours Scare up Connections to the Past

Story by Katie Teems Norris

Allison Jornlin, depicted here in an illustration, researches and writes scripts for ghost tours.

For many, October isn’t complete without spine-tingling ghost stories, and chances are your hometown has a few of its own. Allison Jornlin, co-founder and tour developer with American Ghost Walks, conducts research and writes ghost tour scripts in towns across the United States. Allison is also a paranormal investigator and speaker, and she’s been featured on the CW Network’s “Mysteries Decoded.”

Ghost tours are immensely popular, and Allison says they can be found in almost every large city and even in many small towns across the country. “I think people have lost their connection with history and with their ancestors, and this is a way to reconnect,” she says.

Unlike haunted house attractions that have terrifying special effects, ghost tours offer authentic history in locations that give guests the chance to literally step into the paranormal. They allow people to connect to the haunted past through walking tours, bus/trolley tours, investigation-style tours, and even pub crawls. Some guests report experiencing paranormal phenomena, like feeling unexplained cold spots or photographing disembodied faces and shadowy figures.

Ghost tour guides are well-versed in local history and are usually gifted storytellers.

Allison pores through old newspapers and historical archives and interviews local people to give her tours as much local flavor as possible. “I’m looking for stories that are unique to the community that they come out of,” she says. While many stories across the country have common themes, Allison says, every place is a little bit different.

“You don’t have to believe in ghosts to enjoy the tour,” she says. Skeptics can have fun learning spooky stories. Tour guides often encourage guests to share their personal paranormal experiences to relate to 1 another. Ghost tours can’t guarantee guests will have an otherworldly encounter, but there is always a possibility.

A Houston ghost tour pauses in front of the Sam Houston Monument, the gateway to the city’s spooky Hermann Park.

If you’re ready to test your luck, consider joining these popular local tours, if you dare:

Considered the most haunted town in Texas, the Historic Jefferson Ghost Walk in Jefferson explores all the myths and legends.
Haunted ATX offers rolling ghost tours of Austin with public van tours and both private and public tours by hearse.
Learn about the ghosts that haunt the Houston Zoo, the hospital, and the museum district, as well as tours of historic Old Town Spring.

Fun Facts

Ghost tours can include exploring the paranormal by bus or trolley, as well as on foot.

Most ghost tours in the U.S. run year-round.
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, claims to have America’s oldest ghost tour. It began in 1970 and is still running. In 1973, historian Richard Crowe started Chicago’s first ghost tour. He told ghost stories on the radio around Halloween, which inspired Allison Jornlin and her brother to establish American Ghost Walks.
Many ghost stories have common themes. Allison notes the prevalence of stories about women who met unfortunate ends. Guides across the nation tell local stories of jilted lovers, forlorn widows, and vanishing hitchhikers.