Ghost Tour
I can't believe this is the first Halloween post I've made this year, and it's October 20 already! Yeesh!
Tonight Geo and I went on a ghost tour of historic Warrenton. It started out at the old jail, which had some very interesting stories with it. We then walked around portion so the historic district, where our guide (dressed as a Confederate officer, of course), told us various stories of odd happenings associated with the buildings. Many were written up in somewhat vague terms, but others had very recent--like second hand--references.
But the most interesting story, I thought, was one that was not on the tour. In the kitchen of the old jail, the woman who was fixing the refreshments told us about a lady who came to tour the jail. The patron had a dog with her, and the jail worker (the lady fixing the refreshments tonight) said the patron could bring the dog in. The dog, very friendly and excited, showed great interest in the kitchen fireplace, then in the stairs leading up to what used to be living quarters for the jailer, then stopped again in front of the fireplace and looked up expectantly at his mistress. The patron told the jail worker that the dog was a young cadaver dog in training. She took that dog out and brought in an older, seasoned, no-nonsense cadaver dog, who did the same thing: showed extreme interest in the fireplace, scratched at the door leading to the living quarters, then stretched out in front of the fireplace.
As it turns out, the wife of one of the jailers burned to death in the kitchen when her dress caught fire from the fireplace as she was cooking for the prisoners--some 130-odd years ago.
All in all, a very entertaining evening.
Tonight Geo and I went on a ghost tour of historic Warrenton. It started out at the old jail, which had some very interesting stories with it. We then walked around portion so the historic district, where our guide (dressed as a Confederate officer, of course), told us various stories of odd happenings associated with the buildings. Many were written up in somewhat vague terms, but others had very recent--like second hand--references.
But the most interesting story, I thought, was one that was not on the tour. In the kitchen of the old jail, the woman who was fixing the refreshments told us about a lady who came to tour the jail. The patron had a dog with her, and the jail worker (the lady fixing the refreshments tonight) said the patron could bring the dog in. The dog, very friendly and excited, showed great interest in the kitchen fireplace, then in the stairs leading up to what used to be living quarters for the jailer, then stopped again in front of the fireplace and looked up expectantly at his mistress. The patron told the jail worker that the dog was a young cadaver dog in training. She took that dog out and brought in an older, seasoned, no-nonsense cadaver dog, who did the same thing: showed extreme interest in the fireplace, scratched at the door leading to the living quarters, then stretched out in front of the fireplace.
As it turns out, the wife of one of the jailers burned to death in the kitchen when her dress caught fire from the fireplace as she was cooking for the prisoners--some 130-odd years ago.
All in all, a very entertaining evening.