Salem’s East Hill Cemetery comes alive after dark just once a year for the Salem Museum’s Ghost Walk! On October 3-5, the living are invited to tour the historic graveyard and meet notable characters from Salem’s past. These walking tours through the cemetery are family-friendly, fun and informative, and not scary.
The tour will introduce visitors to men and women buried in Salem who had great stories to tell of our region’s history. Learn of their heroism during the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and the invasion on D-Day, and in the fight for a woman’s right to vote. A new ghost this year is Eddie Joyce, Jr., remembered as the star quarterback of the 1971 Andrew Lewis football team. Guests will meet…
• Margie Brown (1864), a mischievous daughter
• Brigadier General Andrew Lewis (1776), Salem’s Revolutionary War hero
• Charles Johnston (1790), captured by Indians
• James Huff (1863), town jailer; jail optional
• Uh oh, underage boys caught in the pool hall (1907)
• Anna Whitner (1920), marched for women’s right to vote
• Jack Simms (1944) landed at Normandy on D-Day
• Carver School alumna with stories from Water Street (1955)
• Eddie Joyce, Jr. (1971), Andrew Lewis HS star quarterback
Walking tours will leave the Salem Museum every fifteen minutes between 6 and 8 PM. Tickets for the Ghost Walk are limited and expected to sell out again this year: $10 for adults, $5 for students of any age, and free for children three and younger. Tickets are available online or at the Salem Museum. 2019 marks the Ghost Walk’s 21st year and all proceeds benefit the Salem Museum.
Good walking shoes are recommended: this is a walking tour of just over a half-mile. As the name “East Hill” implies, the route goes up and downhill, although the walk is not strenuous, and has a number of stops along the way. There are curbs crossing Main Street and a short stretch that is a gravel path. In case of rain, the event will be held at the Salem Museum.
The 2019 Ghost Walk is dedicated to the memory of Willie Robertson, one of the Museum’s “ghosts” for many years, who now watches over from East Hill Cemetery among the many characters he portrayed.
More Information: Salem Museum