 "Photo: Osa Okundaye")
Galveston Historical Foundation's "Haunted Happenings Tour" will begin this weekend and will include a new haunted cemetery for visitors.
The tours will run through October and include "Ashton Villa's Are We Haunted? Tour," "Haunted Harbor Tours Aboard Seagull II" and "Haunted Cemetery Tours".
Ghostly legends of Galveston include cannibalistic Indians, military occupation, malaria, yellow fever, storms, prohibition-era gangsters and pirates. Galveston has become a nationally known hot spot for paranormal interest, with haunted mansions to harbors. With all of this activity, Galveston Historical Foundation Marketing and Public Relations Director Molly Dannenmaier said she expects a big turn out for the island.
"We get several thousand to each one of these tours over the course of October," Dannenmaier said. "So far, several hundred people have already bought tickets online for all of these tours."
The Ashton Villa site, which is said to be haunted by "Miss Bettie", the daughter of the first owner of the house, is considered to be one of the most haunted destinations in the United States. Dannenmaier said the Galveston Historical Foundation receives calls from ghost hunters wanting permission to check out the area.
The "Haunted Harbor Tours" takes guests aboard a 50-foot passenger boat said to be haunted by two sailors from World War II. Galveston Historical Foundation Heritage Programs Director Denise Alexander says each site reveals stories from the islands past.
"The markers in these cemeteries can tell stories that textbooks do not," Alexander said. "Each marker is a piece of Galveston and Texas history."
All proceeds from ticket sales go to helping out the Galveston Historical Foundation and some of their programs. Dannenmaier says the revenue generated will hopefully be more than $10,000, maybe even more with the new tour added.
"The money goes back into our education and preservation programs," Dannenmaier said.
While Dannenmaier said she has never experience any first-hand paranormal activity, she said she has heard her fair share of ghost stories. Galveston Historical Foundation Executive Director Dwayne Jones said "The Great Storm of 1900", which killed approximately 6,000 people, has left more than enough spirits on the island.
"Many, many people have lived and died by these waters, and perhaps some of the dead still reside here," Jones said. "Listen to the stories, and decide for yourself."
"Ashton Villa's Are We Haunted? Tour" will take place at 5 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. every Friday in October. "Haunted Harbor Tours Aboard Seagull II" will take place at 4:30 p.m. every Friday and Saturday in October, and at 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. October 30 and 31. "Haunted Cemetery Tours" will take place at 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. October 29, 30 and 31.
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