ASHTABULA – A haunting they will go!
Eerie Harbor Ghost Walk has started its ninth spooky year.
Tours start on Friday, June 5. They take place from 6:30-8 p.m.
“I like Fridays,” Christine Martello, the professional storyteller who conducts the tours, said. “If the weather gets stormy, we can always have the option to move it to Saturday.”
Other dates for the tours in June are the 12th, 19th, and 26th. Look for updates posted on Facebook.
If you miss those dates, there will be more opportunities.
“We will be offering tours most weeks up to the end of October,” Martello said.
The focus is on history, particularly the 1800s – with a haunted twist, of course.
“I will be adding some bits about the women of the Harbor,” Martello said. “It has always been such a man’s town; however, there were some interesting gals for sure!”
One of the female “ghosts of the past” that Martello said she discusses on her tour is Ellen Seames.
According to Martello, she was the owner of the Leeward Lounge in the 1980s and ‘90s.
She said a girl who worked in a previous business there has reportedly seen a “ghost” there.
Martello said the lounge was “part of the hidden social fabric of the Harbor.”
“A rare space, everyone knew who belonged,” she said. “It was probably the reason my parents told me not to go there. Ellen was involved in charity work and an AIDS/HIV advocate. I learned that she fell on hard times and started writing books about the people that would frequent her business. I’d like to get my hands on them and read their stories.”
According to Martello, groups of eight or more can schedule a private tour at a date that works best.
People can reserve by texting or calling her at 440-228-8458. The price remains $20 per person, youth $10.
Martello and those going on the tour meet at the Harbor Perk on Bridge Street in Ashtabula Harbor.
