Post by Joanna on Oct 16, 2014 18:05:44 GMT -5
Historic White Hall chills with Ghost Walk
RICHMOND, Ky. – thrill seekers can visit the rumored haunted White Hall State Historic Site starting Thursday, October 16. The White Hall Historical Park is presenting Ghost Walk at White Hall where a spirit guide leads the audience through eight areas in and outside the mansion. Ghosts conjured up by spirit guides tell visitors about the history of Kentucky, the notorious Clay family and the amazing mansion. The family-friendly experience is described as having an “A Christmas Carol” feel.
Jeffrey Boord-Dill, assistant professor in the Department of English and Therater, is the director of the production and also worked as a tour guide in the old mansion for over 20 years. He said Ghost Walk is a recollection of events surrounding Cassius Clay and his family. “The actual words the Clays are saying in the show are taken from memoirs and letters displayed here at Whitehall,” Boord-Dill said. “The scenes actually take place in the rooms you see them in. We are giving them a voice again and you get to see what effect this family had on how this nation was formed.”
Boord-Dill said Ghost Walk is also inspired by years of people claiming the mansion is haunted. He said most of the employees who have worked in the house had experiences they couldn’t explain there. The most common “ghost activity” people reported is the sound of babies crying or children playing on the grounds. For Boord-Dill, he smelled perfume on several occasions. Around the time I first started working here, I walked into the master bedroom and was hit with this overwhelming smell of roses – like every funeral you have ever been to packed into a very small space,” Boord-Dill said. “It had no business being there and there was no explanation for it. Attar of Roses was a popular perfume in the 1860s. It could have possibly been Cassius’ first wife, Mary Jane or possibly the youngest daughter, who are usually seen as the caretakers of the house. They might be coming back to make sure everything is okay and in order.”
Boord-Dill said people would come up to him during the question and answer session while enjoying the refreshments and say they used to live in Richmond and came to see Ghost Walk every year. The avid Ghost Walk goers moved out of state and now they plan their trips back to Kentucky around the event because for them, it isn’t fall until they come to the event. “For them it’s an important part of the end of the year,” Boord-Dill said. “I mean, it’s a pretty high praise when people come from all over the country to see Ghost Walk. It doesn’t get better then that.”
Eastern Kentucky University Theater students play the roles of spirit guides and the Clay family. The admission is $10 per person and by reservation only. To reserve your tickets, call 1-859-623-9178. Ghost Walk is held October16 through 18, and October 24 and 25, from 7 to 9:30 p.m.
Source: Rebecca Wood, The Eastern Progress, October 15, 2014.
