Post by Graveyardbride on Oct 10, 2016 19:42:51 GMT -5
Elizabeth City Ghost Walk Weekend
ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – A schoolteacher whose life took two tragic turns – and ended in nightmarish death – will be one “apparition” haunting historic sites next weekend. During the Elizabeth City Ghost Walk Friday and Saturday, Tamsen Donner will describe her sufferings in what has become a well-known, real life horror story. Tamsen married a man from Camden in 1822 and may have lived her life in obscurity had not a plague ravaged her family. Her tale traces her life after the tragedy to an ill-fated journey through the Sierra Nevada mountains during a blizzard. “Our hunger drove us to a desperate act. It was decided we should draw lots: That one of us must die to feed the others,” she describes of her party’s desperation. Tamsen Donner’s tale is among the stories that will be told at eight historic locations during the 20th annual Elizabeth City Ghost Walk.
The Episcopal Cemetery will be the haunt for Nell Cropsey, whose murder in 1901 still draws speculation about who killed her. “I’ll never forget that day. My body was dragged from the river and laid out in a shed in our backyard,” reads the script written by Majorie Berry, one of the event's organizers. “Dr. Issac Fearing stripped me naked and cut me open, while the whole town looked on. My poor mother! It must have been terrible for her.”
The Ghost Walk tour stops at eight locations, four in downtown Elizabeth City and four others on Riverside Avenue. Ticket-holders can hop on a trolley that runs from place to place or walk to the sites.
Berry said the popular event that combines theater, history and home tour usually draws about 1,000 participants each year. “We have people from out of town that would not miss it; even boaters come to town especially for the Ghost Walk,” she added.
One of the stops, The Blades-Selig-Frost House at 1210 Riverside Avenue, easily looks the part for a Ghost Walk. The two-story Colonial Revival House, constructed in 1950, has a time-worn look where brick peeks through its original paint. Famous poet Robert Frost, no relation to the house’s namesake, will be the haunt there.
Other historic figures that will be appearing during the two-night event include: First-in-flight aviators James and Orville Wright; billiards legend Luther “Wimpy” Lassiter, The James Adams Floating Theatre, maritime slave Moses Grandy and fishing boat captain Israel Perry. All the historic figures either lived in or visited the Elizabeth City area at some point in their lives, explained Berry, who has written Ghost Walk scripts for 14 years. This year’s walk brings back “the best of the best” ghosts, she said.
Unlike ghost tours in other cities, docents will guide participants into the historic buildings and describe their pasts before the ghostly appearances. Participants can begin their tour at any of the locations and tickets are good for both days.
Elizabeth City Downtown Inc. will be serving an Italian dinner in the former Carolina Bar & Grill on Poindexter Street, near the Ghost Walk headquarters. The cost is $8. Food will be served from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Entertainment will be provided. Beer and wine are available for purchase.
The Ghost Walks will take place Friday and Saturday, October 13-14, from 5:30 until 9:30 p.m. There will be trolley pick-ups from 5:30 to 10 p.m. at eight different locations around town.
Cost is $12 ($10 with military ID) and tickets are available at The Center, Muddy Waters, Page after Page and Bryon’s Hot Dog Stand.
For additional information, contact jenljones6474@gmail.com
Source: Cindy Beamon, The Daily Advance, October 9, 2016. Updated August 6, 2017.