WATERVILLE, Ohio — Local history is combining with paranormal activity in Waterville.
For decades, the Waterville Historical Society has celebrated its community by opening up locations and sharing pictures and artifacts with visitors.
But after learning of stories of hauntings from the past, including from city founder John Pray, the society started looking for more.
"The more we talk to people who live and work in Waterville, we found out that there's actually a lot of active hauntings happening today," said Julia Wiley, the first vice president of the Waterville Historical Society.
And that launched Haunted Waterville Tours last year.
Guests get a chance to tour the Robbins House Museum with a medium, then spend the rest of the tour in a horse-drawn carriage visiting multiple other haunted buildings and learning their history from local storytellers.
"It's great for whole families, we've had whole neighborhoods come out together and do this," Wiley said. "Individuals and large groups do it, and everybody seems to be having a great time."
Those who took the tour last year might hear some familiar stories again this year. But, organizers wanted to make sure that they added a lot of new content for any returning visitors.
"To us, history isn't something on the page, a dry lecture," said society board member and haunted tour storyteller Jim Conrad. "These are people we're talking about, and everybody can relate to people."
While history is based on facts, paranormal activity comes more from personal beliefs. Learning more about the history of hauntings in Waterville has also helped the historical society learn more about their community as well.
"It's also steered me in directions and research otherwise I would not have done," Conrad said.
After the tours run this Saturday, the historical society will host four more Haunted Waterville nights from July through October.
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