Ghost tour at Prospect Cemetery in Brackenridge to unearth historical tales

Halloween and history will come together with an event that can give you not only a glimpse of local ghosts, but also a peek into the past.

The Historic Ghost Walk at Prospect Cemetery, Brackenridge, which will take place Thursday evening, will offer a hauntingly good time with guided tours, when guests can meet some of the cemetery's most interesting “residents.”

Among ghosts who will be portrayed are Ichabod Randolph, the first settler of Tarentum, and Henry Brackenridge, Tarentum founder, along with his wife, Caroline.

“It's very, very interesting,” says Cindy Homburg, executive director of the Tarentum History and Landmarks Foundation, who is organizing the event.

“You get to walk around the cemetery and meet all these different people, and you're learning the history of the area as you're doing this,” she says. “We have all different aspects of life, and they're all being portrayed as we walk around.”

That means that someone taking the tour will have the chance to meet everyone from historic figures like Brackenridge to ordinary people who met unusual ends. The ghosts may “materialize” from as far back as the late 1700s, like Randolph, or from more recent times.

No matter what time they're from, each will take a few minutes to share their story with the tour groups.

While their appearance won't be spooky, they will be in period dress to further bring the characters to life.

A fundraiser for the cemetery, the Allegheny-Kiski Heritage Museum and the Tarentum History and Landmarks Foundation, this is the event's second year.

Last year's walk was well-received, according to Homburg.

“People are still talking about it,” she says. “A year later, people are asking (if) we're going to do it again, so I think it's just great.”

Henry Brackenridge — or, rather, Wally Sommer, a volunteer who will portray Brackenridge's ghost — agrees, speculating that while the otherworldly aspect brought visitors in last year, it's the historical aspect that has them coming back this time around.

“A lot of people were looking to find out if there would be another one this year,” he says. “They said they learned maybe more that night than they did all through high school.”

Heritage Museum president Dolly Mistrik is pleased with the enthusiasm surrounding the tour. Mistrik loves to see people learning, she says, “even when they think they are just out to see ghosts.”

And, when they're done with the walk, participants can stop at the Heritage Museum in Tarentum for cookies and apple cider. But the museum will have more than just treats to offer.

“There will be docents stationed throughout the museum to assist visitors and answer any questions they might have,” Mistrik said.

“There's is no additional cost to stop at the museum, whether you tour the two-story building or just relax with refreshments.”

As for Brackenridge's spirit, Sommer won't rest until he has a chance to take the cemetery tour himself. Fortunately, being stationed at the walk's first stop, Brackenridge Circle, gives him the chance to do so. “Whenever I finish, I want to go on the last tour,” he says. “I want to hear all the other ghosts, too.”

Julie Martin is a freelance writer for Trib Total Media.