We're not big trackers of paranormal activity, but we are fans of history, especially Jefferson City history.
Some of the new haunted and historical walking tours in Jefferson City focus on the odd and macabre. But if the overall tours impart some knowledge of history to area residents, we believe they have some merit.
Jeff City's Most Haunted History & Ghost Walking Tours are sponsored by the Jefferson City Paranormal Society.
The tours start and end near the Capitol and go about 1.25 miles around downtown.
As we recently reported, tours at 4 p.m. and earlier are history walks. They cover some of the well-known or unknown bits of Jefferson City chronology, mostly focusing on buildings and the town's development.
For instance, they teach how the Lohman Opera House building on High Street used to be a hog pen and Cole County sheriffs and their families lived in the county Jail and Sheriff's House - attached to the courthouse - until the 1970s.
The local Paranormal Society did extensive research into the history for its new haunted and historical walking tours, which began Sunday.
The tours after 4 p.m. get a little freaky. They focus on murders, strange deaths and mad stories the society has resurrected for the tour. Then there are the "extreme ghost tours" that go an hour longer and feature professional ghost-hunting gear.
The rest of this season's tour dates are Tuesday and Friday, and Nov. 5, 14 and 26.
Tickets for this season's tours are $10. The society plans to donate proceeds back to the community through charities.
If we can learn more about the history of Jefferson City, we're all in. Just don't expect us to bring our EMF meter, rigged radio to speak with spirits or other ghost-hunting gear.
News Tribune