Haunted Lunenburg shares town’s spookier history
For those looking to hear a few ghostly tales, all while getting a bit of exercise, then Liz Powers and her team have the perfect event.
Part of the Lunenburg Walking Tours, Haunted Lunenburg is a tour that focuses on the town’s spookier history with tales of the aforementioned ghosts, as well other supernatural elements like witches, and even the odd murder or two.
“It’s great fun,” says Powers, owner of Lunenburg Walking Tours. “We meet downtown, in the middle of Old Town Lunenburg, in front of an old historic Inn on King Street. Our lanterns are waiting there for our guests for the start of their haunted adventure, and we begin the tour with a bit of a foundation and background.”
This background includes why Lunenburg is considered one of the most haunted towns in Nova Scotia. Part of it, says Powers, connects to Lunenburg’s earliest settlers, who brought with them their superstitions and supernatural beliefs. After that introduction, tour participants are then guided through the town to Hillcrest Cemetery where the tour ends.
“It’s not hard to imagine there’s not a single home in Old Town that doesn’t have some sort of story to tell. Now, we can’t tell them all or we’d keep our guests past
midnight,” she says.
As for her favourite stories, Powers has a few but can’t give away too many details.
“I think one of the more fascinating stories is that of a murder trial and hanging that took place here in 1873. It’s the story of a man accused of murdering his wife while they were out berry picking — the
classic tale of two going into the woods and only one coming out,” she says.
Another also ends in tragedy — but a different type.
“One we tell is the heartfelt story of young Sophia Mclaughlin, who they say died of a broken heart, falsely accused,” says Powers. “She was accused of taking money from a local dressmaker, her employer, Mrs. Trask. That’s a story that is quite well known in the area and there is a special grave site, a particular headstone, that was put in place in memory of Sophia, so we visit that spot at Hillcrest Cemetery.”
They also try to make the tour as accessible as possible, despite it being a walking tour.
“We’ve had several guests join us this summer in wheelchairs and with walkers and we’ve adjusted our tour route slightly to accommodate those with mobility issues,” she says. “It gets a wee bit trickier once we get to the cemetery; however, we adjust that a little bit, but for the most part, visitors in wheelchairs have had no issues coming on the tour, especially if they have someone to accompany them.”
As it inches closer to Halloween, and because she says here is no shortage of stories in the town, tour guides might add in another tale or two.
“There is no shortage of stories,” says Powers.
The last tour of the season is on Oct. 30. For more information, including any weather-related updates, visit lunenburgwalkingtours.com.