Ghost Walk 2016

Have you ever been on a ghost walk?

If not, why?

Far from being morbid, ghost walks or cemetery walks are a wonderful way to get to know the history of the area in which you live. When I lived in Flint, MI, one of my girlfriends and I did one and I do believe there is probably one in Rochester. Most cities or towns may have them and I was finally able to do my local village's ghost walk this weekend.

The Ghost Walk is in it's eighth year and it is performed by students at the local Albion High School. They did a phenomenal job! Each year they select about 15 individuals from the community and with the help of some local historians, research their personal history. Apparently, it various every year who they present and they give you a overall insight into the history of Albion, NY.

In 2000, the students at Albion High School collected monies to construct a monument
to celebrate the black pioneers of Orleans County.

No actual animal is buried under this monument.
It was constructed to remember the love and dedication
the dog had to his departed owner.

The students dress up and present the individual's history right at the gravesite. This year we learned about the first millionaire in Albion, the only person to be executed in the county itself and the man who started Citizen's Bank.. all of them buried with the remaining 18,000 individuals in our little local village.

The cemetery itself is on the historic register and dates back to 1843. A building on site was constructed with local Medina sandstone and we learned that this was shipped all over the world and can be found in the Brooklyn Bridge as well as Buckingham Palace!

The cemetery was designed as both a cemetery and a park and the Victorians used to come to the park and enjoy a picnic lunch. It is so hard to imagine going to a cemetery to each lunch with tombstones all around you, although people jog in this cemetery all the time.

The history was amazing and so interesting. The students were very reverent in their presentations and threw themselves into the performance. I will definitely plan to attend next year.

If you like history or are just interested in the town you live in, I highly recommend searching out your local historical society and find out if there is a ghost walk or cemetery walk in your town.. more than likely there is. I urge you to attend and discover your local history for yourself! It's absolutely fascinating!