The G Dog  | 10 Nov 2009 5:04 p.m. PST |
While in G'burg for Fall In, I stopped by one of the local ACW booksellers. Its at the Farnsworth House. I do this every year as I never know what cool thing I will find. This year, I walk into the store and find half the shelves are GONE. Place is the same size, but in place of shelves of books they've put in a "Victorian seance" room. The remaining ACW books are heavily discounted at 40% off. Whats the deal with the ghost walks and supernatural stuff? Saturday night its was like the streets were filled with groups wandering in the dark like bands of zombies. Is Gettysburg transforming its character from a town that sells its history to a town that sells an 'ethereal' experience? Can the two co-exist? |
| kyoteblue | 10 Nov 2009 5:52 p.m. PST |
Tap once for yes and twice for no… |
 John the OFM  | 10 Nov 2009 6:19 p.m. PST |
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| zoneofcontrol | 10 Nov 2009 6:30 p.m. PST |
My nephew graduated from Gettysburg College last spring. During his Freshman or Sophomore year he and his girlfriend worked for one of the Ghost Tour outfits. There were only a couple at that time. They really gained in popularity and there are now a whole batch of them in town. |
| aecurtis | 10 Nov 2009 6:54 p.m. PST |
"Me and Grant…" I blame it on the Rhode Islanders. |
| CPBelt | 10 Nov 2009 7:35 p.m. PST |
Well, it could be worse. They could have started selling potpourri. Now those shops are really scary! |
| John the OFM | 10 Nov 2009 7:36 p.m. PST |
I blame it on the Rhode Islanders.
HP Lovecraft? |
 Parzival | 10 Nov 2009 8:06 p.m. PST |
We have a local "Ghost Tour" in Franklin, TN. Of course, it celebrates local legends as well as slightly gruesome bits of local history (like the fact that hangings were conducted on the courthouse balcony), so every part of it truly is a history lesson. I think it's a great idea. (However, if someone is coming along and "making stuff up" that's not a part of local lore, I'm not in favor of that.) |
 20thmaine | 11 Nov 2009 6:47 a.m. PST |
Someone had to make up the local lore in the first place. How recent is too recent to count as local lore ? BTW – did I ever tell you about the paranormal experience I had on TMP the other day ? Well, it was a dark and stormy night and the broadband connection was coming and going seemingly at an external whim……
…… and I'm convinced it was the spirit of the headless TMPer !
Spooky, eh ? |
| Klebert L Hall | 11 Nov 2009 7:09 a.m. PST |
I blame it on the Rhode Islanders. Ah, they're just plumbers, running a scam. Confidence games are a Constitutional Right here in Rogues' Island, just ask the Talking Heads. Whats the deal with the ghost walks and supernatural stuff? They make more money than history. They don't teach it in school anymore, very few people (as a fraction of the total populace) take an interest in it, and in this specific case, the ACW is getting to be too far in the past to be a popular subject.
-Kle. |
| Dremel Man | 11 Nov 2009 7:10 a.m. PST |
It seems that anything remotely classified as Victorian (and Gettysburg has a fair share of old "Victorian" buildings…), attracts a whole bunch of ghost tour operators… Cape May, NJ (with the most Victorian-era buildings in the US), is flooded with ghost walks, tours, events… You can't walk into a shop without the ads and the ghost books… I blame the proliferation of "reality" shows and all the recent popular media that features so much super/para/ normal stuff…and classic horror is hot right now (Vampires and Werewolves anyone?) |
| Parzival | 11 Nov 2009 7:30 a.m. PST |
Someone had to make up the local lore in the first place. How recent is too recent to count as local lore ? Truly local lore is based on something— a murder, battle, local character, etc.. Yes, a bit of lore may be made up, or it may be the result of someone's imagination getting the best of them and then snowballing, but it has a natural development to it, as opposed to someone who comes in and makes up a ghost story out of whole cloth to sell tour tickets. So the rule of thumb for me is that the lore should extend back to within a few years of the supposed event/person the lore is based upon, and there should be local records (or at least local memory) of the lore. That's "cultural history" and has every right to be celebrated. If someone wants to spin new yarns, that's fine as long as that person makes it clear that he/she is just "making stuff up" to entertain people. |
| Greyalexis | 11 Nov 2009 10:27 a.m. PST |
Blame it on the cable TV on those haunted history shows. |
| Inkpaduta | 11 Nov 2009 10:38 a.m. PST |
It ties in with all this Vampire craze out there. What up with that? Tons of books, movies and TV shows about creatures that live by sucking human blood. "Oh but theu are sooo sexy!" Do not understand it. |
| Ditto Tango 2 1 | 13 Nov 2009 7:02 p.m. PST |
And it's all real too…
--
Tim |
