BRISTOL — Bristol resident Elissa Cobb wants to hear a few good spooky stories about her hometown in the next few weeks, and hopes her fellow townsfolk can provide them.
Cobb, in partnership with the Bristol Historical Society, is collecting local ghost stories for a townwide Ghost Walk she is helping to organize for next month. Currently slated for Tuesday, Oct. 23, the week before Halloween, the Ghost Walk is an opportunity for kids and community members to learn about Bristol’s historic buildings in a whole new way.
At dusk that evening, guides will lead small groups through the town, passing the sites where people have reported ghost stories and reciting the stories at each place. Warm beverages will be served, and all proceeds from the event will benefit the Bristol Historical Society.
Attendees and guides alike are welcome to dress with the spirit of Halloween in mind.
“One can certainly expect a degree of theatrics,” Cobb hinted.
Cobb had the idea for the event a couple of years ago while visiting the island of Nantucket.
“One evening my husband and I went on a guided Ghost Walk around the island,” Cobb remembered. “We just had such a good time. We learned a lot about the island that we would have missed otherwise.”
Since then, Cobb has wanted to bring that experience to her own town — she believes exploring the town through ghost stories will give the community a fun way to get a sense of the town’s history and place.
“Community is about taking the time to get together and share stories about lives, experiences, and common interests,” Cobb said. “I think the Ghost Walk fits into that picture.”
Cobb said she has experienced her share of eerie occurrences while living in the Bristol area, including “a spirit passing through a live body, a man regularly appearing in the room of a young girl, and compact disk moving across a room without the help of human hands.” She has heard other tales from fellow Bristol residents, and expects that there are many more out there.
The public is invited to contact her with any contributions; she may be reached at (802) 453-2742 or [email protected].
Reporter Xian Chiang-Waren is at [email protected]