(THE PICKET) – Although the region is still getting 80 degree days in late October, ungodly temperatures for anyone excited to break out their fall sweaters, the evenings have begun to give that crisp, chilly satisfaction that this season provides best. For nights like these, what better way is there to get into the October spirit than to throw on a coat, grab a flashlight, and take a ghost tour?
For the last five years, Mark Brugh and his wife, Julia, have conducted ghost tours in Sharpsburg, Maryland, a small town less than 10 minutes away from Shepherd University. In theory, the location should be perfect for ghost hunting: Sharpsburg is the home of Antietam Battlefield, the site of the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. Mark is a member of the Sharpsburg Historical Society and he and Julia wrote the book Civil War Ghosts of Sharpsburg, which was published last year. Sharpsburg, its history, and the legends that its townsfolk still recount to one another are clearly the couple’s passion.
The tour leads throughout downtown Sharpsburg and tour-goers are given the backgrounds of several notoriously haunted sites like the Jacob Rorhbach Inn, where the inn’s namesake was murdered in bed. The owners and visitors of the Jacob Rorhbach Inn allege that his feet can still be heard climbing a staircase that was torn out in a renovation decades ago.
In addition to touring the town’s haunted buildings, the Brugh’s tour takes participants through bone-chilling back alleys like Children’s Alley. According to town residents, two sisters linked arm-in-arm are often spotted taking a stroll, perhaps on their way to a class that they’re late for by more than 100 years.
Sharpsburg is a town rich with history and local folklore and the Brughs have the passion and knowledge to make these old stories truly come to life. The tour offers a perfect opportunity to get into the spooky spirit, so catch one before it’s too late. The Brughs offer tours through their company, Sharpsburg Tours, through the beginning of November.