East Hill Cemetery comes alive after dark just once a year! The Salem Museum welcomes the living back to the cemetery once again on October 1 and 2. Tour the historic graveyard and meet notable characters from Salem’s past. These walking tours are family-friendly, fun and informative, but not scary. You’ll learn…
- What the first European explorers found here
- General Andrew Lewis’ story from his wife’s point of view
- History of Preston Place, Salem’s oldest home
- Who fired the last artillery shot at Appomattox
- How a formerly enslaved person made a new life
- Stories of 20th century notables: Knox Martin, John Payne, and Alfreda Peel
Tours leave the Museum every 15 minutes from 6 to 8pm. Advanced tickets are recommended. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students, and free for children three and younger. Tickets are available at the Salem Museum or online at SalemMuseum.org. Ticket tip! The 6:15, 6:45, 7:15, and 7:45 tour times tend to be less crowded.
Masks are currently required for groups when inside the Museum, and recommended when standing near others outdoors. This year’s Ghost Walk will be entirely outside, concluding in the cemetery. Guests must stay with their groups to be escorted back across Main Street to the Museum’s parking lot. In case of rain, the event will be held inside the Museum and masks will be required at all times.
Good walking shoes are recommended: this is a walking tour of just over a half-mile. As the name “East Hill” implies, the route goes up and downhill, although the walk is not strenuous, and has a number of stops along the way. The Salem Museum is located at 801 E. Main St, Salem, VA. This year marks the Ghost Walk’s 23rd year. All proceeds benefit the Salem Museum.
The Ghost Walk is generously sponsored by Sherwood Memorial Park, BLANCO, Chick-fil-A (Salem), MKB REALTORS, RM Johnson & Sons Jewelers, and SERVPRO.
Tickets are available online: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ghost-walk-east-hill-cemetery-2021-tickets-169350876029
- Submitted by Frances Ferguson, Salem Museum Executive