Ghost tours haunt downtown Logan for second year
In the ominous dead of night, a trail of blue florescent lights winding through the heart of Logan and distant screams of a terrified audience mean one thing: the ghost tours are back.
The third annual Historic Downtown Logan Ghost Tours, run by the Logan Downtown Alliance, conducts private guided tours of the city’s most haunted sites for three weekends in October.
“Everything is different this year,” said Gary Saxton, executive director of the Logan Downtown Alliance. “There are new sites, the addition of an Edgar Allen Poe play and all of our ghost stories this year are about female ghosts.”
Saxton, who previously lived in Massachusetts, spoke of the Halloween festivities there, such as the commemoration of the Salem witch trials.
“I thought that would be a fun thing to do here in Logan for the Halloween season so it was just ideas that I got from Massachusetts that we implemented with the different ghosts here instead,” Saxton said.
Partnered with the alliance this year is the Cache Theater Company, kicking off each tour with a theatrical adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher.”
“I think visitors will just feel a creepy sensation that will really heighten their experience as they go through downtown and hear about actual ghosts,” said Jared Rounds, author and director of the play.
The play itself begins in a very intimate setting, allowing guests to feel as if they are literally a part of the Usher household. The adaptation of the famous poem follows the story of the Usher family and the strange events leading up to the tragic and frightening fallout of the family name.
“In our show, guests see the consequences of what happens when we let fear run our lives, and how it can ultimately destroy us,” Rounds said.
Dim lighting and sudden sound effects heighten the intensity of the 30-minute show – not to mention the piercing shrieks and frantic wailings of the actors.
“I would like to leave people with an eerie feeling that something may be lurking around the corner that they don’t suspect,” Rounds said. “I think it’s a great way to start the tours with something that gives off a really creepy vibe that will hopefully last for the rest of their experience.”
The remaining portion of the 100-minute tour consists of a mile walk along the Old Canal Trail. There, visitors listen to ghost stories told by 18 members of the Bridgerland Storytelling Guild. The stories stem from sites such as the old Logan mill, S.E. Needham Jewelers and the J.R. Edwards building.
Along the trail hangs an assortment of cobwebs mixed with the remains of skeletons and old corpses leading to the arrival of the Headless Horseman. While the event is considered family friendly, organizers discourage the attendance of small children who are easily frightened.
“We just don’t recommend it to people who do not like to get scared,” Saxton said.
Along with some spooky entertainment, the $9 entry fee also includes various refreshments beforehand as well as free parking just west of the Emporium.
“We provide all sorts of free coffee and hot chocolate, Johnny O’s doughnut holes and Bluebird chocolates,” Saxton said. “Everyone gets one of these flashlights for safety and when they’re walking around and you see a bunch of these flashlights, you know that the ghost tours are happening again. You keep them and they are good for the kids to have at Halloween.”
For Jeremy Miner, a senior in communication studies, the best feature of the tour was the privatized paranormal investigations led by members of Cache Valley Paranormal.
“My favorite part of the tour was not the tour itself per se but being with the ghost hunters, the real ones afterwards, in a place that was actually supposed to be haunted,” Miner said. “I’ve always liked ghosts and I wanted to see a little bit more because Logan has a lot of really cool things to offer and that is one of them.”
The hour-long exclusive tour gives up to 10 guests the chance to hunt in areas of abandoned buildings in downtown Logan using paranormal equipment. The investigations are free with the price of admission and sign-ups are available at the end of each regular tour.
The Logan Ghost Tours runs through October 17, 18, 24 and 25, with tours starting at 7, 8, and 9 p.m. Participants are encouraged to reserve a spot in advance at www.logandowntown.org.
“It’s sold out the last two years, and it will sell out this year,” Saxton said.
— alyssa.hawkins@aggiemail.usu.edu
Twitter: @_alyssahawkins