Urban Discoveries Baltimore

Ghost tourism is an odd, if not paranormal, phenomenon. The tales of the departed that we gobble up when hankering for a healthy shiver tend to be decidedly distant in time and circumstance from those we read about in the daily news. There’s pleasure in in being reminded of the great beyond, so long as it stays comfortably beyond. This intersection of personal loss with public fetish gives me the willies, but since the season is upon us. Here are a few of the places to include in your next homemade Mob Town ghost story:

1. The Westminster Church Burying Grounds in West Baltimore (500 W. Baltimore Street) accommodates the restless spirits of several prominent Baltimoreans, among them the recently re-interred Mr. Poe, though it’s difficult to conceive of any more unfinished business he’s been dying to complete with the help of the sensitive, still-breathing heroine of a young adult novel. More likely he’s already dreading his tricentennial celebration in 2109.

2. Fort McHenry (2400 E. Fort Street) isn’t just the most patriotic place in Baltimore, it’s also one of the grisliest. The site of at least one super-famous battle as well as countless mishaps of the sort that fail to raise eyebrows at any old military fortress/horrible dungeon. In particular, look out for spectral reminders of the fort’s stint as a wartime prison for Confederate soldiers. Say what you will about the boys in grey––they make much better ghosts than those prim, well-nourished Federals.

3. The USS Constellation in the Inner Harbor (Pier 1) has seen over two hundred years of service including several major wars––that is, if you count all three ships that have sailed under that name. At any rate, the newest model is on permanent display now to military historians and spook-hunters alike. Thanks to an ambiguous photograph printed in the Sun in 1955, the Constellation has gained an international reputation as a vessel of the otherworldly.

4. Finally, all of Fell’s Point, which is the oldest and therefore the most haunted neighborhood in Baltimore, can tickle your morbid prurience with the help of the Fells Point Ghost Tours. The same crew now also offers ectoplasmic tours of Mt. Vernon, for those of you not satisfied by one night of calculated squealing. Fridays and Saturdays at 7:00 p.m., departing from Max’s Sidebar (731 S. Broadway). Spookily enough, tickets are $13, and October is to ghost tours what 1:45 a.m. is to bars, so get drinking.

What’s your best best Baltimore ghost story?

Posted in: City Living, Fells Point, Mount VernonNo Comments