Weekend Round-up: Haunted Tour Review

My day got a little turned upside down yesterday, hence the review coming one day late. My apologies for that. But back to biz...

As you may recall, Hubs and I ventured down to Point State Park on Saturday afternoon. It was cold, gray and drizzling, which I felt was the perfect backdrop for a li'l haunted history tour. We bundled up, toted our umbrellas and readied ourselves to be spooked.

The hour-long tour was hosted by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. It told a condensed history of the Point, the point of land where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers intersect to form the Ohio River and where downtown Pitt is situated. Here's a visual reference for my non-Pitt readers:

via Google Images

The Point hosted four forts that played a role in American history: Fort Duquesne, which was occupied by the French, Forts Mercer and Pitt, occupied by the British, and a fourth (which is slipping my mind - anyone know??).

We were told stories of a young George Washington making his way to the French forts around Western Pennsylvania to inform them they had to leave or else, because the British were coming to take over. We heard about French and Indian War capture and torture stories. We learned about a curator in the 20th century who had finally had enough of tourists visiting the Fort Pitt site and subsequently took her life. We were also told of mysterious incidents and ghost sightings the modern day museum curators and staff have experienced. It seems that deep under what is now Point State Park lie the remains of some restless souls.

Despite the stories of torture, suicide and ghosts, the haunted tour was not so spooky. I never got that little chill and thrill typical of hearing a creepy story. That said, I still loved it! I enjoy history and it was quite fun for me to imagine the goings on between the French, British and the Native Americans. {Nerd alert: the movie The Last of the Mohicans is one of my favorite movies of all time; I admit that I was totally imagining the movie throughout the tour.} And bonus! The Fort Pitt Museum staff treated us to complimentary donuts, coffee and hot chocolate at the tour's conclusion. That alone earned them a friend :)

A good-lookin' warrior running through the field to save me from being scalped? Yes please.

Shout out to my fellow Pittsburghers - any other history tours, sites or museums I shouldn't miss??

Happy Halloween Eve!