Ghost Walk travels Orange’s trail of tales

 

Last updated 10/25/2017 at Noon

Dave Rogers

For The Record

If you’re prone to seeing ghosts, look out for a big one at Saturday’s Orange Historic Ghost Walk.

Floto, the escaped circus elephant, is among the many historical figures that will be unearthed beginning at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28.

Beginning at the Heritage House Museum, 905 W. Division, groups of 10-15 people will be taken on a one-mile tour of historic sites and stops, each boasting its own story teller.

“Ghost walks are popular in the oldest cities now and Orange is one of the oldest cities in Texas. I don’t think we play that up enough,” declares Margaret Toal, a local writer and longtime member of the Orange County Historical Society.

“It’s a fun way to learn and we’re taken to sites where stuff really happened.”

Admission is $2 for children, $5 for adults and $10 for families.

Groups will leave the Heritage House Museum every few minutes, so arriving by 5:30 p.m. is not mandatory. Walkers should wear comfortable shoes. Water will be provided.

The event is a fundraiser for the Historical Society.

“We did our first one last year without much publicity, and we had a lot of people come,” Toal said. “But our goal is not to make a bunch of money but to educate people and have fun.”

The Heritage House Museum was actually the Jimmy Ochiltree Sims house on Front Street before it was moved and renovated in 1976.

Although water from Tropical Storm Harvey spared the house, it is currently closed to the public after two of its auxiliary buildings did suffer water damage.

“We walk to the courthouse and tell the story of how a Yankee cannon ended up in Orange,” Toal said. “We go by the [Riverfront] Pavilion.

“The riverfront is the heart of Orange with many stories to tell, about pirates, shootouts, hurricanes. We’ll tell some of those stories.”

 

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