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Want scary? Walk among the dead in Olde New Castle, Delaware
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Visit the old graveyards in New Castle any time of year for a good scare
Sometimes the scariest Halloween experiences are those you create yourself. The psychological effect of imagined sounds and sights can be much more frightening than the artificial scares staged at "haunted" house attractions.
The Delaware Valley offers many historic areas that can be scary at any time of year. But at Halloween, they have a heightened potential to turn from charming to insidious--or is it all in your head?
Fort Delaware on Pea Patch Island once housed thousands of Civil War prisoners, many of whom died there from disease. An annual series of ghost tours, held by lantern-light, is truly one of the most frightening experiences possible. It’s not hard to imagine the ghosts of soldiers and prisoners in ragged uniforms walking along the thick reinforced walls, staring at you from the torch-lit moat, and calling out from the island’s swamps. Visit the fort website to see if you can still reserve space on a Candlelight Ghost Tour.
The Victorian-era Rockwood Mansion and Gardens is a lovingly preserved example of Gothic architecture, once the home of a wealthy family, its servants, and many cats and dogs. At a nighttime ghost tour of Rockwood, it’s quite easy to think you may have heard the rustle of a crinoline skirt or felt a ghostly feline brush against your leg. Visit the mansion website to find details about A Victorian Halloween as well as ongoing ghost tours held there.
But one of the best ways to find a good scare is to visit the historic area of New Castle, Delaware, at night. Walk along the brick and cobblestone streets. Admire the colonial-era houses and taverns. See the courthouse where so many early laws were signed and where American history was made.
Then be sure to walk to “The Green.” Dating back to 1655, this was where the early settlers held their weekly markets and fairs. It was also where the old jail and gallows once stood.
Then, if you dare, cross over to the graveyard at Immanuel Episcopal Church, where hundreds of graves stand, many dating back to the 1700s and 1800s. The worn tombstones are illuminated by the light of the moon. Walk among them, listening to the whisper of the leaves as they fall. Admire the ironwork of the heavy gates. Smell the peculiar odor of perpetual decay. And try not to imagine that you saw a shadow here or a movement there…. Visit the city’s website for information and maps.
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