In 1993, The Living History Company began re-creating the real soldiers and civilians from the city's past with the stated goal of teaching history in a unique and memorable way. One of the most popular venues, The Phantoms of Fredericksburg, offers the history of a building and why it could be haunted. The walk took on a life of its own, and some nights walkers would experience eerie events: shoe laces coming untied, lights coming on, alarms unexpectedly going off, additional footsteps joining the group, or the odor of tobacco or sulphur. The most persistent odor was the overpowering strong smell of flowers that would follow the walkers-sometimes weaving in and out of the crowd. People asked Helen Marler for years to publish the narrative from this walk, but she initially declined, for fear that a printed version of the story would lose some of its magic. However, the ability to share photographs in a printed version was a clear advantage, and a wealth of pictures enhance the pages of this book. In some cases, a scanned photograph of a ghostly image has been clarified; however, the images have not been added to or altered in any way. Additionally, the printed version allows stories to be told in more depth and detail, and several places are discussed that are not included in the walk.
Helen Marler
2008, 5½x8½, paper, 170 pp.
ISBN: 9780788445767
101-M4576
