Mendenhall Homeplace to share 'Tales of the Macabre'

Oct. 18—JAMESTOWN — Mendenhall Homeplace, where spooky sightings of Minerva Mendenhall's ghost have been spoken of for decades, may be even more macabre than you think.

You can find out for yourself this weekend, when the historic homeplace hosts "True Tales of the Macabre: An After-Dark Tour of Mendenhall Homeplace." Tours will be offered Friday and Saturday evenings, from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

"We hear all these ghost stories about Lydia's Bridge here in Jamestown," said Shawn Rogers, director of Mendenhall Homeplace. "Well, there are some interesting things that have happened here and are documented and of interest, both historically and from the scary side of things. We thought it would be a great idea to share these stories."

Rogers promised that Minerva would be prominently featured during the tours — and she may even make an appearance.

"She lived here longer than anyone, and she's the one people claim to see and hear walking around," he said.

Minerva, who lived in the house at Mendenhall Homeplace until her death in 1900, has been spotted on different occasions and in different sites at the homeplace. One woman claimed to have seen Minerva, attired in Quaker dress and bonnet, walk right through a barn door without bothering to open it. A little girl said she saw Minerva in the kitchen, where Minerva told her, "Get out of my house."

Other stories to be featured during the tours will focus on the Dr. Madison Lindsay Medical School and the 19th-century Madison Lindsay House, which now stands on the homeplace property.

"Some of the stories have to do with the not-so-legal activities of medical students and their endeavors to acquire specimens," Rogers explained. "There may have been some grave robbery involved. We even have an artifact that may be associated with that — a coffin lid that was found under the Lindsay Medical School. We'll have that on display."

There are plenty more stories to tell, but Rogers doesn't want to give everything away.

"They'll just have to come to the tour to hear the rest of the stories," he said.

This is the second year for "True Tales of the Macabre." Last year's event was only one night, but it was so popular that it was expanded to two nights this year.

"We were overwhelmed last year, so we're doing two nights," Rogers said. "Each year we hope to build on it, with more decorations and more props."

The group tours will run consecutively throughout the 2 1/2 hours each night, and each tour will last approximately 35-40 minutes.

Admission is $15 apiece, payable at the door. All proceeds will benefit the Historic Jamestown Society.

jtomlin@hpenews.com — 336-888-3579