PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Do you suffer from triskaidekaphobia (fear of the number 13)? Face those fears with a guided walking tour of historic Fairmount Cemetery given by Presque Isle Historical Society.
The final cemetery tour of the season will start at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13, at the cemetery’s Civil War monument. The 2-hour tour will cover the Victorian influences in this beautiful garden cemetery, established in 1864, as well as the contributions to our community by some of the upstanding citizens interred within.
Comfortable shoes are a must as there are quite a few hills. Contact the society by email at pihistoricalsociety@hotmail.com or by phone at 762-1151 to make your reservation. Parking is available across the street at the Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce.
If you like to learn about unusual local history, join Presque Isle Historical Society for the Haunted Hearse tours given monthly through October. On Thursday, Sept. 26, the one-hour tour will begin at 7 p.m. from the Historic Fire Station at 11 Church Street. This tour recounts the findings of the Maine Paranormal Investigative Team in their two visits in 2018. Contact the society for reservations.
In addition, the society is starting to “scare” up volunteers for its 9th annual Haunted Lantern Tours. These “slightly scary, kinda’ creepy” true tales of Presque Isle visit 13 sites (well, of course, it is Halloween time!) around downtown. The tours will take place on Friday, Oct. 18, and Saturday, Oct. 19, with lantern-lit walking tours at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. and trolley tours at 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. each night.
About 28 volunteers are needed from tour guides (not a speaking part) to historical re-enactors. The 13 re-enactors each have a short script of about a paragraph to learn in advance and recite to tour-goers. Volunteers of all ages from early teens to adults are welcome. Community service hours are available for high school students. Volunteers must be available both nights.
Contact the society for more information.
