BY JODI POSPESCHIL
OF THE JOURNAL STAR
MACOMB - By delving into the pages of local history, a group of Macomb tour guides hopes to introduce residents of today to those of days gone by ... with sometimes spooky results.
Tim Weaver and his group of ghost tour guides are using the historic buildings of Macomb as the base for their fall exploration. Those who gather the courage to sign up and embark become part of the search process in hopes of conjuring spirits.
Ghost walks of the past have turned up unexplained sightings, many captured on camera, such as orbs, shadowy figures and people saying they were touched when no one else was there.
This year's tours began Friday and will continue every Friday and Saturday night through Oct. 27.
Weaver and his tour guides have researched the historical happenings at each local building they use; this year that includes the LaMoine Hotel, the basement of the former J.C. Penney building, the Bailey House and the McDonough County Courthouse.
"We do the basic local research of the buildings' history, and then we tell visitors about the stories we've heard about each location," Weaver said. "There is a lot of activity at the courthouse; we've seen actual figures."
Weaver's favorite part of leading the tours is making believers of those who started as skeptics.
One of this year's tour guides, Chad Frederick, said during a previous year's courthouse venture, a figure was spotted sitting on the judge's bench in a courtroom looking at tourgoers.
The ghost-hunting guides met upstairs at the LaMoine Hotel recently to scout out the best locations.
"Whatever happened in here was dark," Weaver said, entering one room with graffiti-covered walls. The former hotel's long hallways allow guests to wander in search of a presence.
"The spirits have a sense of humor," Weaver said. "They tend to mess with people in smaller groups."
But those taking the tours are more than observers, Weaver said.
"We don't just give the tours; we turn the public into investigators," Weaver said. "We tell the tales and turn people loose."
Weaver took over the ghost guiding business last fall from former resident Garret Moffett. Last year, 1,800 people took the local tour over its six-week schedule.
Guides bring along ghost-seeking equipment such as divining rods, infrared detectors and crystal pendulums.
"They detect disturbances in the electromagnetic field," Weaver said.
Cameras and flashlights also are an important part of the tours, and the guided are invited to bring along any equipment they wish.
"People have caught more with cameras than anything else," Weaver said. "Orbs and vortexes have been captured, and people catch shadows. It's so much better to have more proof than less."
Frederick said a woman on the tour during a previous year had a unique experience.
"We put the light on her skin, and it was rolling," he said. "I've never seen that before. She became hysterical and had to leave."
Frederick said his feelings about ghost hunting changed when he saw an apparition at the Bailey House on a tour.
"Before that it wasn't about if I believed or not, but from that point on it was a much different experience for me," Frederick said.
Erin Glasnovich and Matt Smith of Macomb became tour guides this year after taking the tour in years past.
Glasnovich said she has a "lifelong interest" in ghosts and spirit hunting.
"I've always been interested in paranormal presences," she said. "You're not just walking around with a flashlight, you get to go out and investigate."
Tours cost $13 per person, and those brave enough can gather beforehand at the Sullivan-Taylor Coffee House on the southeast edge of the Macomb square. Tours leave at 8 p.m. each Friday and Saturday.
Special scheduling can be made for tour groups of 25 people or more.
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