Museum invites all to a night of Haunts and Histories on Main

KateLynn Slaamot
NLJ Reporter
 
With many historic buildings, Newcastle’s Main Street has a lot to offer for history buffs and others interested in days gone by. But, maybe something more sinister lies in the walls of our historic buildings. What secrets might these structures be hiding? 
On Thursday, Oct. 28, the Anna Miller Museum is hosting a Haunts and Histories tour. After meeting at the courthouse at 5 p.m., the tour will travel to different businesses in downtown Newcastle. At each stop, the business will tell the history of its building or spooky stories, according to Cindy Dysart, the museum’s director. 
The idea for the tour came when Dysart was brainstorming with Maggie Makousky, who works at the Red Onion Museum in Upton, as they tried to figure out what they wanted to do for the community in connection
with Halloween. 
“We’re just hoping to get people together for some community involvement,” Dysart said. 
Several businesses are planning to participate in the Haunts and Histories tour, including the News Letter Journal. 
Did you know the NLJ has a creepy closet?
Not only that, Braden Schiller, a college intern with the newspaper, claims that the building is haunted. He shared his story. 
Schiller said it was around 10 p.m. this past summer after a Warm Summer Nights event was over. 
“When I went into the NLJ to grab my bag, I immediately felt a chill pass through me, even though the actual room itself was warm. I walked to the bathroom and felt the whole time like someone was an inch behind me,” he said. “When I got to the bathroom door, I looked behind me and the front desk’s calculator was on and it was flickering numbers like crazy. I grabbed my stuff and sprinted out of there.” 
Is this chilling event the result of an overactive imagination, or is the NLJ really haunted?  
To find out more about the News Letter Journal and other main street businesses, come on out to the Haunts and Histories tour this Thursday, free of charge.