A few weeks ago, I spent an evening at the historic Tabor House in Ellijay, Georgia with the Southern Girls Ghost Tours. It was a fun night, and unlike any other ghost tour I’ve done before, and I’ve done several.
Usually, ghost tours are guided tours around a town where a tour guide tells stories, adds some drama, and the visitors stand around and hope to see a ghost pop up in a window or an old hotel or something. I’ve yet to see any ghosts on any of those, and while I know they’re strictly for entertainment purposes, a teeny part of me hopes to see something. I just never have.
The Southern Girls Ghost Tour was different.
First, let’s chat about the house. The Tabor House carries plenty of history even without the ghostly encounters. Built in 1870, it’s the oldest home in downtown Ellijay. The Tabors were a prominent family, and their house now holds the Gilmer County Historical Society, kind of like the Castleberry Historical Society is the Castleberry family home.
Its rooms once saw community gatherings, political conversations, and the rhythm of everyday family life. That family history sits in the air, and if you listen closely, it feels like the past hasn’t entirely stepped aside.
Add in a few pieces of paranormal equipment and a group of curious ghost hunters, and suddenly, history didn’t feel so far away.
As I said, the tour wasn’t like others. The guides led us through the home, but they also gave us equipment to use, and I’m frustrated with myself for not being able to recall the names of some of the equipment, because I would love to be able to sound more experienced and genuine in this post and not have to research the stuff for my next Chantilly or Angela book!
They handed out spirit boxes, which scanned radio frequencies and allowed voices to break through. In the middle of all that static, we heard children, soldiers, family members from the home, and random ghosts speaking. Now, I’ll be honest, I am on the fence about ghosts. I want to believe, and sometimes, I do, but sometimes I don’t. Sometimes, I think they’re good spirits, and sometimes, I think we’re being bamboozled by evil spirits. As a Christian, I fight with my beliefs and my desire to want a connection with my loved ones who have passed.
The tour also used flashlights and bells which spirits turned on and off and rang when questions were asked. Not at all creepy. And that’s a lie. It was totally creepy.
I left the Tabor House thinking about the people who lived there and the possibility that some of them never really left. The voices through the static, the flickering lights, the ringing bell, they all layered into the night and made me wonder even more about the truth. Are ghosts real and if they are, do they come from some place good or some place evil? What do you think?
