Riverdale Park Historic Ghost Tour Makes it's Debut

The Historical Association of Riverdale Park (HARP) will be hosting the town's first ever History and Ghost Tour next week just in time for Halloween.  Local residents and others can take an hour-long tour of the town's local haunts and historic landmarks, while HARP members regal them with ghost stories, local history, and tales of unexplained energy.

Participants will begin the tour in Riverdale Park's Town Center with a demonstration to get them ready for the unexpected possibilities they may encounter.

"When Riverdale Park first began, it was before television, so there would be lots of talks and demonstrations," explains HARP President Melissa Avery, "so we are hearkening back to that time in the beginning of the tour." 

The tour will cover about four blocks and take a little more than an hour, and include sites such as the Riversdale Mansion, area homes, and the town railroad tracks. The tour will finish up back in the Town Center parking lot. Seating will be available at the various locations for those who are in need.

While the tour is a ghost tour, Avery specifies that it's not a gory, slasher tour.

"It's more about the romantic history of the town," she says. 

This tour is actually the first in a series of four tours; HARP will be hosting three more tours of Riverdale Park, one in each the winter, spring, and early summer, that will each highlight different aspects of the town's history.

Riverdale Park's History and Ghost Tour will be taking place on Friday, October 28 at 6:30 p.m.; Saturday October 29 at 5:00 p.m.; Sunday, October 30 at 5:00 p.m.; and Monday, October 31 at 6:30 p.m.

Participants should meet in the Town Center a prior to the beginning of the tour, and are encouraged to bring flashlights and cameras. A $5 donation is requested and all proceeds go to support HARP.