‘Scranton After Dark’ walking tours reveal city’s haunted history Sept. 25-Oct. 30
From a press release:
The Lackawanna Historical Society’s “Scranton After Dark” haunted walking tours prove that truth is scarier than fiction.
Stroll around downtown Scranton as the society tells true tales of mayhem and mysterious happenings at some of your favorite places. Tours will be given on Friday evenings on Sept. 25, Oct. 2, Oct. 9, Oct. 16, Oct. 23, and Oct. 30. Each tour begins at 7 p.m. and will meet at the society’s headquarters, the Catlin House (232 Monroe Ave., Scranton); the walk will take about 90 minutes.
“Center Street, where the Casey Laundry Building is now, is near the site where the Imperial Underwear Factory was. There was a great fire there at one time. Because there wasn’t enough exits for people to get out, people died and jumped out the windows,” Lackawanna Historical Society Executive Director Mary Ann Moran-Savakinus said in a 2011 interview about “Scranton After Dark.”
“From there, we’ll go over to Lackawanna Avenue and talk about the Radisson [Hotel] and Lackawanna Station. When it was the train station, if they had to move bodies at any time, there was a morgue in the basement, so there could be [paranormal] activity there.”
Learn more about Scranton’s perfidious past on these guided walking tours, which are $15 per person. Advance tickets are required and can be purchased at lackawannahistory.org. Staying within COVID-19 guidelines, all tours will be limited to 16 people, and face masks will be required for all participants.
The society has also announced “Valley Quest,” an app-based competitive scavenger hunt open from Oct. 10 through Oct. 30. Players will take part in a “Scranton Safari” around the city’s downtown to find interesting, sometimes hidden, architectural details that represent animals and other whimsical creatures.
The registration fee is $10, and participants who complete the adventure and have the most correct answers will be entered in a drawing to win the grand prize of a “Basket of Family Fun,” including a variety of prizes for all ages to enjoy.
The society’s free summer walking tours of downtown Scranton began on July 11 and will end this Friday, Sept. 18 at 6 p.m.
For more information about these programs, contact the Lackawanna Historical Society at 570-344-3841 or email lackawannahistory@gmail.com.
Founded in 1886 as the Lackawanna Institute of History and Science, the Lackawanna Historical Society provides the community with a record of local history through its museum and library collections, exhibits, and programs. In 1942, from the bequest of George H. Catlin, the society established its permanent home at Catlin’s 1912 residence at 232 Monroe Avenue in Scranton.
In 1965, Lackawanna County designated the Lackawanna Historical Society as the official county historical society, and the society continues to serve the county as a center for local history resources. It receives funding from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, the Catlin Memorial Trust, Lackawanna County, and memberships.
Photo of Scranton Cultural Center by Rich Howells/NEPA Scene
