Old Sacramento’s annual Ghost Tour event educated locals about the city’s history and the spirits still haunting the streets since the early 2000s.

The tour is held by the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation, which represents not only the Sacramento History Museum, but also the public programs in the Old Sacramento Historic District.

Head of the Ghost Tour Janessa West, who also works for the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation, said she loves hosting the tour because she is a history buff.

“It’s a nice way to get people interested in their local history,” West said. “It’s not so dry. They don’t have to pick up a book, read it and worry about being quizzed on it later. It’s something they can have a little bit of fun with.”

Participants in the tours are guided throughout Old Sacramento learning tales about the ghosts who have passed.

All of the tales told during the tour are true stories about people who died from strange and mysterious ways, which gives each tale a haunting twist, West said.

Stories are told of historic figures such as American railroad engineer Theodore Judah, who died of Yellow Fever and prospector Samuel Harris Goldstein, the first Jewish man to be buried in California. According to the tour, these figures may still haunt the streets and buildings of Old Sacramento.

Stories of historic buildings like the River City Saloon, Pioneer Park and Eagle Theatre make participants imagine their eerie past.

Tamara Southern, who attended the Friday night tour with her family, said she was looking forward to the spookiness.

“I want to see a ghost and get scared,” Southern said. “I’m hoping this tour will be interesting and I can learn some new information about Sacramento.”

West said if tourists are not really familiar with local history, this is a good way to learn about the city in a fun and engaging way.

Randy Ward said he brought his grandchildren on the tour because he wanted to educate them about the city that they live in.

“I’ve been living in Sacramento for 28 years and I want to see exciting things and adventure during this tour,” Ward said. “I want to have a good time with my family and also have my grandkids learn interesting facts about the city.”

During the tour, participants do not just learn about ghosts, they learn about the beginnings of Sacramento, the Gold Rush and how Sacramento transformed from a temporary place to our state’s capital.

With a cast and crew of 25 to 35 people a night, the entire operation relies on volunteers. These volunteers from Living History can be actors throughout the tour or behind the scene helpers.

Terry and Ray Eargle have been members of Living History for 18 years and started doing ghost tours at the city cemetery. They have been doing tours in Old Sacramento for about 10 years. Ray Eargle plays Theodore Judah in the Ghost Tour, while Terry Eargle is a greeter welcoming the participants through the doors upon check-in for the tour.

“We saw an article in the newspaper that interested us about joining Living History,” Terry Eargle said. “If you like to act, love history and want to be involved in the community— those were all the reasons why we decided to join.”

The hour-long Ghost Tours, which are held for three weekends in the month of October, start at 6:30 p.m. and a new tour begins every half hour until 9 p.m. The last days to attend the tour are Oct. 25 and 26.

Sammie Moreno can be reached at [email protected]