A friend once told me, “If we knew how many people are around us all the time we’d never be lonely.” Of course he was talking about spirit beings, and frankly, I’m convinced he’s right.
I always thought it would be my Grandma Dortha who would be hanging with me, emitting the aroma of chocolate chip cookies or whispering, “Lisa, you worry me.” But the entity vying for my attention doesn’t appear to be her.
For the past 6 months my paranormal friends tell me it’s a guy named George. Being a historian/writer, I’m rather convinced it could be Judge George Seney, one of Tiffin’s most respected politicians whose personal life was wrought with a boatload of scandal, controversy and betrayal. Even in death the man still seems to be the center of a supernatural cat fight between his ex wife and the woman he eventually married. That’s a spirit after my heart.
George has been desperately trying to get a message to me, according to Haunted Tiffin Ghost Walk team members Lindsey Cook and Suzie Feasel. He’s lamented the fact that he’s frustrated because I can’t hear him. Suzie says it pertains to something I’ve written or that I’m working on. George has dredged up cold cases, and at one point when Kerry Giebel and I left a digital recorder run in her living room, a man’s voice distinctly was heard saying, “Lisa, did you get my messages?”
I suspect that may be George. The Seney house — the beautiful mansion at Clay Street and Frost Parkway, built for George’s second wife — is a predominant stop on the Haunted 1913 Flood Walk. The paranormal activity we pick up never disappoints.
There, Anna Walker Seney (the second wife) patiently waits on the front porch. She doesn’t come off, we believe, because the first Mrs. Seney won’t let her. Lindsey and Suzie have seen the first Mrs. Seney standing in the front yard and needless to say, she is pissed. Rightfully so. She is the quintessential embodiment of a woman scorned.
The Haunted Tiffin Ghost Walks are a rare mix of unusual history meeting the paranormal. It's a different experience every time where the ghostly activity is concerned. As paranormal specialist Kerry says, we are on the spirits’ time. The unique history brings to life the people who shaped the town — people who otherwise might have fallen into an eternal obscurity.
One route takes visitors from the city’s first community cemetery to the site of the former residence of Dr. Julia Rumsey, Tiffin’s first female physician who was killed in a shipwreck on Lake Huron in 1865. Another visits the original 1812 Fort, the home of a ketchup bottle murderer and of course, the wildly popular brothels.
Then there’s the 1913 Flood Walk … and the Seney house.
It may take me awhile to find out who George is, particularly since he has yet to reveal his name. But trying to figure out his messages continues to be an interesting journey. Maybe we’ll get some insight on one of the Haunted Walks.
Of course, walk participants have nothing to fear. It's not creepy or overly scary. The spirits we encounter do not have evil intentions, nor have they followed anyone. We take this seriously, and use every precaution to ensure everyone has a great time.
Throughout the rest of June, the Haunted Tiffin Ghost Walks will be discounted to $15 per person. If you want to ensure a space on the Friday walks, please register at hauntedtiffin.com. You can choose a particular route by clicking “DATES” on the website. Those registered are guaranteed a spot. If you’d rather take your chances, just come on out. This week’s Little Hedges Walk will meet at 8:45 p.m. in the parking lot across from Calvert High School on Madison Street.
Be prepared for a great time where history meets the paranormal!