Crisfield Ghost Walk to Feature 7 Victorian Houses

Ananias Crockett House - Crisfield
Ananias Crockett House

MARION STATION, MD – On Friday, August 23rd at 7:30 pm, author Mindie Burgoyne will lead a ghost walk through the City of Crisfield that will feature 7 Victorian houses in the historic area around Main Street and Somerset Avenue. The houses on Somerset Avenue include Marquis Manor, Cedarcroft, the McCready House and Gossamer. The Orrie Lee Tawes House and the Ananias Crockett Houses – both on Main Street will also be featured. Then the childhood home of Governor J. Millard Tawes and the home of seafood baron Richard Christie on Asbury Avenue are also included. Guests will not go inside but will stand outside where Burgoyne will give a brief history and tell about unexplained events that are associated with each house.

Some of the more interesting stories associated with these houses include a family that appeared to a visitor at Gossamer. A man, woman and two little girls appeared to a woman visiting the house on Somerset Avenue which was built by Doctor R. R. Norris, a prominent physician in Crisfield instrumental in building McCready Hospital and also a key player in locating the American Legion in Crisfield. Dr. Norris was married and had two daughters. Both the current and previous occupants of the house confirm that unexplained events have occasionally occurred there including voices of children coming from one of the bedrooms.

Another story is the spirit of a child that is attached to the home of Richard Christie who’s son died at an early age after a brief illness. Current occupants have heard footsteps and dealt with other occurrences. The Ananias Crockett House on Main Street had occupants who said that the family would hear the sound of a choir when it rained and that certain doors would never stay locked. The Orrie Lee Tawes house is known for having strange images show up in photographs taken of the house when it is unoccupied. One such photo was taken by a guest on one of Burgoyne’s tours. It shows an image of some sort of “being” standing next to her as she addresses the tour group in front of the Orrie Lee Tawes House. This photo is currently posted on the Haunted Eastern Shore Facebook Page.

The Crisfield Ghost Walk will also include the Corbin Library (the only library in America that also serves as a tomb) a wander through the Crisfield cemetery where Burgoyne will show guests a legendary haunted grave where a beer can once spun around in mid air when an irresponsible teenager tossed it onto the ground. It is in the cemetery that she will tell the story of the Captain Leonard Tawes – also known as the “Coasting Captain.” Captain Tawes’ grave is located in the cemetery.

Crisfield is one of about a dozen towns on the Eastern Shore included in the Chesapeake Ghost Walk series crafted by Burgoyne. The walk is about 1.8 miles and will take approximately 1.5 hours. There are other haunted properties outside the parameters of the walk that Burgoyne will talk about. Those are identified on a Crisfield Walk Google map along with the sites actually on the walk and the route the group will travel. People interested in registering can find out more information on the Chesapeake Ghost Walk’s website.