FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 5, 2008
CONTACT: Molly Dannenmaier
Director of Marketing and Public Relations,
409-765-7834
molly.dannenmaier@galvestonhistory.org

“Are We Haunted?”
Special October Tours at Ashton Villa Highlight Legends and Ghost Stories of the Mansion

A serious house museum deals only in historical facts and artifacts, but for this season the staff of the only antebellum mansion on Broadway is happy to tell ghost stories.

Is Ashton Villa haunted by the spirit of “Miss Bettie,” the daughter of the house’s first owner, James Moreau Brown? Maybe. Maybe not. Since 1975, when GHF opened the restored mansion to the public, legends and ghost stories have attached themselves to Ashton Villa.

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Miss Bettie Brown, for example, is said to appear from time to time on the second floor landing in a long turquoise gown. Some have even heard the piano in the Gold Room played at night by unseen hands. Miss Bettie never learned to play the piano in life—she was an accomplished painter whose works are on display throughout the house—but her sister played both piano and violin.

Those who believe in Miss Bettie’s ghost are of two minds: should they let her be and keep quiet about her presence, or let visitors know that she is among them as they tour her house?

Skeptics and scoffers are also divided: should they avoid the topic as unprofessional and unhistorical, or explore the legends as an additional attraction to a house rich in documented incident and colorful corporeal characters?

Ashton Villa’s staff is agnostic on the question and in no way present the mansion as a haunted house. But during October they are glad to relate the legends to those interested, and to debunk them where evidence exists. Visitors are left to decide for themselves.

Special “Are We Haunted?” tours will be presented Saturday and Sunday only during the first two weekends in October, and everyday from October 18 through 31, 2008. Tours are hourly, beginning at noon. The last tour enters the house at 4 p.m. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for students. Galveston Historical Foundation members are admitted free.

Special after-hours tours will be held on Friday, October 31, 2008 at 6 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults and $12 for students. Space is limited. Call 409-762-3933 for reservations. Payment in advance for the special late night tours is required. Free unlimited admission to Ashton Villa, one of GHF’s membership benefits, does not apply to the after-hours tours on Halloween.

The 1859 Ashton Villa house museum and Heritage Visitors’ Center is located at 2328 Broadway. For more information, call Jami Durham at 409-762-2475.

“Are We Haunted,” is part of Galveston Historical Foundation’s “Historic Hauntings” offerings in October. GHF’s other haunted attractions include “Spirits of the Past,” a guided dusk tour of Galveston’s Broadway Cemetery in which a dozen re-enactors give graveside portrayals of notable famous and infamous Galvestonians interred there; “Halloween aboard Elissa,” a tour of nautical superstitions, haunted happenings, and tall tales from the ship’s ancient mariners; and “Haunted Harbor Excursions,” a one-hour narrated exploration of spooky corners and tragic sites in and around Galveston Harbor aboard GHF’s motorized passenger vessel Seagull II. Full descriptions of all GHF’s “Historic Hauntings” are available at www.galvestonhistory.org.