Several years ago I talked my editors into letting me go to Gettysburg to cover a statewide paranormal conference. Topics ranged from visual images of ghosts to electronic voice manifestations to the existence of vampires. While there, I interviewed a self-proclaimed psychic and a man who said his dog could see ghosts.

We decided to drive out to Devil’s Den, a particularly haunted section of the historic battlefield, after nightfall – which, technically, isn’t legal – to see if either the psychic or the dog could pick up any trace of paranormal activity. I have to say there probably wasn’t a self-respecting ghost within six ZIP Codes of our vicinity. The psychic was disappointed. I think the dog went to sleep.

Anyway, one of the more interesting speakers at the conference was a DeSales University professor named Kathryn Ramsland, who has written several books about alleged vampires throughout America. Ramsland was an interesting interview and she has appeared on several television shows to talk about the vampire/goth cults in many of our major cities.

A shopper peruses the offerings at the Moravian Book Shop on Main Street in Bethlehem.

I mention this because I saw that she will be doing presentations this month at the Moravian Book Shop in Bethlehem to talk about real-life haunting in Bethlehem. The shop is also offering hour-long ghost tours of the old Moravian downtown,‘Tis the season.

Though I have never seen a ghost or anything that resembles a ghost, I admit to liking these types of lectures and the ghost tours that appear out of nowhere every year about this time. Even if you don’t see a Civil War soldier barreling across a battlefield or hear the voice of a long-dead Moravian soul wandering the streets of downtown Bethlehem, the tours offer great living (pardon the pun) history lessons.

My first real newspaper job was in New Hope, where ghosts are pretty much accepted as part of the population. The Logan Inn at the center of town is said to be particularly haunted and visitors have reported seeing a Revolutionary War soldier in the parking lot and the vision of a little girl in other parts of the inn.

A couple years ago I accompanied my son’s high school class to Philadelphia to take a ghost tour of the Old City neighborhood, which offered some great stories about Colonial America and the denizens of the neighborhood through the years.

A quick Google search will give you a listing ghost tours near your area. Check them out over the next few weeks then treat your friends with stories about the tricks pulled by those who are supposedly no longer with us.

If You Go: New Hope, Bethlehem, Easton, Philadelphia and other towns have ghost tours running throughout the month of October. Costs vary, but most are fairly inexpensive. Ask questions and start a conversation with your tour guide to get more out of the experience.

What To Know: Most tours take about 45 to 90 minutes, depending on the location. Wear sensible walking shoes and remember to watch your step. Some urban sidewalks are in poor condition and participants could easily slip or twist an ankle.

Facts:  The Moravian Book Shop is the oldest, continually operated independent book store in the United States. Philadelphia’s Washington Square, located behind Independence Hall, is said to be particularly haunted. It was once used as a potter’s field cemetery for the city’s indigent and poor, including slaves, in Colonial times