Bumps in the night: Downtown Aiken offers 'Haunted History Tours'
AIKEN — Tall tales and dark shadows are part of history buff Kent Cubbage's plans for the evenings of Oct. 29-31, with emphasis on creepy accounts from generations of Aiken's past.
Cubbage, a former biology professor at Aiken Technical College, leads " Haunted History Tours " downtown annually around Halloween, and this year's gatherings are all to begin at 6:30 p.m. on Pendleton Street, at the entrance to St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church 's graveyard.
The Oct. 29 and 30 walks were both booked to capacity as of Oct. 16, but space was still available for the Oct. 31 gathering.
Tours are on foot, on pavement, covering four blocks and lasting for about an hour and 20 minutes, with time for questions — five stops and 20 stories in all, Cubbage noted.
"I have rotated some stories out and a few stories in in the last year or two," he said. "The bones of the tour have stayed more or less the same, but in the interest of staying fresh and people who've been on the tour wanting to come again, I have altered the route a little bit in recent years, and I have a handful of fresh stories that someone who's been on the tour maybe 10 or 20 years ago maybe hasn't heard yet."
A historical marker on Laurens Street notes, "Aiken, chartered in 1835 and the county seat of Aiken County since its creation in 1871, was an early stop on the railroad line from Charleston to Hamburg. It was named for William Aiken (1779–1831), the first president of the S.C. Canal and Railroad Co. Aiken's mild climate and accessibility by rail soon made it a health resort for visitors hoping to escape the summer heat or seeking relief from tuberculosis and other lung ailments."
Reservations are recommended for Cubbage's tours, and prices are $20 for adults and $15 for anyone 16 or younger. For more information or to reserve a space, call 803-270-0773 or email kentcubbage@yahoo.com.
