Unless this is your first visit to my strange and spooky world, you know that I have been obsessed with James Thurber for many, many years. It all began back in third grade when I first read The Night The Ghost Got In and asked myself “is this a true story? Was Thurber’s house really haunted?”
Fast forward almost 30 years and I found myself moving to Columbus, Ohio, where I finally got the chance to step inside Thurber House, where the events chronicled in The Night The Ghost Got In took place. To have the opportunity to stand in the same exact spot as James Thurber did when he had his ghostly encounter was nothing short of life-changing. Having read The Night The Ghost Got In so many times, standing at the top of those stairs truly felt like I had stepped through the looking glass.
What followed was dozens of overnight ghost investigations at Thurber House, spanning over 20 years, some of which was chronicled in my Central Ohio Legends & Lore (and spoiler alert; will be featured in my upcoming Ohio’s Historic Haunts II). The Ghosts Of Ohio even adopted Section 50 of Green Lawn Cemetery, where James Thurber is buried, and would often help with cemetery cleanups there. So I was incredibly honored and humbled when Thurber House asked me to participate in their Barbeque at Green Lawn Cemetery.
This special event will take place on Saturday, August 9th at Green Lawn Cemetery’s Grand Gazebo. There will be a picnic dinner from City Barbeque, live music, historian-led tours of the Thurber family gravesite, and special guests reading some of James Thurber’s most famous stories. And yes, I will be reading The Night The Ghost Got In, provided, of course, that I can see through all the tears of joy that will likely be filling my eyes.
For more information or to make your reservations, go here.
