Our Story
About Ghost Light Tours
Where theatre meets history -- and history refuses to stay buried.
Why "Ghost Light"?
In every theatre, when the audience has gone and the house lights dim, a single bare bulb on a tall stand is left burning center stage. It's called the ghost light.
The practical reason? Safety -- so no one walks off the edge of the stage in the dark. But the tradition is older than the reason. Theatre folk will tell you the ghost light is there to appease the spirits that inhabit every playhouse. Every theatre has a ghost. The light keeps them company.
We thought that was the perfect name for a ghost tour run by a theatre company. We leave a light on for those who came before us -- and we invite you to come meet them.
How It Started
From the Stage to the Streets
The Mount Vernon Players have been bringing live theatre to Knox County for over 60 years -- the oldest and longest-running volunteer-led community theatre in the county.
[Placeholder: Your wife's story goes here. How did the ghost tour idea come about? Was it a conversation at rehearsal? A love of local history? A desire to do something different with the troupe's talents? This is the human story that makes people connect with the tour before they've even booked.]
The Setting
Mount Vernon After Dark
Mount Vernon, Ohio was founded in 1805, and its downtown square has seen the best and worst of two centuries. Civil War soldiers marched through these streets. The Woodward Opera House -- the oldest authentic 19th-century theatre in the United States -- still stands at its heart.
Behind the storefronts and beneath the sidewalks, there are stories this town doesn't tell in the daylight. Our tour takes you to the places where history left a mark -- and where some say history still lingers.
Our Mission
History Deserves an Audience
Ghost Light Tours exists to bring Mount Vernon's past to life in a way that's entertaining, accessible, and true to the real stories of the people who lived here. We're not a haunted house. We're a walking theatre experience -- part history lesson, part ghost story, all Mount Vernon.