The ghosts of Butler’s past
The ghost stories told by Bill May in downtown Butler every October are not meant to frighten and terrify, but instead to entertain and enlighten people about the city’s intriguing past.
May has facilitated the Butler Ghost Walk for 11 years. He started the Halloween tradition when he realized that he knew an increasing number of historical tales involving "spooky“ elements.
“The stories are full-length, all true stories of past happenings in Butler with a ghostly element connected to that history,” May said. “People think nothing ever happened here, and then they hear these stories and say, ‘Wow we never knew about this and how interesting Butler is.'”
May kicked off the ghost walks last Friday and holds the last walk of the season Oct. 29. Each event starts at dusk in Diamond Park, and ends there 90 minutes later. Thirteen stories unfold over the 10 stops on the downtown walking tour, with each tale related to a Butler locale.
May said he formulates the stories based on information he has gathered, and from stories that have been passed to him over the years, some from his family members.
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