Local history with spirit: Haunted Tiffin Ghost Walks take participants on a trek through past

PHOTO SUBMITTED Haley Welter and Allison Johnson communicate through dowsing rods while Lisa Swickard (left) and Alan Streng watch. PHOTO SUBMITTED Ghost Walk staff members are (from left) Lisa Swickard, author and historian, Kerry Giebel, paranormal expert, and Lindsey Lawson, psychic medium. PHOTO SUBMITTED Examples of electromagnetic meters used during ghost walks to help make contact with spirits. PHOTO SUBMITTED Participants listen to instructions prior to a recent Haunted Tiffin Ghost Walk. History meets the paranormal in an unusual way in Tiffin during Haunted Tiffin Ghost Walks. "It's a great way for people to experience history in a very different way," said Lisa Swickard, one of the Haunted Tiffin team members. "We're paranormal investigators and researchers," Swickard said. "We have cleaned houses. We help them (spirits) find their way." The team has investigated buildings and private houses by appointment. But the main way for the public to participate is through ghost walks. In their third season, Swickard said the historical ghost walks are becoming known outside of Seneca County. Recent walks have included people from Bowling Green, Toledo, Columbus and Michigan. "And Fremont and smaller towns like Bradner," she said. "And all the surrounding areas. Mainly northwest and central Ohio. "It's a different kind of way to put Tiffin on the map," Swickard said. "It's something really unique." Swickard, historian, journalist and writer for 34 years, said the Tiffin team was the first in the area. She and local historian John Huss provide historical research for the tours. Another team member, Kerry Giebel, has been studying the paranormal for eight years, while Lindsey Lawson and Suzie Feasel have been experiencing psychic phenomena since they were ages 5 and younger. "That's the icing on the cake," Swickard said. "Lindsey's a psychic medium, and Suzie's a sensitive. It's very rare for a paranormal group to have psychics. "Suzie is the kid magnet," she said. "Kids are drawn to her." Swickard said this season's walks features two routes, with a third one to be added later this summer. The original tour, which includes the Fort Ball area and the former brothels near downtown, remain the most popular, she said. The route includes the area where the gazebo now stands on Frost Parkway next to the Sandusky River. From there, the route continues to buildings that historically housed brothels. New areas include Little Hedges Park and Court Street, along with other areas affected by the 1913 flood. Another route planned to start later this summer is called A Pair of Shoes and a Beer because it encompasses the former shoe factory near downtown, the former Mueller brewery where Tiffin Scenic Studios now is housed, and the Kuebler house down the street. "A pair of shoes — the shoe factory and Kuebler house — and a beer — the brewery. That was John Huss's idea," Swickard said. "This has been the hardest one I've ever researched. We're hoping to get it up and running next month (July)." During a recent research trip to the area of the new tour, Lawson said she saw a woman. She described the woman, whom Swickard said likely was Mary Hossler, a woman who died in the flood. "We experienced some interesting anomalies, such as a flash of light and a bang like a firework, in a car that wasn't even running," Giebel said. "I've never experienced that before to that extent." "Suzie saw kids out there," Swickard said. "East Davis Street was off-the-charts active (on her electromagnetic equipment)," Giebel said. "You don't always get that." Giebel said she thinks the spirits enjoy the communication. "We're telling their story," she said. Swickard said 16 people died in that area during the 1913 flood. "What was really interesting was when we got down to the Knechts," she said, referring to the home of three people who drowned in the flood. Lawson said she felt like she was experiencing a drowning. "When they started talking about one of the boys that drowned, we weren't sure how he drowned," Lawson said. "It was very painful. Very heavy … my lungs were heavy. It was like my lungs were being compressed … like I was drowning, in a sense." Lawson said she doesn't ask for historical details when she visits a place for the first time because she wants her mind to be free of expectations. "You think you might go in one direction in your mind," she said. "And then it takes a complete 180 when you get there. And, therefore, I didn't prepare myself for that (the drowning feeling)." Giebel said that happens in her paranormal portion of the team, also. "You never know what you're going to get from one time to the next," she said. "I just don't know what it is they're going to hit on." She uses equipment such as flashlights, recording devices and other electronics to document the presence of spirits. Lawson said each visit to the tour areas is different. "Different people will start to show up," she said. Swickard said she has seen an increase in numbers of spirits who take part in the programs. "They know we're coming and they're wanting to communicate," she said. Swickard said one interesting stop is the Julia Rumsey house. She was the first female doctor in the area. There's a bench near the house where she likes to sit, she said. "She kicked me off," Swickard said. "But she loves the teenagers." For people interested in the history tours without looking for "ghosts" or paranormal activity, Swickard said she and Huss are starting history tours this year called Epic Tiffin Excursions. Also new on the ghost walks this year are printed tickets containing the names of sponsors — mainly downtown businesses plus Molyet's Farm Market on the west side. "Every participant gets a ticket," Swickard said. Each sponsor is listed with the name of the business and tagline telling people what they do. For example, participants can get a free piece of chocolate at Simply Susan's. "It helps us and it helps other businesses in Tiffin," Swickard said. "People are starting to know what we do," she said. "It has come in leaps and bounds, and everybody has their own gifts." She said the team is respectful of the spirits contacted, and team members understand spirits are simply people who have died. "We're following the science of it," she said. Ghost tours continue Friday evenings through June, and Friday and Saturday evenings July through Oct. 31. Get updates on the Haunted Tiffin Ghost Walks Facebook page or at hauntedtiffin.com. Register for programs at hauntedtiffin@gmail.com. Registration is required unless otherwise noted, and each tour has a 25-person limit. The age limit is 13. "You want everybody to experience it," Swickard said. "If we get too many, it's hard for everybody to hear."