Terrifying tales wait around every corner.
Downtown Franklin, with its hundred-year-old buildings and preserved homes from the 1800s, is rich in history. Lurking around that history is the aura of the supernatural. Legends of haunted houses and mischievous spirits are common.
And a new initiative invites the community to take a leisurely stroll to learn all the ghostly secrets.
Franklin By Foot is a newly formed offering of walking tours around downtown. Created by Christina Fletcher, owner of Possibilities: Home Re-Imagined, the idea is to introduce people to the city’s stories — both the history and the mystery.
“Our town has become a destination, so I think this is just going to help that,” Fletcher said. “It’s going to give a whole new layer of activities people can do and look forward to and learn from, whether it’s someone who’s visiting here or someone who has lived here.”
The Haunted History Walk will be held in the evenings, guiding people to some of the most spook-tacular haunts such as the Willard and the Johnson County Museum of History.
A daytime version, the History Walk, brings people to important locations to hear about the events and people who have impacted Franklin over the years.
“It gets attention to our shop, since it starts here. But as we walk around town, I point out shops as we walk by them. So if I know a story about a shop, whether it’s a historical or a haunted story, I can tell it as we go by,” Fletcher said. “It helps bring attention to all of the businesses.”
Franklin By Foot materialized around an interest Fletcher and her family had discovered. When they would travel for vacation, they enjoyed doing historical walking tours to learn more about the places they were visiting.
Finding about the the unique backstories of these places — including the sordid and the haunted — was a fun way to spend a few hours.
“We talked about it, and though, wouldn’t that be cool to do here? It seems like every building down here is haunted, and we hear so many ghost stories,” Fletcher said.
Fletcher was looking for ways to expand the business of Possibilities as well as provide another attraction to bring people downtown. Her mentor suggested doing something like a haunted walking tour, and the idea was cemented in Fletcher’s mind.
At the same time, the deadline for applications for the Small Business Capacity-Building Grant program through the Franklin Chamber Foundation was approaching. The grant program, organized by the philanthropic arm of the Franklin Chamber of Commerce, can be used by small businesses for initiatives such as expanding physical space, online presence or marketing initiatives.
“We were going to submit it for upgraded displays in the shop, but that seemed kind of boring. So we switched to do the ghost walk,” Fletcher said.
In August, Possibilities was announced as one of 12 businesses to receive funding through the grant program.
To prepare, Fletcher has been poring over historical records at the Johnson County Museum of History and conducting one-on-one research with individuals who know some of the backstories of these historic and haunted structures.
“It’s really interesting — I never knew all of this history,” Fletcher said.
Tour stops feature both familiar and little-known landmarks throughout downtown. Fletcher has charted a course that takes people to historically relevant places such as the former train depot that now houses Hoosier Cupboard Candy, Snacks and Ice Cream, First Presbyterian Church and Main & Madison, which was formerly the county’s first hospital.
Stops at the Johnson County courthouse and the Historic Artcraft Theatre are included, along with dozens of others.
Of course, the line between historic and haunted places is often blurred, so many of the stops are featured on both tours, Fletcher said.
Even Possibilities, the start and finish of the tours, boasts some ghostly stories.
“Our basement is haunted,” Fletcher said. “There’s two sides — on one side, it has a dirt floor, it’s dark and dank and has all the old pharmacy stuff in it. You’d think that would be creepy, but it feels kind of cozy. The other side is clean and well-lit, except for this one area of brick rubble with a wheelchair in it. The wheelchair moves; it’ll be in different places when you go down there.”
But the ghost walk and history walk are just the start of Fletcher’s plans. The format is so easily adaptable that she envisions a wide range of tours for different interests.
She’s also planning an art walk to showcase public art installations around the downtown area, and during Franklin’s First Fridays, she’s planning a “Boos and Brews” tour — what she describes as a haunted bar crawl.
“It’s really taking off. People seem excited about it,” Fletcher said.
IF YOU GO
Franklin By Foot
What: A new series of guided walking tours taking people around to the historic and haunted places throughout downtown Franklin.
Options:
History Walk: Explore Franklin’s iconic landmarks, from the historic Johnson County Courthouse to the beautifully restored Artcraft Theatre. Learn about the events and people that shaped the town; 2 and 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, tour approximately 90 minutes; $25 adults, $15 kids 12 and under.
Haunted History Walk: A spine-tingling journey through Franklin’s most haunted sites. Hear tales of restless spirits, jilted lovers, and eerie happenings that will make you see the town in a whole new light; 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, tour approximately 90 minutes; $30 adults, $20 kids 12 and under.
Boos & Brews: A spooky and spirited experience pairs ghostly tales with stops at some of Franklin’s best local bars and pubs; 10 p.m. on Franklin First Fridays only; ages 21 and over only, $30, beverages available to purchase at stops.
Information and reservations: franklinbyfoot.com
