Officials hope ‘ghosts’ will bring tourists
Officials hope ‘ghosts’ will bring tourists

By Eileen Reece, Enterprise Correspondent, Taunton Daily Gazette, 8/15/2013, original
MIDDLEBORO — As part of their drive to increase tourism in Middleboro, selectmen may be looking to the supernatural to attract sightseers after learning that a ghost tour company is interested in coming to town.

Town Manager Charles J. Cristello told selectmen this week that he has been contacted by a ghost tour company “that has been running tours in Boston and Plymouth for close to 30 years and they have expressed an interest to do something similar in Middleboro.”

“It sounds like an interesting idea and I think it goes in line with our desire to bring people in town for tourism and cultural events,” said Cristello, who declined to name the company.

“I think we will be seeing a proposal in the not too distant future to do something along these lines,” Cristello told selectmen during their meeting Monday..

“I think it’s a great idea,” said the vice chairman of selectmen, Allin Frawley, who noted that he had paid to go on a ghost tour in Plymouth.

Middleboro’s town hall, long rumored to be haunted, has drawn attention from numerous paranormal groups over the last several years and they have reported evidence of paranormal activity through their heat sensitive equipment, recordings, photos and observations.

Selectmen voted during the meeting to have the town manager handle all requests from ghost hunters seeking to conduct investigations. Cristello said he receives “intermittent” requests to do investigations and prefer they go through his office.