Harbour Grace museum’s Haunted Heritage Hike keeps drawing them in

By Olivia Bradbury / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Locals and visitors who attended the Conception Bay Museum’s Haunted Hike in Harbour Grace were treated to spooky, informative, and fun delights.

Twice a year— once during the summer and once around Halloween — the museum holds the Harbour Grace Haunted Heritage Hike. The hike is a tour around part of the town with a “deceased undertaker” acting as the guide. During the tour, the “spirits” of historical figures from Harbour Grace’s past make appearances.

The museum began holding the Haunted Heritage Hike about seven years ago as a fundraiser. Attendees pay at the gates: $10 per adult, $5 per child. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. The group was led last night by Art Rogers, an undertaker awoken from the dead. 

Rogers was a real Harbour Grace undertaker years ago, and was played by the museum’s past chairman and local author Pat Collins. The undertaker was angry at the hikers for disturbing him. 

“He rails against the people for waking him in the grave,” Collins said of the character. Collins very much enjoys playing the role. “I get into character,” he said. “I love it. I enjoy doing it. I get up in people’s faces somewhat and talk to them, especially the kids, and I enjoy doing that, right? It’s fun, it’s for the town, and it’s also a chance to teach them a bit of history.”

When Rogers sets off from the museum on his hikes, the spectators follow him, as he invokes spirits from old houses and sites in the town. 

“Those spirits are people who had some notoriety in the town. Some famous, some infamous,” explained Collins. 

A cast of actors play the noteworthy figures. The actors are equipped with microphones, and the performances have lighting. The settings also have had a lot of thought put into them. 

“We perform the roles in places that are creepy anyway,” Collins said, citing locations such as the back of churches, darkened lanes, and old buildings. “They lend themselves to ghosts and haunted places.”

Among the town’s historical figures who pop up during the hike is Bishop Enrico Carfagnini, an Italian clergyman who served as the Bishop of Harbour Grace from 1870 to 1880. He fell out of favour with the people of the town, who wrote to Rome to have him removed. The pope honoured their request, and Carfagnini cursed the people of the town. There is also Thomas Pike, a man who was falsely accused but found not guilty of the 1870 murder of teenager Elfreda Pike — her real murderer confessed 50 years later on his deathbed. Collins wrote about the case titled Murder at Mosquito Cove Harbour Grace: The Murder of Elfreda Pike, 1870. Elfreda is buried in the cemetery at Coughlan United Church in Harbour Grace, which was one of the stops on the hike. Other historical figures include scholar John Alexander Clance, who came to Harbour Grace under what people suspect were suspicious circumstances — his character is concerned about a painting of his being moved from the courthouse to the museum in his absence. The famous pirate Peter Easton also makes an appearance, trying to recruit people into his service. The hikers get a kick out of the dialogues between the spirits and the undertaker.

According to Collins, the Haunted Heritage Hike is very accessible. It takes place mostly on the road and covers a one-block area. It will also proceed at a relaxed pace. “It’s a slow walk, it’s not a powerwalk through the town,” said Collins. “It’s a slow, easy walk where people can talk between roles, between scenes. They can talk and chat and have fun then. When the scenes starts, we quiet everybody down, and the role starts.” The mics help hikers better hear the actors, who try to find elevated spots to perform. Collins said there is plenty of security with flashlights, cars with flashing lights, and closed roads.

A lot of work goes into the Haunted Heritage Hike: acting, lighting, costumes, practice, and more. 

“It’s a lot of coordination,” said Collins, “a lot of work, on behalf of our team behind the scenes —the museum team and the volunteers.” 

The hike often draws between 200 and 300 people. Collins and the cast are already looking forward to the next installment this fall.