‘Scranton After Dark’ walking tours reveal city’s haunted history and paranormal activities Sept. 17-Oct. 29

From a press release:

The Lackawanna Historical Society’s “Scranton After Dark” haunted walking tours prove that truth is scarier than fiction.

Stroll around downtown Scranton as the society tells true tales of mayhem and mysterious happenings at some of your favorite places, as well as findings from past paranormal investigations. Tours will be given on Friday evenings on Sept. 17, Sept. 24, Oct. 1, Oct. 8, Oct. 15, Oct. 22, and Oct. 29. Each tour begins at 7 p.m. and will meet at the society’s headquarters, the Catlin House (232 Monroe Ave., Scranton); the walk will take about 90 minutes.

“Center Street, where the Casey Laundry Building is now, is near the site where the Imperial Underwear Factory was. There was a great fire there at one time. Because there wasn’t enough exits for people to get out, people died and jumped out the windows,” Lackawanna Historical Society Executive Director Mary Ann Moran-Savakinus said in an interview about “Scranton After Dark.”

“From there, we’ll go over to Lackawanna Avenue and talk about the Radisson [Hotel] and Lackawanna Station. When it was the train station, if they had to move bodies at any time, there was a morgue in the basement, so there could be [paranormal] activity there.”

Learn more about Scranton’s perfidious past on these guided walking tours, which are $15 per person. Advance tickets are required and can be purchased via Ticketleap. All tours will be limited to 20 people, and participants must follow all CDC and local COVID-19 guidelines during the event.

The society’s free summer walking tours of downtown Scranton began on June 5 and ended last Friday, Sept. 10.

The LHS has also expanded its virtual scavenger hunt to spotlight the many cultures that call Lackawanna County home. “Valley Quest: Showcasing Culture” will be open from Oct. 6 through Nov. 4 and will send participants on a mission around the county to find interesting, often overlooked sites representing different ethnic groups or remnants of local history. Clues will be emailed to players each Wednesday and will be focused on specific area of the county – the Upper Valley and Waverly, the Mid-Valley, and Scranton neighborhoods. Players will compete as teams and work to complete a “challenge” at each site, either to take a photo or gather objects.

For more information about these programs, contact the Lackawanna Historical Society at 570-344-3841 or email lackawannahistory@gmail.com.

Founded in 1886 as the Lackawanna Institute of History and Science, the Lackawanna Historical Society provides the community with a record of local history through its museum and library collections, exhibits, and programs. In 1942, from the bequest of George H. Catlin, the society established its permanent home at Catlin’s 1912 residence at 232 Monroe Avenue in Scranton.

In 1965, Lackawanna County designated the Lackawanna Historical Society as the official county historical society, and the society continues to serve the county as a center for local history resources. It receives funding from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, the Catlin Memorial Trust, Lackawanna County, and memberships.

Photo of Scranton Cultural Center by Rich Howells/NEPA Scene