Ghost Tours will include tales of Arthur Capper, Harry Houdini and the Topeka Orphans Home

Lisa Sandmeyer
·2 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Feeling lucky?

Then this Friday the 13th, Topeka Cemetery is the place to be.

The annual Ghost Tours, presented by Friends of Historic Topeka Cemetery, will be from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13, and Saturday, Oct. 14.

More stories of mystery, mayhem and murder will be presented, this time from an area that includes the burial sites of Sen. Arthur Capper, one of Topeka first millionaires (in 1900) and the Topeka Orphans Home. Visitors will hear about Capper’s time in the spotlight with famed escape artist Harry Houdini, among other stories.

Harry Houdini (seated at center left) with Sen. Arthur Capper (right) at a February 1926 congressional hearing to consider making it illegal to accept money for telling fortunes. Famed escape artist and illusionist Houdini was the star witness at the hearings. A crusader against mediums and psychics, Houdini investigated their practices and showed how they managed their trick.

Each year, the Ghost Tours move to a different area of the cemetery, said Angela Lexow, president of Friends of Historic Topeka Cemetery.

“Guests hear new stories each year, and the stories are true accounts involving people whose graves are in the tour area,” Lexow said.

The tour is set up as a circuit, with small groups moving from story to story, so no reservations are needed.

Tour-goers may arrive anytime between 6:30 and 9 p.m.

The cost is $10 per person. Cash is preferred. Venmo is available. T-shirts and sweatshirts announcing the wearer survived the Historic Topeka Cemetery Ghost Tour will be available for sale.

The cemetery address is 1601 S.E. 10th Ave., with the grounds running from 10th to I-70 between Lafayette Street and California Avenue.

For the tours, enter the cemetery through the main gate off S.E. 10th Avenue at Leland. The gate on California Avenue will be closed. Signs will be posted for parking and for exiting the cemetery after the tour.

Lexow cautioned that the stories are not suitable for children.

Handheld paranormal detection devices are allowed as long as using them doesn’t disturb other guests or story tellers.

For more information, go to TopekaCemetery.com or call (785) 233-4132.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Ghost Tours has Arthur Capper, Harry Houdini and Topeka Orphans Home