It’s a relatively well-known fact that the plot of land currently occupied by the Lebanon Farmers Market has an interesting past.
This fall, on September 6, October 4, and November 1 you’ll have the opportunity to explore the eerier side of the building’s history firsthand on guided ghost tours.
Lebanon Farmers Market Ghost Tour Dates:
September 6
October 4
November 1
*There will be three tours each night, at 5:00pm, 6:00pm, and 7:00pm.
In the early 19th-century, one of the county’s early prisons was built at the location, housing those who had run astray of the law in conditions that would have been less than ideal, even by jailhouse standards.
Perhaps the most famous event in the prison’s history occurred in the late-1870s when the trial of the Blue-Eyed Six drew reporters from across the nation to Lebanon. Five of the six men accused of the murder were hanged in the prison’s courtyard.
Several years later the prison was destroyed by fire and in 1892, after two years of construction, the Farmers Market was opened. The Market building would go on to be occupied by various tenants, from a theater to a school to a sewing company, before finally becoming the version of the Farmers Market that we know today.
Such a long history with so many twists and turns makes the building a perfect backdrop for ghost tours. Local medium Jan Helen Mcgee will serve as the guide for the 30-minute tours.
McGee said she has been psychic her entire life. In the 1990s she began assisting the police with cases after experiencing nightmares of murders.
Initially, she kept her work a secret, but eventually decided to go public which lead to an appearances on the television show Psychic Witness, a book, and doing psychic readings.
She previously did some work ridding peoples’ homes of ghosts, but this will be the first time that she has lead a ghost tour like the one taking place at the Lebanon Farmers Market.
However, McGee is no stranger to the historic location.
“When I was a child I used to go with my grandmother down there in the 50s,” McGee recalled. “I would be scared to go to the basement where the toilet is.”
A trip into the Market’s basement to visit the office of the building’s manager, Joya Morrisey, brought the spooky vibe rushing back.
McGee and Morrisey, along with Downtown Lebanon BID manager Amy Kopecky, talked about the idea of doing a ghost tour.
That idea will now be a reality, as McGee will lead small groups of people through some of the Market’s hotspots for spirits.
The deep — and at times dark — history associated with the location is one of the primary reasons for choosing the Lebanon Farmers Market as the location for the tours.
“I just think that it’s a huge, huge, huge part of history,” said McGee.
Her mission is to get those on the tour to use their own senses to get the most out of their experience..
“I do believe that everybody has an intuitive sense,” she said.
So, if you’re looking to put that intuitive good use, you can reserve your spot on one of the tours by selecting “Get Tickets” on the event’s Facebook page. Space is limited. All ages are permitted, but parental discretion is advised.
An earlier version of this article misstated that the prison at the site of the Farmers Market was the first in Lebanon County. We regret the error.