I work at a museum, and on Friday we’re doing the national “Museums at night” thing. We’re going with a vaguely Halloween theme, and this will include ditching our usual guided tour for a 20 minute talk, with a spooky feel. The thing is, it’s down to me to come up with (and deliver) the talk, and I have never been any good at creative writing or thinking up stories. And I’ve left it a bit late….

So who knows any straightforward and simple ghost stories that you can summarize in a few lines (or have a link to)? I’m happy to embellish, flesh out and tweak, to fit in with our museum’s theme. If they can have any connection with 19th century seafaring and/or tunnels, mining or being underground, that’d be perfect.

Thank you in advance!!

19th century sea faring and tunnels I would be googling for pirate ghost stories!

The Mary Celeste is right in your time zone!

Tell your audience that the museum was the site of an old smugglers den which was raised X years ago, everyone was arrested apart from the leader Captain Bob or whatever who was hung on site, embellish a little, ie, sometimes you can hear him walking around groaning on his one leg, crutch etc etc. Cue colleague walking around dress as a pirate on a crutch groaning. Not too scary if there’s kids around, if you’re generous he could hand out chocolate coins.

Or watch the Goonies.

Seem to be a few on here. Second one from the top is ship based.

https://freakyfolktales.wordpress.com/tag/ghosts-of-cornwall/

Hi Folks,

Thanks for the replies.

In the end I went for a re-hash of Charles Dickens’ “The signal man”, with extra emphasis on the tunnel. Seemed to go down well… but I appreciate the ideas above. Somethings to use next year….!

Ta.