Lecture brings attendees ghoulish delight

Ghost hunter and Haunted Times Magazine Senior Editor Christopher Moon stood in a room of skeptics, and perhaps even a few believers.

A boy asked him if anyone had ever played a game like Monopoly with an orb, the physical manifestation of a ghost.

"You know, just to get to Park Place, that would take a lot of energy," Moon said jokingly.

How do orbs get around, another person asked.

"They carpool, actually," he said, not joking.

Such was the scene Sunday evening in a crowded room at The Carolina Inn, where Moon presented evidence of hauntings he and parents Paulette and Dennis Huff found at historical locations around Chapel Hill.

At the lecture, the first program put on this year by the Chapel Hill Historical Society, Moon fielded questions and showed audience members a slideshow of hauntings at locations like Memorial Hall, the Horace Williams House and the inn.

The lecture took place a day before The Carolina Inn's own "Ghost Hunter University" on Monday, where for the third time since this summer Moon gave audiences a "Ghost Hunting 101" lesson and tour of haunted locations at the inn.

With laser pen in hand, Moon pointed out orbs photographed floating around the Carolina Inn, where it is believed the ghost of William Jacocks haunts room 252 by pranking its guests.

In a picture taken Saturday night outside Memorial Hall, Moon pointed out orb activity found above the roof.

Kimball King, a retired University English professor and member of the historical society's board of directors, said he wasn't a believer, but did enjoy Moon's lecture.

"(I am) more of a skeptic, I would say," King said. "However, I do think that Chris Moon is very charming and very knowledgeable about what he does."

Eleanor Morris also admitted her skepticism, though she said something has recently piqued her interest.

The room in which the presentation took place was once the office of her deceased father, J. Maryon Saunders, a former director of the General Alumni Association - and a room in which Moon recently took a picture of an orb.

"I'm a skeptic, but I'm going to want to look at it," Morris said excitedly.

While the lecture brought a unique perspective to Chapel Hill history, some admitted this and similar events like the "Ghost Hunter University" show that the subject is popular and could warrant other ghost-themed events.

Besides the "Ghost Hunter University," a guided walking tour of haunted buildings will take place Oct. 28 and 29 in Hillsborough.

The "Ghost Hunter University" events generated a lot of interest for people who have never been to the Carolina Inn, said inn marketing manager Jill Rodriguez.

"It's incredibly popular," she said. "The response has been stronger than we ever imagined, really."

For Moon, though, Chapel Hill and its residents' interests in history is most notable.

"It's amazing," Moon said. "Like I said before, it's really great to come to a place that preserves its history."

 

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.