'Walk with the Spirits' this Halloween in Augusta

(WRDW)
Published: Oct. 17, 2019 at 5:40 AM EDT
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Wednesday, Oct. 16th, 2019

AUGUSTA, Ga. ((WRDW/WAGT)) - On October 26th and 27th, you can tour Westover at Historic Augusta's annual Walk with the Spirits.​

This year they're showcasing 8 spirits in Westover. Ben Casella will be portraying his great grandfather, who is buried at Westover.

Casella said, "He came here in 1912, on the Saxonia, came with a couple of other families. He came through Ellis Island the whole NYC run."

His great grandfather is Giovanni Casella; Historic Augusta chose him to be one of the spirits on the tour this year and asked Ben to portray him.

Historic Augusta's Programs and Marketing Director Abigail Johnson said, "In a big cemetery like Westover we pick a section, this year it's the oldest section and we go through it and kind of pick who the most prominent individuals are based on if they have house named after them, if they designed a house, if they have a street named after them, or if they just have an interesting history."

Some other spirits on the tour are will also be portrayed by family, but others have volunteered to take on unfamiliar roles. Sallie Metzel is playing Mary Warren. Warren is actually buried at Magnolia, but the women who lived in the home named after her are buried at Westover.

Another spirit that will be portrayed this year is Jimmie Dyess. Historic Augusta's goal is to teach about the history of the local cemeteries and preserving them.

"This is our 13th year doing it, we started in 2007 and it's just a way to highlight different cemeteries and the people that are buried there," said Johnson.

When the two-day event comes, Casella and the others will even be dressed like their spirits. They hope those who come, leave with a better idea of how this community came to be.

Walk with the spirits is on Saturday, October 26th, and Sunday, October 27th, from 2 to 5pm.

Tours will start every 20 minutes. You can buy tickets the day of at the Westover or online

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