Corbin Library Ghost Tour set for Thurs., Fri.

Fire is the theme of the 2018 Ghost Tour hosted by the Corbin Public Library and the Friends of the Corbin Public Library, which will be held Thursday and Friday night.

Dianne Mitchell of the Friends of the Corbin Public Library said the annual Halloween themed tour will feature a history of catastrophes that have struck Corbin.

“It will mostly cover the big fires and things that changed what Corbin looks like today, including the fire that paved the way for NIBROC Park,” Mitchell said.

Story tellers will once again be part of the Ghost Tours, which will be held Thursday and Friday at the Corbin Library. The event is free and open to the public.

Among the tops will be fires on Florence Ave. in 1903 that destroyed 22 buildings.

Another fire in 1913 on Center Street, now known as Roy Kidd Ave., destroyed an entire city block.

Three years later, 14 buildings at the corner of Depot Street and Center Street, where the former Hall Watson building now stands, were consumed by flames.

“That was the center of town at the time and that is why they called it Center Street,” Mitchell explained.

Other fires on the agenda include: the railroad depot, Heath Lumber Company on Fourth Street, Jellico Grocery on Third Street and the YMCA at the corner of Fourth and Depot Street.

“It was a big building where the railroaders stayed during layovers,” Mitchell said.

Visitors will board the Corbin trolley bus at the library. The trolley will take riders past the various locations as Andrew Pennington provides the back story on each event.

The stop will be the gazebo near the Engineer Street Bridge where they will encounter the first of four storytellers telling ghost stories.

Additional storytellers will be located along the creek walk and at the Carnegie Library building on Roy Kidd Ave. as participants make their way back to the library.

“If it rains, we will still do the trolley tour, but we will move the story tellers to the library,” Mitchell said.

Once back at the library, participants will be invited to take part in additional Halloween-themed activities including crafts, coloring, and face painting.

In addition, light refreshments, including apple cider and hot chocolate, will be offered.

The first tour will leave at 5:30 p.m., with the last departing at approximately 8:30 p.m.

“We will be taking out tours about every 25 to 30 minutes,” Mitchell said adding the tour will take approximately 45 minutes to complete, including the walk between the gazebo and the library.

More information is available by contacting the library at 528-6366.