Lebanon Farmers Market to host Blue-Eyed 6 ghost tours through October

The Lebanon Farmers Market is hosting Blue-Eyed Six tours during the month of October to recount the history of the men accused of murder, their relation to the 35 S. 8th St. building, and the ghost stories they left behind.

The Blue-Eyed Six were a group of six men, all of whom had blue eyes, who were accused of murdering 60-year-old Joseph Raber for insurance money. Raber lived in Union Township before his murder in 1878.

In 1879, Frank Stichler, Charles Drew, Israel Brandt, Henry Wise, Josiah Hummel, and George Zechman were taken into custody and housed in the county jail — now the site of the Lebanon Farmers Market. Zechman was granted a retrial and found not guilty, and the other five confessed and were sentenced to death. Wise announced all six men were guilty before he was hanged.

When the county jail burned down, the market was built on top of the jail’s foundation. The building’s basement shows remnants of its original use, according to director of market events Kathi Wolff, who is running this month’s tours after starting in her position about a month ago.

Read More: The true crime story that made Lebanon famous around the world: The Blue-Eyed Six, plotters of a murder 140 years ago

“When I found out that this was the original place where the Blue-Eyed Six were held, where they were jailed, I just had to,” Wolff said. “That was the first thing that came to my mind because I absolutely love this kind of stuff.”

She said it’s a great story and a rich part of Lebanon County’s history, so the market is aiming to highlight it.

This Friday, the market will hold tours at 5, 6, and 7 p.m. Tours will then only happen once a day when the market is open, starting at 10:45 a.m. Wolff said that is when the procession to the gallows would have begun.

Even though the tours start in the daylight hours, Wolff said the basement is dark enough that guests won’t be able to tell if the sun is out.

“I will be taking people down to where the original stone is and showing them what would have been an entryway into what would have been the jail cells,” she said. “You can see the stone structure has the archway, which would have been the entryway into the cells.”

Wolff said there will also be ghost hunting equipment available for anyone interested, and some people are planning to bring their own. The market has been a common site for unexplained happenings, such as footsteps, lights turning off and on, sudden cold spots, and orbs.

Read More: Is the Lebanon Farmers Market, built on the site of a 19th-century prison and gallows, haunted?

For some, this spiritual contact could be a way to reach ancestors.

“I’ve had family members, descendants signing up,” Wolff said. “When they called to reserve their tour, they’re actually telling me that they’re descendants of the Blue-Eyed Six, which I thought was pretty cool.”

Anyone interested in taking the tour will have to pay $5 per person, up to six people per group, and call Wolff at 717-304-0419 to reserve a spot.