It will be spooky though, and maybe a little creepy, but nobody is going to jump out of the shadows and go “Booo.”

The tour includes a good up-close look at an antique blood letting kit — by candle and lantern light.

Madeline Cervene, media and communications manager at the Fort, said the event will combine a bit of fright with a lot of history.

“It’s education combined with some ghost stories from the staff,” she said. “The artifacts have to do with the darker parts of history.”

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Madeline Cervene, media and communications manager for the Fort Museum and Frontier Village, stands next to a sewing kit that once belonged to Abbie Gardner, a survivor of the 1857 Spirit Lake Massacre. During the Haunted History Candlelight Tours, staff will talk about some of the museum’s “darker” artifacts, by candle and lantern light.

Like that blood letting kit.

“For 2,000 years it was the most common medical procedure,” she said. “George Washington died from it, they took out 40 percent of his blood.”

The Fort also has some artifacts from the Spirit Lake Massacre of 1857. They include a purse signed by survivor Abbie Gardner and her sewing kit.

There are also mannequins dressed in more “modern” attire, like uniforms from the Civil War and Spanish American War. By then, blood letting had gone out of vogue.

“Amputation was the most common medical procedure then,” Cervene said.

There are also Panamanian masks, items from World War II and a pair of American Indian dolls manufactured as tourist souvenirs whose eyes, for some odd reason, stare off to one side.

“We had those in the office,” she said of the dolls. “For some reason every night they’d be turned and facing the wall.”

There are also a number of old portraits — yes, their eyes appear to follow you around the room.

The spooky ambiance will only be enhanced by the lighting.

“Everything will be lit by candles and lanterns,” she said. “I’m really excited about it, my forte is creepy stuff.”

While the creepy and spooky factor is going to be high, Cervene said the emphasis is going to be on the history, each stop along the tour will be a learning opportunity.

“Even though it’s spooky,” she said. “We’re respectful of each artifact.”

Tours are from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and 8 to 9 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. The cost is $10 per person and $8 per person for museum members. Age is limited to 13 and over.

Pre-registration is required, spots can be reserved at (515) 573-4231.