A local ghost hunting group is looking to take a step back in time with a masquerade ball at The Anchorage.
The Mid-Ohio Valley Ghost Hunters will host the event from 8 to 11 p.m. Saturday, said co-founder Tom Moore.
"We wanted to do something to open The Anchorage to the public and raise funds for the continued restoration," Moore said.
The group often holds ghost hunts at the 152-year-old house with all proceeds going to the Washington County Historical Society, as will funds collected through the $25 per person ticket price of the masquerade ball.
"The historical society has done a lot of work on The Anchorage but work still needs to be done and we are going to help them as much as possible," Moore said. "Plus we wanted to do something that was different from our ghost hunts and we wanted to be able to show people the building.
"Also, this is a way for us to make The Anchorage come alive again," he added.
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The Mid-Ohio Valley Ghost Hunters will host an "Enchanted Evening at the Anchorage" masquerade ball from 8 to 11 p.m. Saturday.
There will be refreshments, a silent auction, a best costume contest and tours of the historic house on Marietta's west side during the event.
Space is limited and tickets should be pre-purchased in order to ensure attendance, said organizer Tom Moore, of the MOVGH.
Moore said that The Anchorage was not only chosen as the location for the ball because his group is familiar with the 22-room house but because that is what Eliza Putnam, wife of prominent businessman Douglas Putnam, built it for.
"She built the house to host parties, she loved giving parties and in the few years she lived there, she gave many big, elaborate parties," he said.
Eliza Putnam passed away in 1862 and it has been said that her spirit has remained in the house, which is also rumored to have been a station in the Underground Railroad.
Attendees of the masquerade ball are encouraged to dress up and wear masks. There will be refreshments, a silent auction, a best costume contest and tours of the historic house on Marietta's west side during the event.
"There will also be dancing because you can't have a ball without dancing," Moore said.
Not only are people asked to dress up and hide their identities but use fake names so who they are can be revealed at the end of the night.
"It's just something fun and different to do," Moore said.
To learn more or to order tickets, visit the Mid-Ohio Valley Ghost Hunters on Facebook or call Moore at 304-834-4726.
