Special tour offered at historic Saratoga cemetery

From historic homes to some of the Spa City’s most prominent figures, the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation is focused on highlighting the city’s rich history.

That’s exactly why the foundation marked the spooky Halloween season with a special twilight tour, called "Madness, Murder, Untimely Deaths, and Strange Coincidences," through Greenridge Cemetery Thursday night.

"I like to say I don’t tell ghost stories, but we do have enough madness, murder, and untimely deaths here that it makes a very nice Halloween-themed tour," said Gloria May, a tour guide with the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation.

Before the sun could rise over the city Friday morning, longtime tour guide Gloria May took NewsChannel 13 reporter Sam Hesler through the cemetery, which was established in 1844.

Gloria pointed out some unique gravestones, and shared the true stories of people who are buried in the cemetery, which almost seem too crazy to be real.

"Charles Dowd, the inventor of Standard Time, who talked the railroad into adapting his system, was ironically killed when crossing the street. He was hit by a train," Gloria explained.

Reporter Sam Hesler says she anticipated stories like Dowd’s, but nothing could have prepared her for what a viewer spotted during one of her live shots. It was something she hadn’t even noticed.

To see what the viewer spotted, click on the video link above.

While there won’t be another tour like this happening before Halloween, the foundation has plenty of other tours and events happening this year. Click here for more information.