Hauntings
- Glenn Irwin & Mindie Burgoyne
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 5 hours ago
At the Lower Shore Land Trust, we usually focus on protecting open spaces and wildlife, not chasing ghosts! But this Halloween, we could not resist sharing one of Board Member Glenn Irwin’s favorite chilling tales from his other role as a ghost tour guide in Ocean City.
When he is not helping raise funds for events such as our upcoming Flannel Formal on November 8th, Glenn leads visitors through Ocean City’s haunted past with Chesapeake Ghosts. Named Storyteller of the Year in 2024, Glenn brings local legends vividly to life — including this eerie account from one of his most talked-about stops.
The Haunting at Ripley’s It is just past midnight on a foggy autumn night. The boardwalk lies still, waves rolling softly beneath a haze of mist. Inside Ripley’s Believe It or Not! — built upon the site of the old Ocean City Pier a security camera flickers to life. A framed picture trembles, shakes loose from its nail, and crashes to the floor. Moments later, a dim green light drifts down the hallway before fading into shadow.
When investigators reviewed the footage, their instruments repeatedly captured the name Randall James. After some research, they discovered that James had been a 19th-century thief and smuggler who operated along the California coast. Arrested for a series of robberies, he was imprisoned in San Quentin, where he died under mysterious circumstances. Rumor has it that his personal effects, including a pocket watch and a dagger were later sold to collectors. One of those items, some believe, found its way into Ripley’s collection of haunted curiosities.
Whether truth or legend, Glenn says the building carries a strange energy, a weight in the air, a faint chill that seems to linger long after closing time. “It is one of those places,” he says, “where you feel the past pressing in, as if it refuses to be forgotten.”
Happy Halloween from all of us at the Lower Shore Land Trust, protecting land, community, and perhaps the occasional ghost story.
To learn more about Chesapeake Ghost Tour or to take a tour go HERE
