The Blount Mansion sponsors the "Ghosts and Ghouls Walking Tour" as a Halloween treat for students and Knoxville inhabitants.

Blount Mansion docent, Bill Voight, his skeleton friend on his walking stick, Harvey and Catherine Allen, escorted people through downtown Knoxville. Voight, dressed in all black with a cape and white face paint, led people to specific locations as he told stories about influential people and places downtown.

When Voight began the tour he said, "Most ghosts are mischievous. For that reason, most ghosts are women."

Starting off on a lighthearted note, Voight quickly turned the excursion into tales of horror and intrigue.

He divulged why the second light on the Gay Street Bridge still doesn't work. Tourists hear about Hank Williams' mysterious link to the Andrew Johnson Hotel. Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" also was a part of the history in Knoxville.

Voight showed a building that displays bullet holes from the wild times when gunfights and saloons were the norm. The mystery of the Tennessee Theatre and seat that can never be sold is talked about.

The most haunted building in Knoxville, Bill said, is the Bijou Theatre and is still haunted by dueling ghosts. Formally connected to a hotel called the Lamar House, the Bijou Theatre, Voight said, is home to the ghosts of two generals.

Voight's favorite tale, after giving tours for 10 years, is the story of Abner Baker. Baker was a confederate solider. After coming home, he was hanged. Somehow, his body kept appearing hanging from a tree. This story was one of many about mysterious happenings in downtown Knoxville.

The Blount Mansion will continue giving the walking tours on Oct. 30 and 31. For a scary treat, the entire community is welcome to come. It is $7 for adults and $5 for students. The entire tour lasts about an hour and 15 minutes and spans about a mile.