A photo of the late Tim King leading a ghost tour. (Courtesy/Salem Ghost Tours)
Austin and Christian King wanted to carry on their father’s legacy, offering Salemites a glimpse into the darker side of the city’s history.
There are haunted hot spots, public hangings and hundreds who went missing following a fire.
Tim King, a Salem journalist who published a book in 2018 about the city’s haunted history, had hosted a ghost tour in Salem since 2014. He died a year ago following a motorcycle crash.
“It’s hard to fill that void,” said his son, Austin King. “We just want to make him happy.”
Austin King said he went through his father’s information and research about the tour to create a fun, historical and informative walk this year.
An online description of the event says “Back by popular demand, and from beyond the grave. Tim King’s Salem Ghost Tour is experiencing a living reboot, but unfortunate for us all, Tim won’t be hosting anymore…for his physical body has inconveniently perished. As such, he has recruited us to carry on the fun.”
The tour takes place every Friday in October, and the first Friday in November. It meets on the Oregon Capitol steps at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $20. People are asked to wear masks.
Austin King said the tour usually lasts about an hour and 15 minutes, depending on the number of people, stops and questions.
“People are interested in in the macabre,” he said.
Austin King said his father had always been a historian of sorts who wasn’t afraid to delve into the darker aspects of history.
“He always told good scary stories since I was a kid,” he said.
Tim King was a journalist for more than 30 years, working as a TV news producer, photojournalist and reporter. He and his wife, Bonnie, founded salem-news.com in 2004.
Austin King said the ghost tour will be an opportunity for people to reminisce about his father, while also hearing spooky tales.
One of the stops is at Pringle Park where in 1865 people traveled from as far as 20 miles away to witness the hangings of George P. Beale and George Baker.
On Oct. 1, he planned to read some quotes from his father.
Austin King said he didn’t have his dad’s script at first, so he was building it from scratch. Then he found a bunch of his notes. It helped that he’s been on the tour several times, too.
He said he plans to adapt the tour a little bit throughout the month and has included some history on buildings that weren’t in the original tour.
When asked what kinds of stories people can expect, Austin King said, “They’ll just have to come on the tour and find out. There’s many intrigues on the tour.”
Contact reporter Saphara Harrell at 503-549-6250, [email protected].
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