Photos by Wes Kroninger
For Becky Schisler, moving to Dublin was somewhat of a happy accident. After a mistake in the appraisal of her home in Hilliard, Schisler says, its selling was delayed, and she and her husband, Robert, scrambled to find a place to live.
They decided to move into the Dublin City School District, before moving to Dublin’s Waterford neighborhood, an area just outside of the City’s Historic center.
“It was great for my sons’ education, and we love living in the historic area,” says Schisler, who has two sons with Robert. They married right after graduating from The Ohio State University, where they met.
In Dublin, as her sons grew older, Schisler, who was born and raised in Clintonville and attended Whetstone High School, says she was eager to get back into the workforce. She started substitute teaching for Dublin schools and lending a hand at M K Baby, a children’s clothing store.
It was there that Schisler’s interest in opening her own children’s store grew.
“I thought it would be fun to see how they operated,” Schisler says.
Although she initially offered to buy the business after the owner’s spouse and business partner passed away, Schisler decided she wanted to start her own business from scratch.
“I had a lot of knowledge at that point,” she says.
Blankets and Booties opened in September 2006 in a space on South High Street that had previously been occupied by a boutique.
“It was very easy to adapt it for children and baby stuff,” Schisler says. “It worked out well, and we ended up buying the house.”
Little did Schisler know that her involvement in the Dublin area would only continue to expand.
Six years ago, while standing outside Biddie’s Coach House on High Street, she saw something through a window what would change and inspire her.
It was a full-bodied apparition, Schisler says.
“I talked to the staff; I confirmed no one was in the building at the time,” she says.
Two years later, Schisler started gathering historical information on the City of Dublin. This was followed by a ghost tour in Gettysburg, Pa., a town known for haunts connected to its famous Civil War battle.
Schisler had a revelation.
“I thought, ‘I can do that here, if I get enough stories together,’” Schisler says. “It was amazing to see how many (Dublin businesses) had paranormal experiences in their business.”
Schisler drafted a script for her tour. She took out a test group of friends and family, who encouraged her to add even more historical information.
“People want to know who their ghosts are,” Schisler says.
Schisler frequented the Dublin Historical Society that summer and, in October 2012, started leading Dublin’s Olde Town Ghost Tours.
The tours typically start in May, Schisler says, though private tours can be booked anytime. During a typical season, they run Saturday nights at 8, through the first weekend of November.
Schisler is hesitant to give out too many ghost tour “spoilers,” but offers a few teasers.
“We have a spirit who hangs out on the tour,” she says. “We call him Pete.”
A popular spot on the tour is the Dublin Cemetery.
Schisler says those on her ghost tours who are more sensitive to the spirit world are able to share information with the group.
Though Schisler says she is a “big scaredy cat” and fears the dark, she says there’s always been a part of her that believes in the spirit world. The TV show Ghost Hunters actually took away some of her fear, she says.
“(Ghost Hunters) brought it down to a more understandable level,” she says. “I was hooked. They made (ghost hunting) more mainstream.”
Now, Schisler says, she is thinking about opening a new embroidery business from home. She is also honing her writing skills for a collection of short stories inspired by tales from her ghost tours.
“I’ve been keeping a tab on interesting things that happen on the tour,” Schisler says.
Hannah Bealer is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at hbealer@cityscenecolumbus.com.
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