Do some state-approved ghost hunting at the Old State House Museum

The Old State House Museum in Little Rock is leaning into the Halloween season with a unique fundraising event: a paranormal investigation class. 

For $45, you can secure a spot in “Ghost Hunting 101,” a class led by Arkansas Ghost Catchers and “renowned paranormal investigators” Rhonda Burton and Linda Howell on Oct. 17. 

According to the event description, the “three-hour class will offer one hour of instruction and two hours of sample investigation.” Refreshments and alcoholic drinks will be provided. 

Burton and Howell don’t look like the sunglass-wearing, black-clad ghost hunters you’ve likely seen on TV, at least according to a picture on their website, but they seem to be steeped in the supernatural and well-versed in paranormal investigations. If anything, the lack of edgy clothing makes them more convincing. 

According to her LinkedIn page, Burton founded Arkansas Ghost Catchers in 2007 and the Arkansas Paranormal Expo, an annual event supporting the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, in 2011. Additionally, she leads an annual community class, also called “Ghost Hunting 101,” through the University of Arkansas at Pulaski Tech in North Little Rock. 

Howell, also part of Arkansas Ghost Catchers, is the author of “Haunted Little Rock,” a history of the paranormal in The Natural State, and has been hosting haunted tours of the capital city for years. 

“Ghost Hunting 101,” as far as we can tell, is the first state-sanctioned ghost hunting event. Tickets are available online.

We aren’t here to determine whether ghosts are real, but if they are, the Old State House Museum, which began construction in the 1830s and is the oldest standing state capitol building west of the Mississippi River, is a likely spot for them to hang out. There’s at least one recorded instance of a killing on the grounds of the Old State House, that of Rep. Joseph J. Anthony at the hands of House Speaker John Wilson in 1837. 

It’s worth noting that the Old State House Museum has recently been the subject of some bad press, with former employees accusing their superiors of both racism and of shying away from the uglier parts of Arkansas’ history, like slavery, despite the structure itself once being a site for slave auctions, but it seems ghost hunting isn’t beyond the pale.