Once its own city, Bellingham’s historic Fairhaven District has stood in South Bellingham since its establishment in the early 1800s. Today, the large cobblestone-paved streets with towering brick buildings stand sentinel to a long-gone era that saw Fairhaven as a rough-and-tumble boom town with no shortage of action, success, hardships, and tragedy.
Created in 2012, the district’s Gore and Lore Tour keep some of Fairhaven’s darker, scarier elements alive during spring, summer and select weeks in October since.
Knowledgeable, costumed guides introduce participants to the spooky side of Fairhaven’s history with a touch of dark humor. Guests explore 1890s-era buildings, hear creepy local legends and lore, and uncover the history behind them. Although no ghosts have been sighted and jump scares aren’t built in, the guides remain vigilant. The tour includes discussions of death, so parental guidance is suggested.
The Fairhaven tours have earned high praise from customers. Some have been attending since 2015 and watched the tour grow and develop.
“The first tour I attended was in 2015, and I’ve gone to, on average, one a year since,” says Jon Luthanen. “I learned about the origins of the Black Cat restaurant name, the local ghost hunting agency, the history of Mark Twain visiting the area, the history behind the mansion on South Hill, and some information about the headstones that line the sidewalks in Fairhaven.”
The tours are created and put on by BellingHistory with the Good Time Girls. The organization offers guided historical walking tours designed for both locals and tourists. Founded in 2011 by Marissa McGrath and Sara Holodnick, the tours are known for their lively and informative approach, featuring well-researched stories about various historical figures such as sex workers, immigrants, and laborers.
In 2017, Kolby LaBree and Wren Rivers took over and started guiding. They continue to deliver engaging tours while expanding the offerings to include year-round and all-ages educational programs. With a background in anthropology and historic preservation, Kolby and Wren — known for their dynamic storytelling — aim to make history fun and thought-provoking.
“Our passion for and knowledge of local history and ability to make it fun,” LaBree says — a combination of thorough research and understanding of good stories.”
According to LaBree, Sycamore Square is Fairhaven’s haunted “hotspot,” but every building has a ghost story. True crime stories were everywhere during Fairhaven’s Wild West days, and the tour explores that past and tells the stories of the buildings that otherwise would be lost to history.
Additional Tours
If the Fairhaven Gore and Lore Tour has you craving more spooky history and experiences, the group also offers several other excursions.
“We also have a Downtown Gore and Lore Tour,” says LaBree, “and our tours of Bayview Cemetery are very popular, especially during October.”
The Bayview Cemetery tour looks at the history and evolution of the burial ground established in 1887. Participants visit the older sections of the cemetery and view some of its most intriguing monuments, unearthing stories of notable individuals interred there.
Much like the Fairhaven Gore and Lore Tours, a guided walking tour of Downton Bellingham explores eerie tales from the downtown district’s past. The tour features Bellingham’s spookiest history, including stories of true crime, local legends, and other unsettling events.
In addition to some of the creepier tours, BellingHistory with the Good Time Girls also offers general history walking tours, a Shore Leave Tour and Sin and Gin Tours, which takes patrons on a journey through Bellingham’s history of vice, tracing its evolution from the Wild West era through Prohibition and beyond.
BellingHistory With the Good Time Girls Podcast
BellingHistory with the Good Time Girls also produces podcasts that cover various elements of Bellingham’s history. Episodes take a deep dive into topics like the Terminal/Tony’s Coffee building in Fairhaven that recently burned down, along with episodes on local sex workers from the late 1800s and even the history of tattoos and tattooing in Bellingham. You can find the podcast by searching BellingHistory with the Good Time Girls Podcast on your favorite podcast platforms.
For more tour information, visit the BellingHistory with the Good Time Girls website at www.bellinghistory.com. During the offseason, the group also offers private tours. Additionally, virtual, and digital tour experiences are available for viewing.
