The Wood County Historical Center and Museum doesn’t need actors to scare its visitors.

The museum has reported sightings of real ghosts, said Mike McMaster, education coordinator for the museum.

“There are many people who have seen ghosts or felt presences,” McMaster said.

The buildings at the museum all have long histories, he said.

“The main building was the county home, the poor farm, nursing home, orphanage and jail for the mentally insane from 1869 until 1971,” McMaster said.

However, the property did not house all the groups for the full 102 year span it was open, he said.

“Over time, different groups left,” McMaster said. “By the 1940s, the only people that lived here were the elderly.”

Through the years, stories have been told about former residents and staff, said David Gill, a tour guide for the Folklore Friday’s at the infirmary.

At one point, before the home closed, one of the workers fell down a flight of stairs to her death, Gill said.

“The police reported it as an accident, but one of the residents told a different story,” Gill said.

One resident claimed a hateful woman named Maggie came up behind the woman and pushed her, he said.

The museum offers other historic memorabilia.

One of the museum’s attractions is the fingers of Mary Bach, a murder victim.

“We usually don’t tell people about the fingers,” McMaster said. “We let them find them on their own.”

Bach was murdered by her husband, Carl. The museum has the knife used to murder Bach and the noose used to hang Carl, Gill said.

Pauper’s Cemetery is the resting place for some of the former residents, McMaster said.

“The people buried here range from infants to 90-year-olds,” he said. “People were buried here from 1869 until 1949.”

The area that the cemetery was on located was unknown until 15 years ago, said Dick Gill, a volunteer at the museum.

“Most of the tombstones were stolen,” McMaster said.

The museum offers many activities during the fall season.

The Historical Center offers Folklore Friday at the Infirmary and other Halloween themed events, McMaster said.

People come from all over to visit the museum, McMaster said.

“During the week, everyone comes in from out of town,” he said. “College students and their parents come in during the weekends.”

The museum offers self-guided tours during the week and offers guided tours on Folklore Friday and during October.