Tarpon Springs Ghost Tour — Haunted History and True Crime
The original Tarpon Springs ghost tour. So good it was copied. Led by Ace Chapman — and long story short, it never is.
Tarpon Springs may be known for its sponge docks and rich Greek heritage. But after dark, downtown tells a different story entirely.
This is the original Tarpon Springs ghost tour, led by Ace Chapman — screenwriter, longtime local guide, and a man who has been trying to move into one of the haunted buildings downtown for years. Ace has been leading this tour for over three years with Silent Slayer Ghost Tours, and what he has documented in that time belongs to him and to these streets. The history here is real, researched, and specific. It is not borrowed from a national chain's website. It is not embellished for theatrical effect. And it will never be sold as a $7 upgrade.
The tour covers downtown Tarpon Springs — not the sponge docks. The streets where the real history happened. Guests hear the story of Marshal Ruben Jones, described by a former Mayor as "the toughest, meanest, killingest man" in Tarpon Springs. Jones was elected Marshal for 12 straight one-year terms beginning in 1906. Nobody dared run against him after one challenger was shot in the back while walking home from the sponge docks at Spring Bayou. Jones was tried and acquitted on grounds of self-defense. He retired in 1920 and was ambushed shortly after on a hunting trip. His body was recovered with more than 80 bullet wounds. The case has never been solved. He was wearing his gold badge when they found him — cast from two $20 gold pieces, worn by every Chief Law Enforcement Officer in Tarpon Springs since the turn of the century. That badge is now on display at the Tarpon Springs Police Department.
The route passes the Cheney House, built around 1890 for John Cheney, the man who financed the arrival of the sponge industry to Tarpon Springs and whose invention of the diving suit revolutionized an entire industry. It passes the Old Dry Goods Store built in 1884 — once selling furniture, sewing machines, and coffins with "embalming if necessary" before becoming the Vinson Funeral Home where, among others, Marshal Ruben Jones was embalmed. And it passes the Old Saloon Building, built in 1909, where the 1953 film Beneath the 12-Mile Reef starring Robert Wagner and Peter Graves filmed its famous fight scene. The original back bar is still there.
Guests use dowsing rods on the platform of the historic Train Depot to communicate with spirits. Many have heard their names called back on the spirit box. On the eve of Ace's third anniversary leading this tour, a spirit on the spirit box said "wait, stay" as clearly as any human voice. When Ace asked who was speaking, the reply was "Me." When he asked who "me" was, the spirit box said "Deity." They stayed longer than planned. The lights in the area went out several times in response to requests for a sign.
There is also Mary. A regular spirit presence in downtown Tarpon Springs who has been documented interacting with Ace on demand. Silent Slayer has video of Mary responding to a guest's request by turning her streetlight on and off. On one occasion the light exploded. Mary's full story is shared on the tour and not before — some things are better heard in the dark.
The Golden Crescent of Victorian mansions surrounding Spring Bayou, the Greek immigrants who once risked their lives simply by leaving their designated neighborhood, the inn with a spirit so stubborn it refuses to leave — all of it is here, on these streets, told by the guide who started it all.
No fake equipment. No scripted theatrics. No $7 upgrades. Just Ace, the streets of downtown Tarpon Springs, and whatever decides to show up.
The original Tarpon Springs ghost tour. Still the best one.
Select nights at 8:00 PM / Ages 13+ / Limited to 15 guests / 90 minutes
From $35 per person
