NewHavenBIZ

8 n e w h a v e n B I Z | S e p t e m b e r / O c t o b e r 2 0 2 0 | n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m T R E N D I N G Ghosts of New Haven cashes in on city's haunted past SMALL BIZ SPOTLIGHT H istoric cities like New Orleans, Philadelphia and Savannah, Ga., have long capitalized on their supernatural pasts, attracting spirit-seeking visitors and tourism dollars with cemetery walks, ghost tours and haunted hotels. When the Schoenberg family, which runs ghost tours in New York City, Albany and Washington, D.C., was looking for the next location to expand its paranormal enterprise, the Elm City was an obvious choice. Ghost sightings and strange phenomena at Yale's Berkeley College, Vanderbilt Hall and the secret Skull and Bones society -- which meets in a tomb -- have been part of university lore for generations. Not to mention that the New Haven Green and Center Church were built on top of a cemetery. Superstorm Sandy famously unearthed a skeleton when winds from the storm toppled a large By Natalie Missakian Oak on the green in 2012. And ghost-spotters swear the green is haunted by the spirit of Benedict Arnold, a one-time New Haven merchant, although his body is buried in England. Even city hall and the public library are said to have their own resident ghosts. "New Haven has a great history. It's one of the original ghost cities," says Gabe Schoenberg, who recently took over running the family business. "e green itself was a Potter's field for those who couldn't afford to be buried aer the Revolutionary War." For the last four years, the Schoenbergs have operated Ghosts of New Haven, a 90-minute, one-mile walking tour with stops at some of the city's spookiest spots. Led by local actors in costume, the tour melds ghost stories with historical research (Schoenberg's uncle and the company founder, Philip Schoenberg, holds a doctorate in history from New York University), which Schoenberg says lends credence to some of the tales. "Some people won't believe it, but all of the events have been witnessed or experienced by multiple people. We do a theatrical performance of what they have reported," he says. Schoenberg's uncle launched the business aer his own paranormal experience at Phebe's Tavern in New York City. Many believe that a well in the pub's basement is a portal to the underworld, Schoenberg explains. "Anytime you're in the pub and you're feeling kind of queasy, you look down and you feel like you're being sucked in," he says. "He experienced that and it inspired him to look into other people having these experiences." Schoenberg doesn't guarantee a ghost sighting on his tours, but many have experienced what he describes as "events." "It's very common that if you take a photo at some of the spiritual places, when you look at it the next day it may be filled with orbs of light," he says. "You can't take a photo of a ghost, but you can capture some of its energy." Although offered year-round, the New Haven tour has been revamped with new scripts and stories for the peak fall season, which runs from late August through Halloween, he says. "Actually a tour is really a great thing to do during COVID because it's outdoors and it's socially distant," Schoenberg adds. "You get the theatrical performance without the dangers of being in an indoor space with a lot of people." Ghosts of New Haven runs public tours every Friday and Saturday night for up to 12 people. Tickets are $25 per person ($20 for students, seniors and military). Private tours are also available for $150 for groups of five or less, or $250 for groups of six to nine. Learn more at www.ghostsofnewhaven.com. n B R I E F S Chemistry company part- ners with Illinois business P2 Science Inc., a renewable chemistry company, has entered into an agreement with a Chica- go-based business to jointly develop renewable plant-based products. P2 Science has a manufacturing plant in Naugatuck and research lab in Woodbridge, and it makes prod- ucts used in the flavor, fragrance and cosmetics markets. e company executed a joint development agreement with ADM of Chicago, an agriculture and food ingredient business, and the two companies plan to develop and commercialize products together. Initially, the products will include renewable terpene monomers and polymers, mid-chain fatty alcohols and acids, polyesters, polyamides, plasticizers and surfactants. ese have commercial applica- tions for various markets, including cosmetics, skincare, paints and coatings, automotive, construction, apparel, home, personal care and industrial cleaning. Guilford Savings Bank expands with new branch Guilford Savings Bank started construction in August on a new branch office in North Haven. It will mean a westward ex- pansion and seventh location for the bank, which currently has six full-service banking centers in Old Saybrook, Madison, North Madi- son, Guilford, and Branford. e new 2,000-square-foot branch in North Haven will be at the intersection of Washington and Blakeslee avenues. Bank officials expect the outpost will be ready to open in Jan. 2021. Bank President and CEO Timothy Geelan said the location was chosen due to its proximity to the Inter- state-91 corridor, the metro New Haven region, and the Wallingford and Hamden communities. n Continued from Page 7

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