New York State Office of General Services Commissioner RoAnn Destito today announced online registration is now available for the annual Capitol Hauntings tours of the New York State Capitol. This special tour explores the legends, folklore, and “ghost stories” connected to the historic state Capitol begin on Monday, October 5.

“Fall has arrived and that means it’s time for making jack-o’-lanterns, eating apple cider doughnuts, and going on a Capitol Hauntings tour,” Commissioner Destito said. “The hauntings tour is one of the most popular of our special themed tours, and it can’t be beat for a supernatural look at history in New York’s statehouse.”

The Capitol Hauntings tours are free and open to the public. They begin at the Plaza Visitor Center and Gift Shop in the North Concourse and are offered at 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, from October 5 through October 30. No tours will be conducted on Columbus Day, Monday, October 12.

Space on each tour is limited, so pre-registration is required. Individuals and groups of 10 or fewer may register online at www.Empirestateplaza.org. Larger parties should call (518) 474-2418 to register.

In tales that mix history with the macabre, tour guides will tell shocking stories about the night watchman who died in the Capitol fire of 1911 and still makes his rounds and the two United State presidents who visited the Capitol after they died.

Find out where the Assembly Chamber’s “lost” murals are located and what happened to the tormented artist who created them. Walking among the gargoyle-like carvings and strange carved faces, visitors will discover the location of the Capitol’s “secret demon” and evidence of a curse the demon may hold on the Capitol will be revealed, along with other dark secrets.

The tour lasts about an hour, but the chilling, ghostly tales might haunt you forever.