GhostStop & Lynchburg Ghost Tours Search for the Paranormal
By: Jeremy Angione | Photos By: Ashlee Glen
Lynchburg, as you might expect of a city founded in the late eighteenth century, has its share of rich and unique history. While the Lynchburg Museum and other historical preservation societies tend to focus on stories related to its founding, one business in particular is more interested in the weird and macabre history of the Hill City.
Originally founded in 2006, in Florida, by Shawn Porter, GhostStop specializes in manufacturing and selling ghost hunting equipment to paranormal enthusiasts. Although Porter claims he could have never seen himself opening a store like GhostStop, many of his life experiences prepared him for it.
“My background is theme park marketing,” Porter said.
After working as the marketing director for Universal Studios Orlando for 14 years, Porter joined The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS), made famous by their Travel Channel television show, Ghost Hunters (now streamable on Netflix). Porter says that possible paranormal experiences as a child spurred on his curiosity for the paranormal.
Porter always had an interest in technology. He’d built websites “before they were even called websites,” and worked a few positions at Universal Studios Orlando that required and enhanced his technical knowledge. His technical prowess made him an asset for the TAPS team and other paranormal teams that needed equipment to capture ghostly phenomena.
“There was really no equipment for ghost hunting,” Porter said.
After his inventions gained traction in the niche field, Porter decided to open up his store. Although the store makes for an interesting spectacle for passersby, much of GhostStop’s operations are dedicated to the in-house manufacture of nearly all ghost hunting equipment.
“We actually make all the equipment that you see on those shows,” Porter said.
In 2023, Porter, along with most of his staff, decided to move the business to Lynchburg for lower cost of living and doing business, appealing scenery, and to be closer to family. Despite the niche nature of ghost hunting, GhostStop has had enough success over the years for Porter to purchase all of 918 Commerce Street where the business now resides, each floor serving a different function.
Porter says that he believes he may have experienced paranormal phenomena in the building on a few of his late-night work sessions.
“I’m a big skeptic myself. I’ve never had an experience that I considered evil or scary. For me it’s just more of a curiosity,” Porter said.
Although he and the GhostStop staff all employ a healthy level of skepticism when it comes to their work, they revel in the fun of all the different possibilities that might cause phenomena in a particular location.
The shop space itself comprises mostly ghost hunting equipment for the avid paranormal investigator, and fun ghostly merchandise for more casual fans of all things spooky. Porter’s theme park marketing experience is on full display at GhostStop, as the shop looks as if it were a gift shop at any amusement park.
The store acts as the first stop on the Ghost Tours, which commenced last Halloween.
Operations Manager Megan Paxton handles much of the logistics of arranging the Ghost Tours. Despite the name, Paxton and Porter try to differentiate the experience they bring to their tours from other similar services.
“It’s definitely more history driven. Our goal is not necessarily to scare, it’s more to intrigue,” Paxton said.
Currently, the walking tours are about one mile in length and explore the history of popular locales on Commerce Street.
“I want to look at the history in a very in depth and respectable manner. Then intertwine some of the stories we get here and try to see how they connect to the weird history of this town,” Porter said.
One locale that illustrates the weird history that Porter mentions is the old C.B. Fleet building across from GhostStop. Although there have not yet been any confirmed sightings of Fleet’s ghost, the tour guides often share that his claim to fame was his invention of ChapStick and the enema.
Both Porter and Paxton agree that the shop has become a beacon for so many people—local, national, and even international—to come in and share their interests in the paranormal.
Porter says that many locals come into the shop to share stories of paranormal experiences they’ve had at specific locales.
Paxton says that GhostStop uses those stories to cross reference with the established history of those locales to uncover more unique stories for the tours.
In that way, Porter says that no two tours are the same and that many of the stories shared are essentially “crowdsourced.”
“The overall history remains the same. It’s just the stories that are told might be different,” Paxton said.
According to Paxton the tours have been popular and typically see a wide range of demographics, from out of state visitors, to friend groups looking for a unique evening activity.
“It’s very family friendly too,” Porter said.
Currently, the tours take place roughly twice a month, a number Porter hopes to increase if the demand is there. Tickets for a tour are $25. Although the tour is a fairly short walk, a major priority for GhostStop was to make the tours as accessible as possible,
“We make sure everything is ADA accessible. That’s very important for us,” Porter said.
The GhostStop team is in the process of building out new routes for more variety in the tours. There is even a plan to start conducting paranormal investigations at certain locations that community members can assist with.
To book or find more information on the Lynchburg Ghost Tours you can visit lynchburgghosttours.com. Information on GhostStop can be found at ghoststop.com.
