LENOX, MA. On Saturday, August 17, at 5 pm, Ventfort Hall will host author and ghost tour guide Robert Oakes as he reads selections from his new book, The Ghostly Tales of the Berkshires for young readers. The reading will be followed by a youth ghost tour of this historic mansion. The reading and tour are geared toward children ages 8–12.

About the Book
Ghost stories from the Berkshires have never been so creepy, fun, and full of mystery! Welcome to the spooky Berkshires! Stay Alert! Ghosts lurk around every corner. Even the most unexpected places might be haunted by wandering phantoms. Did you know that at the Mount, the former home of famous author Edith Wharton, a shadowy phantom haunts the halls? Or that a ghost train still steams through the Hoosac Tunnel? Can you believe there's a top-hatted ghost who wakes guests in the night at the historic Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge? Pulled right from history, these ghostly tales will change the way you see the Berkshires forever, and have you sleeping with the lights on!

About the Author
Robert Oakes is an author, teacher, storyteller, and performing songwriter. He has written three books, The Ghostly Tales of the Berkshires (2023), Ghosts of Northwestern New Jersey (2022), and Ghosts of the Berkshires (2020), all published by Arcadia Publishing. Since 2010, Robert has led immersive ghost storytelling experiences at historic locations in the Berkshires, including Ventfort Hall and Edith Wharton's The Mount. He has also given talks and readings and led a writing workshop at Arrowhead, home of Herman Melville. He has appeared on Syfy’s Ghost Hunters, Jeff Belanger’s New England Legends series on PBS, and The Apple Seed show on BYUradio and has been featured in The Boston Globe, The Berkshire Eagle, and numerous other media outlets. Robert has written and produced media for AAA, Canyon Ranch, and a number of other organizations and performs as part of the folk music duo Oakes and Smith. Robert has taught elementary, middle, and high school English, as well as adult workshops, and currently serves as associate director of communications at Rectory School in Pomfret, CT.

Admission is $15 and suitable for children 8 to 12. Children are to be accompanied by an adult at no additional charge and may self-guide the mansion if they like while their children are on their tour. Reservations are strongly recommended as tickets are limited. Walk-ins accommodated as space allows. For reservations visit https://gildedage.org/pages/calendar or call us at 413-637-3206. Please note that all tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable. Payment is required to make a reservation for an event.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated by the Massachusetts Cultural Council as an important partner of the Lenox Cultural District, one of the five such Berkshire County districts, Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum was built in 1893 for George and Sarah Morgan, the sister of legendary financier J. Pierpont Morgan.

Self-guided tours of the historic mansion are offered daily, as well as talks, such exhibitions as the Bellefontaine Collection, concerts, theater, ghost tours and hunts as well as other programs. This elegant Jacobean-Revival Berkshire “cottage” is open to the public year-round and is available for private rental.  Ventfort Hall, also an Official Project of Save America’s Treasures program sponsored by The White House, has undergone substantial restoration, which continues.