Jeff Provine has always loved a good spooky story.
True crime? Yep. Supernatural? Duh. Just plain weird? The weirder the better.
After partaking in walking ghost tours while studying abroad in England, Provine began looking into what hauntings, if any, live in the back of Oklahoma’s proverbial closet of history.
Turns out, he said, the Sooner State is “jam-packed with ghosts and legends.”
“Ever since [finding out more about Oklahoma’s past], I’ve been keeping an ear out for everything I can learn about our spooky history,” Provine said.
Luckily, for those interested in learning more, Provine has authored and co-authored eight Oklahoma-centric books detailing the state’s folklore, myths and hauntings. For example, “Campus Ghosts of Norman” details things that go bump in the night on the campus of the University of Oklahoma while “Haunted Guthrie” explores the state’s original capital’s supernatural surprises.
Provine said he’s thankful to everyone who has helped with the projects, primarily because it helps keep the stories alive.
“So many of our tales are oral history and, if not recorded, might well vanish from the record,” he said.
But Provine’s passion for the paranormal doesn’t stop there: he also offers walking ghost tours, predominantly in the OKC area. He’s currently in his 14th year, which began in 2009 when he was an adjunct instructor at OU.
“Initially, it was just a little fundraiser at Halloween time but, in 2012, we got on the news and had 150 people show up,” he said.
Provine began offering tours in Oklahoma City in 2016. He’s done a few tours in Shawnee and is even hired to conduct private events for birthday parties, family reunions and workplace retreats.
His next walking tour will be held May 20 in downtown OKC. The 90-minute stroll will include Provine sharing stories of some of the area’s haunted history, such as about OKC’s most haunted hotel, hidden tunnels and more.
Tickets are $12 and the entire tour is wheelchair accessible. More information can be found here.
Provine said he loves it when participants react to the facts and stories he shares during the tours.
“I love seeing people blown away as they learn our history and mutter, ‘I had no idea,’” he said. “Tours are such a great way, not only to hear a good spooky story, but also to learn the history that serves as the context for the tales.”
Tales that range from the familiar, like the Land Run, to the little-known like that of the “Chinese tunnels” said to exist under the streets of downtown OKC. Provine said Oklahoma’s stories entice people from all over to visit.
“I’ve had a lot of people come from out of state eager for a good ghost tour,” he said. “They’ve taken them from San Francisco to New Orleans to Savannah, Ga., and I’ve been told several times that our stories are among the best in the nation. It’s exciting to think our ghosts can compete with the famous ones of New Orleans!”
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