Durham Reporter

The Durham Production Company is using new technology to tell tales about the city's past with a Halloween twist. 

Project Aeschylus, the theater and digital production company's augmented reality series, is part of the AR Ghost Hunt, according to CBS 17. You can find ghosts around downtown Durham during the ghost hunt as they hide in your phone.

"They're all these kind of whimsical little guys scattered around downtown," J.L. Klinck, the company's artistic director, said. "Each one of them is kind of themed around what they're doing."

Interested participants can download a free app called Membit to see a list of AR ghosts to track down, CBS 17 reported. You can then click on a ghost and follow the instructions to find it.

"You don't really understand the impact that [augmented reality] has until you see it," Klinck said. "It's here now. It's happening now. And we want to bring it here."

People who take part in the ghost hunt can find a carriage riding down the street, a bartender, a ghost that communicates with birds, and more, according to CBS 17. The hunt uses fictional characters to bring Durham's history to life. The Durham Public Library and the Museum of Durham History were consulted to bring historical accuracy to the AR experiences.

One available experience is a Tobacco Card Scavenger Hunt, CBS 17 reported. Ghost hunters can follow the adventures of Clara Von Faucette, a fictional 10-year-old girl who went out to run errands with her parents in 1888. Real locations from Durham's downtown scene during that time period are used. 

Participants get to help Clara find her collection of lost tobacco trading cards as part of the mission. The cards are based on real cards produced at the time, which were similar to modern-day baseball trading cards. 

"We find it really fascinating," Klinck said. "We think that it's an incredible tool to bring stories to life that need to be told, and also ones that are just fun."

The ghost hunt is free and open to the public, according to CBS 17. It continues until midnight on Halloween. For more information, visit Durham Production Company's website.