The sound of footsteps, but no one appears. A apparition hovering just out of sight. A haunting whiff of smoke or whispers in the night. Spirits abound in a place as history-laden as Washington and tonight Terry Rollins is prepared to take residents and visitors alike on a Halloween Ghost Walk.

Rollins, a children’s librarian at Brown Library in Washington, regularly hosts tours that start at Harding Square, at the end of Market Street, and ramble through the streets of the historic district and a centuries-old cemetery.

First stop on the ghostly map of Washington is a trio of Federal-style homes hovering over the Pamlico River: The Myers House, the Marsh House and the Hyatt House. All of them have a haunting past, but for very different reasons, according to Rollins. At the Myers House — built in the late 18^th century and said to be the oldest home in the city — an archeological find of witch bottles spurs the interest of ghost hunters. Next door, the Marsh house is the site of a haunting story, in which a Civil War cannonball pierced the home narrowly missing occupants. But it’s the third house that will elicit goosebumps even on a not-so-chilly night.

“The Hyatt House — that is definitely haunted,” Rollins said. “It’s associated with a British sea captain.”

On East Main Street, the Franklin-Bryan House is another where spirits are known to manifest in more worldly encounters, according to the owner of the home.

“That house is haunted by, in her words, ‘a cigar-smoking ghost,’ because she gets whiffs of cigar smoke all the time,” Rollins said.

Rounding the corner onto East Second Street, the Bragaw House is another rumored to be occupied by more than the current owner and his family, Rollins said. This spirit is that of Samuel Potts, according to local legend.

“He was a bachelor lawyer here in town and was having an affair with a married woman over in Aurora. Her husband found about it and threatened to sue him and instead of facing financial ruin, instead he hanged himself,” Rollins said.

Also included on Rollins’ tour are the St. Peter’s Episcopal Church cemetery, the old Beaufort County courthouse — its haunting said to be the most documented of all the Washington buildings — as well as tales of the ghosts of the Turnage Theater’s old vaudeville theater.

Rollins puts his storytelling skills to great use on his guided tours, but he says the Halloween tours are naturally a bit spookier.

“We did it last year on Halloween night and it was amazing,” Rollins said. “Some of the folks who attended wore costumes and we kind of threaded through the trick-or-treaters.”

While documentation of Washington’s spirits was compiled by former resident Rhonda Donald, Rollins said he is often told tales of more haunted houses in the city.

“If there is such a thing as spirits and ghosts, Washington is full of them,” Rollins laughed.

Rollins’ ghost tour will be held tonight and Saturday night. All participants are asked to meet at Harding Square at 7 p.m. The cost of the tour is $10, cash only. For more information, call Rollins at 252-402-8595.