Valley Junction's historic past includes "booze orgy," murders

How it started: Rather than relying on ghost stories, the walking tours will stop at the real-life locations of crimes and strange moments, executive director Steve Frevert tells Axios.

• Frevert researched newspaper archives to piece together accounts of murders, bootlegging, prostitution, gambling, election fraud and kidnappings.
• "The actual facts are way more interesting than things that go bump in the night," he says.

Zoom in: During Prohibition, a night of partying at a house near 7th and Maple streets ended when a man shot and killed his friend with a shotgun, Frevert says.

• The house was known as a "notorious resort" — a place associated with prostitution, gambling and bootlegging, he says.
• It made the next day's newspaper's top headline: Valley Junction Booze Orgy.
• The "resort" building still stands today.

If you go: The 21+ walking tours are Oct. 17 and Oct. 24 at 6pm.

• Tickets cost $25 and attendees get a $2 discount on a drink at The Winchester afterward.