Photo by Chandler Tillett
About Emily
Emily McArthur, a Richmond native, has been into ghost stories and believing in the supernatural since childhood. A lifelong writer and lover of history, she specializes in Richmond history and has 15 years experience in archival research. This was always a hobby for her, until recently. Emily previously spent 10 years in the live music and entertainment industry working concerts and music festivals across the US in guest services, operations, and security. As a public speaker on paranormal Richmond, Emily has presented at the Richmond events of Galaxycon and Nightmare Weekend, as well as Hardywood Brewery and River City Witches Market.
Our Background
River City Haunted was founded in 2024 after a successful run of the flagship event, Ghosts of Gayton. It made sense to establish a full business. River City Haunted launched its first ghost tour, Dark Waters, in October 2024, and our first walking tours launched in 2025.
What Makes River City Haunted Different?
Anyone can do a 90 minute walking ghost tour. River City Haunted strives for stand out events.
Our Work
Dark Waters Our first tour launched in October 2024, a ghost tour on kayaks down the James River and Kanawha Canal in Richmond, in partnership with locally based RVA Paddlesports. Kayaking down the canal in the dark of night as the fog rose from the water made this tour extra scary. This was the first tour of its kind to the city, and the first season was completely sold out, with more dates continually added to keep up with demand.
Ghosts of Gayton River City Haunted was the first presenter to Richmond on the topic of the hauntings of the Tuckahoe area of the West End. The true tragic history of repeated death and legal troubles in the coal mines of Western Henrico, combined with this part of town being developed into a residential suburban area in the 1970s, has resulted in a mass haunting over a 12 mile area of the West End. Ghosts of Gayton is part history lecture and part first person eyewitness testimonies of the paranormal. Semi regular shows at Gayton Library 10600 Gayton Rd, Richmond, VA 23238
Social Series
River City Haunted creates feature series for social media that Emily describes as an interactive travel show. They tell a story about different places and events in continuous posts.
A selection from Blood in the Sand: The Haunted Outer Banks
Blood in the Sand was filmed on a trip to North Carolina’s Outer Banks, in collaboration with Manteo’s own Island Time Photography. This video discusses the legendary Goatman monster of Nags Head Woods.