BY BRIDGET BALCH

Built on the battlegrounds and graves of Revolutionary and Civil War figures, Fredericksburg is home to many souls with unfinished business.

As the leaves change and pumpkins are carved, Halloween tends to bring their history back to life.

If all you've got planned to get into the spirit of the day is eating chocolate and watching scary movies, it's time to open your eyes to the spooky possibilities.

Here are a few local and regional events to help you celebrate Allhallows Eve with the spirits of the past as they revisit their old haunts:

HISTORICAL HAUNTS at STRATFORD HALL

Stratford Hall, the birthplace of Robert E. Lee and the home of the historically significant Lee family, will be providing Halloween entertainment for kids and adults alike on Saturday, Oct. 27, 6 to 8 p.m.

This annual two-hour event is packed with refreshments, Halloween-themed crafts, tarot card and palm readings, trick or treating around the buildings on the plantation and a ghost tour.

"Stratford has been around so long, you can imagine it has haunted stories that have been passed down through the years," said Jon Bachman, education events coordinator.

For the ghost tour, guides dressed in 18th-century garb bring the groups through the house and grounds while telling stories of those who haunt the historic plantation.

"There's stuff for adults [and] there's stuff for kids," Bachman said.

The event is family-friendly, and visitors are encouraged to dress in Halloween costumes.

Stratford Hall, 483 Great House Road, Montross. $5 for adults and $3 for children. 804/493-8038; stratford hall.org.

FREDERICKSBURG CEMETERY TOUR

There's no creepier place to be on Halloween weekend than a historic cemetery, but, on this tour, no one will jump out at you and scream "Boo!"

"It's not your typical ghost tour," said Trip Wiggins, president of the Rappahannock Colonial Heritage Society, who or-ganizes the cemetery tour.

The tour, guided by costumed historic interpreters, will focus on discussing the lives of those who lived in Fredericksburg in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

"It's a way to share Fredericksburg's history," Wiggins said.

The tour groups will ride a trolley to Fredericksburg's three most historic cemeteries: St. George's Episcopal Church, the Masonic Cemetery and the grave of Mary Washington.

Refreshments will be provided.