Industry

The North Central Ohio Haunted House Tour
By Rex B. Hamilton

The first ever, North Central Ohio Haunted House Tour on Saturday, June 24 was a pleasant success. The two dozen who attended were full of enthusiasm and friendliness, which made the group seem larger than it was. Haunters met at noon that day on the front steps of Mansfield's Haunted Reformatory. From its birth in 1896 as the Ohio State Reformatory until its death in 1990, this fortress of cut Ohio sandstone was home to thousands of convicted felons. This place is big. Our host at the Haunted Reformatory was Jim Messenger of Death Row Productions, but the person who did most of the work that day in Mansfield was our guide, Will Stephenson. For more than two hours, Mr. Stephenson led us eager tourists from top to bottom of the old building. We tried out the lightless cells in solitary confinement, gazed at the huge chapels on the intermediate levels and peered out of the guard towers above the building's roofline.

At about 2:45 PM, we car caravanned down Ohio Route 13 to the tiny community of Bangs. This speck on the map is so small that not only are there no traffic lights, there are no signs informing you that you are entering or leaving the community. However, less than a mile off the main highway, hunkered down at the base of a small valley, is the stately House of Nightmares. When it was built at the behest of the Knox county commissioners in 1875, the House of Nightmares began life as the county poor house. In the latter part of the 20th century, it was known as the Mt. Vernon Bible College.

Our host and guide at the House of Nightmares was Dave Treisch. He gave us the works: all four floors and, for those who had the nerve, the unfinished basement and jumbled attic. We saw new scenes under construction, as well as existing sets that will be retained for this year's production. The capper to it all was the two-story powerhouse behind the main building. It is one of the most "natural" haunt scenes I have ever witnessed.

At the conclusion of the tour, several of the ladies from the House of Nightmares put on a quaint barbecue for us. Picnic tables were set up inside the haunt. We ate, drank and gabbed about the haunted attraction industry for more than two hours. The party finally broke up at 7 PM.

This enjoyable and educational outing could never have taken place without the participation, cooperation and energies of Messenger and Treisch and their respective associates. They permitted us to examine whatever we wished to, answering all our questions in the spirit of sharing that all true haunters have at heart.

Rex B. Hamilton" is a charter member and member of the board of directors of the International Association of Haunted Attractions and can be reached at 216-226-7764 or hamiltr@ccf.org

A Halloween Museum
By Pamela E. Apkarian-Russell

For over thirty years a collection of vintage to contemporary Halloween memorabilia has been amassing, and today approximately 15,000 items are awaiting a permanent home. A museum, so that collectors, and celebrators alike can look at, learn about, and research, Halloween memorabilia. My goal has been to house this museum in Salem, MA, but that is not written in concrete. Certainly Salem is where it belongs, and the perfect building is there for it, if the town (who owns it at present), will let us rent it. A Halloween museum would be healthy for the town of Salem as well as for all the other "Witch City" attractions. Being a totally unique institute, it would enhance and complement the city’s Witch Museums and Haunted Attractions as well as the Peabody Essex Institute, and even complement the large Wiccan community that lives in or visits Salem.

The museum will consist of items like candy containers, costumes, lanterns, postcards, toys, decorations, paintings, games, folk art, anything that is Halloween related. Our vision is that not only whole schools of children will come each year and roam through the museum, but that it will be used for research and as a repository for the archives of companies and the items they make. It also will be to encourage and display the works of artists in all fields of Halloween, so that people can see what they are doing to perpetuate the holiday. Special exhibits will be a very important part of the museum as will lectures and the showing of movies that are Halloween related. We will be limiting ourselves to the ‘not so scary side’ of Halloween motif items. In other words, monsters that roam the world all year long may visit, but residence will be for those that are true Halloween figures. We want this to be inclusive and would like sections devoted to "Nightmare Before Christmas", "Casper the Friendly Ghost," “Elvira" and Salem Witch Memorabilia. Modern advertising as well as pre 1900 Ouija and fortune telling items should happily occupy the building as should modern plastic yard decorations and early arcade machines. If the feel and look of the item is right then the value is not important. Anyone who has read any of the books I have written for Schiffer Publishing will be able to peruse through some of the thousands of items that need to be presented to the public for their enjoyment and edification. These books show only the ‘the stem of the Jack O Lantern,’ so to speak. I have been writing about the Halloween collectibles market for thirty years, and where I was laughed at years ago, there are too many revelers and collectors today for Halloween people not to be taken seriously. The market is growing and the time for a museum is now. Frankly, it pains me to turn down requests every week to see the collection and interest will continue to grow, as it should. It needs a home to show it in all its glory.

Hundreds of people contact us yearly with the desire to see the collection, and we feel that an official museum is the only way to be able to display such a large and valuable collection for both profit and the enjoyment of the many. My desire has always been to leave the museum intact as a legacy for generations of Halloween enthusiasts to come. What is needed at this point is corporate sponsors or investors who can finance this project. Besides the building and its renovations, which will include glass cases, wheel chair ramps, climate control, insurance, stocking the gift shop, heating, security cameras, etc., we would have to hire staff and buy office equipment. Our estimates for completion are around $500,000.00.

If your vision is the same as mine, and if you are looking for a project that will benefit everyone, feel free to contact me. Any positive feedback is welcome. In the meantime, until our dream is a reality, remember every day is Halloween if you are young at heart!

Pamela E. Apkarian-Russell is a researcher and author on several books related to Halloween. "Collectible Halloween", "Salem Witchcraft and Collectibles", "More Halloween Collectibles - Anthropomorphic Vegetables and Fruits of Halloween", and lastly the newly released "Halloween: Collectible Decorations and Games" She can be reached at PO Box 499, Winchester, NH 03470, via phone at 603 239-8875 or by email at halloweenqueen@cheshire.net. Her website is at http://adam.cheshire.net/~halloweenqueen/home.html