Parties, stories, pranks that got out of hand: A look at Halloween history in Evansville
EVANSVILLE – The Evansville area has been celebrating Halloween for as long as there’s been Halloween in America.
As the West Side Nut Club Fall Festival's one-time Halloween pageant and carnival turned general harvest festival, begins its second century, the region still remembers and celebrates its love of all things All Hallows.
“Nineteenth-century Halloween in Evansville seems to involve three different areas,” said Vanderburgh County Historical Society Secretary Stan Schmitt.
As in most areas of the country, in Evansville those were: 1) widespread pranks committed by young men, ostensibly attributed to supernatural entities; 2) parties given by young people and adults, often with a focus on romantic activities; and 3) masking and decorating.
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Pranks that got out of hand
“Pranking by younger people seems to have gotten out of hand at times,” Schmitt said, pointing to a 1906 article in the Evansville Courier that chronicled Halloween pranks perpetrated by local boys who subsequently were brought before the ominously-named Justice Youngblood. “Reward notices for the return of shutters and porch furniture were common at the beginning of November in the newspapers.”
Towards the end of the 19th century there was an increased interest in the supernatural, which was often turned to themes of romance and marriage, producing party games that were equal parts séance and Spin the Bottle.
“There were also various love tests which you would have assumed would have been associated with Valentine's Day that were common at Halloween parties,” Schmitt said.
“Parties became more important in the late 19th century among young adults,” he said. “The social columns of the newspapers were filled with Halloween party stories.”
He illustrated this point with 1895 newspaper accounts of Halloween parties given by Ruth Newman of Gum Street and the Davidson girls of Powell Avenue (“About 35 young people enjoyed the evening in Hallowe’en games and music, etc., an elegant luncheon being served”). A 1901 newspaper article indicated that a palmist gave readings at the YMCA. that year.
Schmitt also noted the increase in production of commercial decorations and masks, which began to replace home-made ones at the start of the 20th century.
Costumes and haunted houses
That, of course, has continued unabated.
Longstanding local business The Nick Nackery has been outfitting kids and adults in rubber masks and outlandish costumes for years.
“Halloween is currently and will always probably be our biggest money maker,” said Dan Bean, who took over the business with his wife Jana in October of 2021. “Without Halloween the store would not be able to maintain itself the rest of the year. Ninety-five percent of our business is in the last three weeks of October.”
The couple is well-suited to operate the historic local business, Ben said. He and his wife both have always loved Halloween and celebrated it.
"The original owners were not really into Halloween,” he said. “The Nick Nackery started as a plant shop that then started selling a few costumes and grew to the only year-round Halloween store in the immediate area.”
For the Beans, fans of horror movies and all things macabre, Halloween is 365 days a year: “Halloween is in our blood at the Nick Nackery and always will be.”
Another key player around this time of year is veteran local haunter Phil Wolter, who is into his fifth decade of giving locals nightmares, having started off redesigning the Phantom Theater in 1980.
His two current venues, the Olde Courthouse Catacombs and the House of Lecter, are, “More than just kids running around in the dark yelling ‘boo!,’” he said.
Each year he develops stories and themes that the walk-through attraction is built around, like the year the show was called "The Electric Chair," mounted at a time when the death penalty was topical.
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Scary stories by the fire
Carrying the tradition of public celebrations forward, Halloween in the Park was launched as an outdoor event at Friedman Park in 2020, sponsored by Warrick Parks and supported by local businesses with booths giving out candy to trick-or-treaters.
Attracting 2,000 participants, the celebration was repeated in 2021, moving indoors due to inclement weather, and is planned to continue indefinitely, incorporating a costume contest, magic show, hayrides, and storytelling provided by seasoned storyteller Mary Jo Huff.
A published author and widely traveled public speaker, Huff tells stories in a variety of genres, but has done lots of Halloween events, alone and as part of the RiverTown StoryTellers. Every year for the past 20 odd years the group has been telling Halloween stories at Lake Rudolph Campground for seven Friday nights by an open fire.
“We will have 200 to 300 folks sitting waiting for the next words to come out of our mouths,” said Huff, who founded the group 30 years ago. “This oral tradition is just part of the season.”
Huff’s careers as a mother of three and pre-school operator helped develop her skills and repertoire, but she said she was born to do it as well.
“My family roots are from down south and they told stories all the time. Not sure they were all true, but they could spin a yarn for sure," she said. My daddy was a used car dealer and my momma said it came naturally for me to tell stories.”
According to Huff the Lake Rudolph shows were the perfect Halloween event during the pandemic “because we are away from all humans." But the group has spun a wide web over the years, telling tales at events in downtown Evansville, Wesselman Woods and the Old Dam in Newburgh.
Living next door to Willard Library’s librarians as a child, Huff knew about its resident ghost, The Grey Lady, all of her life and has presented stories at their Ghost Walk.
“I write some of my stories, research stories and listen to other tellers to get a handle on telling my own style of tales,” she said. She recently purchased a book with Indiana scary tales and intends to add one to this year’s event.
“Each year I add another spooky tale or a jump tale and that keeps me fresh," she said.
Barbara Klamer who joined the Rivertown Collective after retiring from teaching, has found simple, time-tested methods for stimulating listeners’ imaginations still work well.
“I have used a drum for sound effects and another storyteller shook little stones in a can for sound effects," she said. "I have also used bells.”
“Setting the scene is key,” Huff said.
Another long-standing member of the story-telling group, Mc Lean County High School teacher Jeff Jones has held onto his childhood love of Halloween.
“My childhood recollections include grabbing a pillow case for the candy and designing an outfit with what we had at home,” he said. “I was usually a hobo dressed in flannel and jeans and a beard made by darkening my cheeks, chin and upper lip with a charcoal briquette. My brother and I went out together. Never had any parents along. They stayed home and passed out candy.”
The 21st century has brought vastly expanded Halloween celebrations, particularly among adults. People may age out of going door-to-door soliciting for candy, but not, it seems, out of enjoying Halloween.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Here's how Halloween in Evansville has changed over the centuries
