Vigo County Historical Society
Historical Treasure Article

Historic Treasure of the Week - November 8, 1998
By Helen F. Mitchell
Vigo County Historical Society

Items offer a glimpse of Halloweens past

The doorbell rang and rang again before anyone could answer it. As the door opened, it revealed some strange-looking characters. They were human but in a grotesque way. Features were exaggerated or completely missing. Facial expressions were set and did not move or change. A chorus of voices could be heard saying, "Trick or Treat."

Those three words are heard often during the month of October and from all kinds of people all over the world. What started as a religious holiday for primitive people living in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales has remained as partly religious and also a day to celebrate with fun activities.

There are many symbols that are recognized the world over. The dead arise and their spirits roam the world. Jack, the man, cannot enter either heaven or hell because of his past life, and goes everywhere with lighted lantern. Witches fly through the skies on their broomsticks. Today’s children and adults attend parties, bob for apples and of course, wear masks so that no one can recognize them.

Looking through mementos of the past, which gives us an idea of how people in our community have observed Halloween, we selected three items that tell us. A beautiful crepe napkin, a tally card for bridge and a dance program are items that were used for Halloween entertainment.

The dance program came from the Wiley High School Blue Triangle Masked Ball on Oct. 31, 1929. On the back, Lynn Adams wrote, "We had a swell time. Afterward we went to Berry’s and ate."

Halloween is a fun day for all. Adults can act like children. Children can pretend to be someone else. They can mingle with spirits and not be hurt as they know the spirits and witches are powerful only on Halloween night.

The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.