Happening at the museum

Halloween on North Main Street

By Jennifer Smart, Assistant Director

The Wake Forest Historical Museum

For the first time in its history, the Wake Forest Historical Museum is taking part in the ghostly, glittery extravaganza that is North Main Street’s Halloween! Cobwebs and lights will mark the spot for trick-or-treaters to stop at the steps of the historic Calvin Jones House; volunteers will distribute candy; and we’ll all have a fabulous time! This is a special event for us and an exciting way to participate in this beloved tradition that literally takes place right outside our front door.

North Main Street on All Hallows Eve is quite possibly the largest unofficial family-friendly Halloween celebration in the Triangle. Over the decades it’s evolved into an informal block party, with homeowners pulling out all the stops. Decorations run the gamut from adorable to spooky to slightly terrifying. Adults wear costumes. Sugar consumption reaches epidemic proportions as each house stocks enough candy to greet the estimated 1,200 trick-or-treaters who pass through each year.  Let’s assume each of the approximately thirty participating homeowners—plus the museum—gives every child one single piece of candy. You’re talking a rough total of 37,200 treats. That’s about 1,500 pounds—or more than half a ton. But who’s counting? The important thing to remember is it all happens on Halloween night—no postponements or rain delays—between the hours of 5 and 8 p.m.

Perhaps trick-or-treating here is so much fun because we’re the town’s oldest residential district. Maybe it’s quite a thrill to traipse the street haunted by Wake Forest’s equivalent of “the funk of 40,000 years.” The looming trees, deep porches, and cracked sidewalks bring a creepy flavor all their own. In fact, several houses come with their very own haunts.

And if you’re interested in local ghostly lore, here’s a quick rundown of the spirits allegedly spotted in the immediate vicinity. On the east side of the 300 block, a previous owner of the John F. Lanneau House once reported a strong, perfumed smell emanating from the basement. When he followed it down, he came upon two women who instantly disappeared. Families living in the W.C. Powell House have reported a friendly spirit who sits by children’s bedsides to offer comfort if they awake during the night. And here at the historic Calvin Jones House, a Civil War era apparition in a heavy winter cape has been spotted twice. Both times he headed for the railroad tracks at the property’s rear, entered the trees, and vanished without a trace.

As for the types of treats we’re handing out on this, our inaugural Halloween year, I can tell you that Executive Director Ed Morris has bags upon bags of fun-size Butterfingers, Nestle’s Crunch Bars, Baby Ruths, and candy corn. So if you’re planning to trick-or-treat in our spooktacular old-fashioned neighborhood, please stop by to see us at 414 North Main Street—because there’s no better way to get closely acquainted with town history and local spirits than a Historic District Halloween!

 (The Wake Forest Historical Museum, 919-556-2911, is at 414 North Main Street, Wake Forest. Admission is free. The museum is open from 10 to 12 and from 1:30 to 4:30 Tuesday through Friday, and from 2 to 5 on Sundays if there are volunteers to staff it.)

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