Our Preservationz Halloween Story –

It was Halloween evening (All Hallows Eve, Some Hallows Eve or for some, Nobody’s Hallows Eve).

 Michelle and Nichole were twin sisters and had been declared old enough to go trick or treating by themselves in the neighborhood.  At thirteen years of age they immediately showed themselves NOT old enough by deciding to sneak out of the neighborhood and visit a haunted house that they had discovered a few miles away from their home.  This old house was unpainted, deserted, and at least one hundred or maybe two hundred years old.  It stood, proud and alone, on a hill overlooking a beautiful valley of pastures, trees, and a winding river.  It faced westward across the valley towards the setting sun.

Michelle and Nichole arrived just before sunset.  They spread a little blanket on the grass in front of the house and sat awaiting both darkness and ghosts, chewing on a tuna sandwich they shared for diner.    As the light grew dimmer, they could see the reflection of the sunset in wavy old windows.  It was certainly a good start for their ghost raising adventure. 

 A half hour later, pure darkness had enveloped Michelle and Nichole, as well as the house and the valley.  Michelle shined her little penlight toward the window in search of ghosts.  The chill of the evening sent a little shiver down two little spines – but was that shiver caused by something else?  Suddenly the front of the house stared to glow in the dark!!  Michelle grabbed Nichole’s arm.  Nichole grabbed Michelle’s arm.  They both squeezed – HARD.  The shivers had turned to quivers as the front of the house actually turned red.  Simply breathing was totally out of the question.  And then a voice.

“What are you girls doing here?”

The girls turned around.  They saw an old man in farmer’s overalls holding a large flashlight with a red lens.  He smiled a crinkly smile and his blue eyes sparkled in the light of Michelle’s penlight.  This man just didn’t look like a ghost.

Nichole answered, “It’s Halloween sir, we’re just looking for ghosts, spirits of the dead.  This seemed like the right place.”

The man smiled a most unghostly smile and said, “Well actually you are right.  This house is a house of spirits.  But there are good spirits and bad spirits and this place is filled with the good kind, memories of the families who lived here for generation after generation, spring, summer, winter, fall – working, playing, raising children, enjoying holidays – good times and bad times, but doing it all together.  But now it looks like it is all coming to and end.  There is a rich man who wants to buy up the property, rip the house down, and put up a strip mall.  There is nothing and no one to stop him.

Michelle looked at Nichole.  Then both of them said together, “Not if we can help it!”

Preservationz is a new program brought to you by Excursionz Magazine.  Starting with our next issue, we will feature a house, piece of landscape, or urban setting that is in need of preservation.  We will attempt to draw attention to these valuable and threatened parts of our heritage.  We look forward to our reader’s help and participation.

If you have a property or know of a property that is in need of help, please call Kim at 203-536-2420 or email us at

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