Hauntsville 2007
Since we last visited Hauntsville a lot has changed in this little hamlet nestled in the foothills of Mystery Mountain. Old man Grimsley has not been seen since November 1 of last year. That was the day that the mysterious schooner sailed into the bay. There has been a skeleton crew at work ever since moving things both in and out of the mansion.
From that day forward strange happenings have been reported on the property. First the new gate appeared to bar the property from entry. The gatekeeper is a very strange fellow and his dog is certainly not to be trusted but clearly likes a good bone to chew on from time to time.
While the old mansion is quiet by day, at night there seems to be a flurry of activity about the place. Once strange thing though, ever since Old Man Grimsley disappeared the trees on his property never seem to have any leaves.
At night folks have said that they hear organs playing up in the old house and screams have also been heard far into the night.
On top of Black Mountain the trees failed to leaf this past summer and the winds blowing off the mountain seem to be much cooler than before. Mr. Stein (the maple man) says that he hears strange noises coming from on the mountain and all of his cats have disappeared.
(some of the unseen activity on Black Mountain)
Life in Hauntsville
Below the mountain life goes on pretty much as usual. Mr. Stein says the sap is beginning to run a bit early this years which men everyone will be lining up to get their fresh maple syrup before the end of the month.
With the fall harvest already in Moggin's store has had lots of fresh produce at very low prices. Folks have been making the trek to the store get fresh corn, squash and something Mr. Moggin calls "white lightening."
The old Barrett farmhouse has been abandoned since early June but Moggin say that there have been some strange goings on there at night ever since the first of October. People used to take the short trail out to the falls, but no one has been there recently. Folks say they are afraid to take that walk.
This year the Hauntsville town council decided to have a Halloween decoration contest with free tickets to the Halloween night play at the theater as a prize. It has been great to see that everyone on Maple Street has gotten into the spirit and each house has done something special for the occasion.
John Garrett has added some strange characters to the roof of his house. . .
and the old tree stump on the side seems to have taken on a life of its own.
Mrs. White and her sons have been busy making the front of their home quite festive,
and even the Brownings have gotten involved by stringing Halloween lanterns in their tree.
The right side of Maple street really has taken on the spirit of the holiday season.
Across the street the neighbors have also gotten into the act. The Thompsons have gone all out with witches on the roof, accent lanterns and yard decorations.
Next door the Smiths seem to really have out done themselves with some hand made yard work. They even have a witch that crashed into their tree.
It is really hard to tell which side of the street did the best job of decorating.
The Chapmans really got into the holiday spirit as well. Mr. Chapman is hosting a hay ride which starts at his cider store and his wife, Gracie, has been helping the neighborhood children carve pumpkins at the vacant lot on the end of Maple street.
The children of Hauntsville have done a great job with their costumes but I think that the best belong to the two boys in the skeleton suits with a close second going to the three kids in the ghost costumes. Wonder who they really are?
There is certainly an abundance of pumpkins this year. The Chapmans are selling their surplus to the nearby town of Sleepy Hollow. Their son George said he would gladly drive the wagon load to Sleepy hollow by way of the forest trail.
However, I note that they are keeping that giant pumpkin in the patch for themselves.
The Town Square
Hauntsville has been getting along without their resident pastor for several weeks now. Services are being held, but no one has seen the parson.
Every building in town seems to be participating in the Halloween festivities. even the town mortuary has taken on a spooky atmosphere with all those gargoyles out front. However it seems as if one town resident is having a few libations to help him forget the spooky surroundings.
The winner of the house decorating contest will be announced by 9:30 p.m. That will give the winner time to get to the theater in time for the last performance. However from the way that the crowd is streaming into the theater, the winner better get there quickly if they want to get a seat.
Just a few weeks ago someone bought the old manor house on the west side of town. The new couple who bought the place pretty much keep to themselves but some of the town teenagers say they have glimpsed them through the trees. The new watchman who mans the entrance won't let any one on the property. They seem to have a lot of guests that arrive after dark.
Thank you for touring Hauntsville 2007. Please sign the guest book after your visit and when you do please note which house on Maple Street you think has the best decorations. There really is a prize for the winner and we need your vote.
See you next year when Hauntsville undergoes an extensive remodeling program.