Brooke Hills Spooktacular
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The Brooke Hills Spooktacular is an interactive haunted house that is updated each year by it's volunteers. It is mainly a house that is used throughout weekends in October to bring in tourists and the local community. It is also used as Brooke Hills Park's main fundraiser, the second most important fundraiser is the Brooke Hills PlayHouse.
History
The Brooke Hills Spooktacular takes place in a 185+ year old farmhouse, built before 1822. The first and basically only family to own the house was the Gist family of Wellsburg,West Virginia. W.C. Gist and his wife, along with a boy and girl, owned of land known as "Happy Hills Farm". After the horrible death of Mr. and Mrs Gist, along with the girl, the were willed to Brooke County and became, for the past 55 years, Brooke Hills Park. The boy, known as S.C Gist died of natrual causes around 1925. In 1986, one the vollenteers saw this old centry farmhouse for what it is now, a spookhouse.
Haunted?
Many of the volunteers know the old farmhouse as a place where unrested sprits lie in dorm. There are plenty of stories to go with these which include Mr. Gist, Mrs. Gist who hung herself , a little girl who hung herself as well, the farmhand, Indians which took refuge in the basement and were killed in a boiler exsplotion. Most of the spirits are found to be most active while reconstruction is going on in the house and around Halloween.
Sightings
To go with the question of the spookhouse being haunted are some ghost stories that have been told by the vollenteers
- Late one Saturday , a cold and rainy night, a few of the vollenteers were in a room known as the porch and were waiting around for the last group to come in. While they were waiting, they heard a knock on the door. On of the them moved over to the door to tell them that they needed a few minutes. And as he opened the door, there stood a little girl in the doorway. She wasn't see through, nor was she "foggy looking". The vollenteer told her to go back to her group and he shut the door. Just as he was Walking away, there was anouther knock. He opened the door and saw the little girl exit through the coffin... not by opening it, but walking straight through it.
- On a Friday night, in the room known as the chainsaw room, a vollenteer was just getting done setting everything up and as he was leaving, he heard something pull the chain (there were chains hanging from the celling). He went back into the room and set it up again. As he was leaving again, the chain pulled again. As he turned, he saw a little girl standing next to the chain that was pulled. She had her hand on it and was smiling. After AbOUT 4 seconds, she dissaphered into the maze door.
- One of the nights in October, a room idea to recreate the hanging of the Mrs. Gist by having a rope hang from the same spot Mrs. Gist died. While they had a group in the room, they started to see someone to apphear in the rope, and for a second, they could make out the face of a woman, which is believed to be Mrs. Gist.
- Durring the last night of the spookhouse in 2007, a few of the members took a few pictures in the attic. When they looked at the pictures, there were various red lights In the Pictures where there is no light in the attic. Also found in the attic is the blouse that dates back to the 18th century; it is believed to be the little girl's.
Rules and information
Anyone brave enough to enter the 185+ year old farmhouse durring October is sure to get a treat in horror. Every year scince 1986; about 700-1,200 people a night; enter the old farmhouse in search for whatever thier heart desires. There is always something that will make someone feel uneasy about entering the house. In a news paper article (Seems To Me By George), George exsplained the spookhouse being "filled with moderate climbing, swimming through a sea of terror and horror." One of the vollenteers told the Brooke Scene, "We do whatever we see fit to scare someone." With that said, the Brooke Hills Spooktacular is a very interative house, the actors will touch you. Groups range from 8-10 people, which are guided through the house, stopping in each room which is a different story/scene. It takes about 30 minutes or more to get through the farmhouse, not to mention the maze at the end.
The rules simply follow:
- If you have any cell phones, please turn them off... not vibrate or silent, completely off.
- You will be completely silent unless told otherwise by a guide.
- You will hold hands with the person next to you at all times unless told otherwise.
- You will not hit or kick any occupants or props in the house at all.
- No profanity at anytime.
There are some warinings as well:
- Children 7 and under are highly discouraged from entering the house.
- Don't enter if you are pregant.
- Don't enter if your claustrophobic.
- Don't enter if you have any heart problems.
- Don't enter if you have epilepsy.
- Don't enter if you have any back or neck problems.
All other medical problems that arn't listed should be taken extremely cationable.