Brooke Hills Spooktacular
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| Location: | Wellsburg, West Virginia |
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| Years of Operation: | 1986 - Present |
| Official Site: | [1] |
| Phone Number: | 304-737-1236 |
The Brooke Hills Spooktacular is an interactive haunted house that is updated each year by its 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.
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[edit] 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 750 acres (3.0 km²) of land known as "Happy Hills Farm". After the horrible death of Mr. and Mrs Gist, along with the girl, the 750 acres (3.0 km²) were willed to Brooke County and became, for the past 55 years, Brooke Hills Park. The boy, known as S.C Gist died of natural causes around 1925. In 1986, one the volunteers saw this old century farmhouse for what it is now, a spookhouse.
[edit] Haunted?
Many of the volunteers know the old farmhouse as a place where never-resting spirits lie dormant. There are plenty of stories to go with these which include stories about Mr. and Mrs. Gist, a little girl who resides upstairs, the Butler who hung himself in the one of the upstairs rooms, and the farmhand who tends to reside throughout the entire house. Most of the spirits are found to be most active while reconstruction is going on in the house, when the house opens up in October, and on Halloweenthis year.
[edit] Rules and information
Anyone brave enough to enter the 185+ year old farmhouse during October is sure to get a treat in horror. Every year since 1986; about 700-1,200 people a night; enter the old farmhouse in search for whatever their 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 explained the spookhouse being "filled with moderate climbing, swimming through a sea of terror and horror." One of the volunteers told the Brooke Scene, "We do whatever we see fit to scare someone." With that said, It costs $10 to enter the old farmhouse. The Brooke Hills Spooktacular is a very interactive house, the actors will touch you. Groups range from 6-10 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 pitch black maze at the end of the tour.
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, kick, or touch any occupants or props in the house at all.
- No profanity at anytime.
There are some warnings as well:
- Children 7 and under are highly discouraged from entering the house.
- Don't enter if you are pregnant.
- 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 aren't listed should be taken extremely cautionable.
