>>> TIS THE SEASON TO EMBRACE ALL THINGS SPOOKY AND SCARY.
RECENTLY PEOPLE HAVE FLOCKED TO THE WHICH IS TIER YEAH HURST
MUSEUM IN HOLYOKE FOR A RARE NIGHTTIME GLIMPSE OF THE
HISTORIC HOME, AND TO OBSERVE IF ANYTHING GOES BUMP IN THE NIGHT.
MEGAN JOHNSON FILLED ME IN ON SOME OF THE STORIES WHO LIVED
THERE, AND WORKED THERE, THAT JUST MIGHT MAKE YOU SHOULDER.
>> IT ORIGINALLY WAS IN HAYDENVILLE, NORTH OF
NORTHAMPTON, AND WILLIAM SKINNER, HE WAS THE, HE OWNED A
SILK MILL.
AND AFTER THE FLOOD OF 1874, THE MILL WAS DESTROYED.
HIS HOUSE DID GET FLOODED, BUT HE RELOCATED TO HOLYOKE AND HE
LOVED HIS HOUSE.
SO HE DIDN'T WANT TO BUILD A NEW ONE, SO THEY TOOK IT ON AN OH,
CART DOWN, AN OX CART AND REBUILT IT IN HOLYOKE.
>> THE LATE 1870'S?
>> YES.
>> IT'S NOT AS IF YOU HAD MODERN HEAVY WIDE LOAD EQUIPMENT.
>> EXACTLY.
>> SO IT MUST HAVE BEEN QUITE THE SPECTACLE, RECONSTRUCTING
IT.
>> YES.
HIS NEW MILL WAS UP AND RUNNING WITHIN SIX MONTHS OF THE FLOOD.
AND THE HOUSE TOOK TWO YEARS TO TAKE DOWN AND REBUILD.
>> SO WHO FROM THE SKINNER FAMILY WOULD HAVE BEEN LIVING IN
THAT HOUSE THAT PEOPLE TOUR IN HOLYOKE NOW?
>> THE SKINNER FAMILY IS THE ONLY FAMILY THAT EVER LIVED
THERE.
WILLIAM SKINNER AND HIS WIFE SARAH.
IT WAS ACTUALLY HIS SECOND WIFE.
HIS FIRST WIFE WOULDN'T HAVE EVER LIVED THERE.
AND THEN THEY HAD FIVE CHILDREN WHO LIVED TO BE ADULTS.
THEY DID HAVE TWO WHO LIVED, WHO DIED AS BABIES, AND THEN ONE WHO
DIED WHEN SHE WAS 4.
SO, BUT FIVE DID LIVE LONG LIVES.
>> ONE OF THE FAMILY MEMBERS ACTUALLY GIFTED THE HOME TO THE
CITY OF HOLYOKE, RIGHT?
>> YES.
SO THE YOUNGEST DAUGHTER, KITTY, SHE WAS THE LAST FAMILY MEMBER
TO LIVE THERE.
SHE HAD BEEN MARRIED AND MOVED OUT.
BUT AFTER HER HUSBAND DIED SHE MOVED BACK IN, AND IT JUST WAS
TOO MUCH FOR THE FAMILY TO KEEP UP.
SO SHE MOVED OUT AND DONATED IT TO THE CITY.
>> THE LAST YEAR OR TWO YOU'VE BEEN OFFERING A NIGHTTIME
PROGRAM IN ADVANCE OF HALLOWEEN.
YOU'RE DOING THAT THIS YEAR.
DARKENED HALLWAYS.
CREEPY.
>> YES.
>> WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO OFFER THIS TO THE PUBLIC?
>> WELL, WHEN EVER WE HAVE EVENTS AT NIGHT, PEOPLE ARE
REALLY INTO THE HOUSE.
USUALLY IT'S JUST YOU'RE GOING TO THE MUSIC ROOM FOR WHATEVER
THE EVENT IS, OR IT'S AT THE GALLERY, OR A SPECIFIC ROOM AND
YOU DON'T GET TO SEE THE REST OF THE HOUSE.
SO WE DECIDED TO OPEN IT UP, AND LET PEOPLE SEE IT AT NIGHT, AND
ALSO WE DON'T HAVE THE LIGHTS ON.
WE'LL HAVE A COUPLE ON, BUT WE HAVE LITTLE CANDLES AROUND, NOT
ACTUAL FLAMES, BUT, SO PEOPLE CAN KIND OF GET A SENSE OF WHAT
IT'S LIKE, AND WHAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE FOR THE FAMILY,
BECAUSE THEY DID HAVE ELECTRICITY, BUT I'M SURE IT
WASN'T WHAT IT IS TODAY.
>> DOES THE HOUSE HAVE AN OVERALL DIFFERENT FEEL AT NIGHT?
>> IT DEFINITELY DOES.
WHEN IT'S DARK, THERE ARE A LOT OF DARK CORNERS, AND A LOT OF,
IF YOU HEAR SOMETHING, YOU'RE NOT REALLY SURE WHERE IT CAME
FROM.
SO IT DEFINITELY DOES HAVE A CREEPIER FEEL AT NIGHT.
>> I KNOW WHICH IS TIER YEAH HURST HAS DONE DIFFERENT --
WHICH IS -- PROGRAMS.
ARE THERE SOME SPOOKY EVENTS THAT HAPPENED THERE?
>> WE TRY TO MAKE IT A LITTLE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE HOUSE
SO YOU GET THAT AS WELL, BUT WE TELL STORIES THAT WE DON'T
TYPICALLY TELL DURING THE NORMAL TOUR.
ABOUT SOME PEOPLE WHO HAVE DIED IN THE HOUSE.
ONE OF THEIR SERVE ANTS ACTUALLY DIED IN THE HOUSE, UPSTAIRS, SHE
WAS OLDER AND HAD BEEN WITH THE FAMILY FOR A LONG TIME AND SHE
HAD A HEART ATTACK.
NATURAL CAUSES.
AND THERE'S A SERVANT WHO WAS A GARDNER AND WAS TRIMMING A TREE
LIKE HE WAS UP TRIMMING BRANCHES, AND HE FELL OUT OF THE
TREE AND THERE WAS A WROUGHT IRON FENCE THAT HE LANDED ON AND
DIED.
>> SO THOSE ARE TWO PEOPLE YOU MENTIONED WHO HAVE PASSED AWAY
IN THE HOUSE.
DO PEOPLE REPORT SEEING THEM?
SEEING OTHER PEOPLE IN THE HOUSE?
>> WE HAVEN'T HAD ANY REPORTS OF SEEING ACTUAL PEOPLE.
IT'S MORE LIKE NOISES, THINGS THAT YOU CAN'T REALLY EXPLAIN,
MORE THAN LIKE, YOU KNOW, I SAW A PERSON THERE.
THERE'S A STORY THAT A FAMILY MEMBER A LONG TIME AGO SAW
SOMEONE THAT THEY COULDN'T EXPLAIN WHO IT WAS, AND THEY
THINK IT WAS A NEIGHBOR THAT HAD JUST DIED.
THAT WAS LIKE YEARS AGO, THOUGH, THAT'S WHEN THE FAMILY WAS STILL
THERE.
THAT HAPPENED TO ONE OF THE SERVANTS.
>> AND WHAT HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED, ANYTHING DIFFERENT
FOR YOU IN THE HOUSE?
>> YEAH, THERE'S BEEN SOME CREEPY THINGS LIKE DOORS
SLAMMING WITH GLASS SHATTERING, UNEXPLAINED, AND JUST NOISES,
FOOTSTEPS, THINGS LIKE THAT.
I DEFINITELY HAVEN'T SEEN ANYONE.
>> SO, WAS THAT AT NIGHT WHEN YOU WERE IN THE HOUSE THAT YOU
EXPERIENCED THAT?
>> SOME OF THEM WERE AT NIGHT, SOME WERE DURING THE DAY, BROAD
DAYLIGHT.
>> JUST WONDERING IF YOU FEEL LIKE THE OCCURRENCES OF THESE
QUESTIONABLE THINGS ARE HAPPENING MORE AT NIGHT THAN
DURING THE DAY.
>> YEAH, WELL, NO, NOT REALLY.
IT'S KIND OF EQUAL.
BUT I THINK HAVING IT AT NIGHT, EVERYBODY IS A LITTLE MORE
CREEPED OUT AT NIGHT, AND, YOU KNOW, THEY SAY THAT TECHNICALLY
TYPICALLY GHOSTS ARE GOING TO POP UP AT NIGHT.
>> THIS TOUR IS SOLD OUT, AND YOU SAY IT SOLD OUT VERY QUICKLY
THE LAST TWO YEARS YOU'VE OFFERED IT, RIGHT?
>> YES.
>> SO IF WE DIVULGE SOME OF THE DETAILS I DON'T FEEL TOO BAD
BECAUSE THERE'S A L. PEOPLE WHO WON'T GET TO EXPERIENCE THIS.
WHY DO YOU THINK THAT PEOPLE LIKE TO BE SPOOKED OR SCARED?
>> WELL, I THINK A LOT OF IT HAS TO DO WITH THE TIME OF YEAR,
FIRST OF ALL, IT'S LIKE HOW SALEM REALLY PICKS UP IN
OCTOBER.
I THINK PEOPLE LIKE THE IDEA OF THE SPOOKINESS OF IT, AND SEEING
A SIDE OF WYSTERIA HURST THAT YOU'RE NOT NECESSARILY GOING TO
SEE, AND BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A BIG PART OF THE COMMUNITY IT JUST, I
DON'T KNOW, PEOPLE WANT TO BE STARTLED, THEY WANT THAT LITTLE,
THEY WANT TO BE ABLE TO SAY THEY HEARD SOMETHING OR THEY FELT
SOMETHING.
SO THIS IS JUST THAT OPPORTUNITY, AND WHEN IT'S DARK,
I THINK JUST PEOPLE GET, YOU'RE JUST MORE LIKELY TO HEAR
SOMETHING OR WHATEVER.
OR MAYBE YOU HEAR SOMETHING AND IT'S NOT NECESSARILY ANYTHING
TOO SPOOKY, BUT IF IT'S AT NIGH- >> ALL THE MORE POSSIBLE THAT
SOMETHING LURKING IS GOING TO COME AND GET YOU.
>> RIGHT.
>> THERE MIGHT BE PEOPLE LISTENING TO THIS CONVERSATION
AND SHE SAID, OKAY, A DOOR SLAMMED, GLASS BROKE, COULD HAVE
BEEN THE WIND.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO THEM?
>> I WOULD SAY THAT GO TO WYSTERIA HURST YOURSELF AND SEE.
BECAUSE ONCE YOU'RE IN THERE YOU FEEL SOMETHING, YOU DEFINITELY
DO.
I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYTHING SINISTER THERE, IT'S DEFINITELY
ALL VERY NICE.
IF YOU GO, YOU'LL SEE. AND I THINK YOU'LL BELIEVE A
LITTLE BIT MORE.