Ghosts Haunt Halloweens of Yesteryear

Bring on Halloween, a season when masks aren’t so controversial (usually).

A spooky trip through newspaper archives dug up photographs to delight and, in some cases, haunt (Be relieved, Bill Jones, we’re not republishing that 1986 trick-or-treating pic. What were you thinking?)

Our earliest coverage included a warning about the potential for flammable costumes to explode but, thankfully, no stories of such tragedies happening.

Crime Reports covered miscreants lobbing pumpkins at passing cars in 1987 and 1991. In 1995, teens snatched a $30 gorilla mask off a front porch decoration after a Crescent Avenue homeowner refused candy to boys chastened as too old to trick or treat.

Decades of papers show the Park Cities love school carnivals and jack-o-lantern contests.

Have another awesome Halloween but be careful what you wear.

PHOTOS: People Newspapers Archives

William Taylor

William Taylor, editor of Park Cities People and Preston Hollow People, shares a name and a birthday with his dad and a love for community journalism with his colleagues at People Newspapers. He joined the staff in 2016 after more than 25 years working for daily newspapers in such places as Alexandria, Louisiana; Baton Rouge; McKinney; San Angelo; and Sherman, though not in anywhere near that order. A city manager once told him that “city government is the best government” because of its potential to improve the lives of its residents. William still enjoys covering municipal government and many other topics. Follow him on Twitter @Seminarydropout. He apologizes in advance to the Joneses for any angry Tweets that might slip out about the Dallas Cowboys during the NFL season. You also can reach him at william.taylor@peoplenewspapers.com. For the latest news, click here to sign up for our newsletter.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *