Given that we are days away from Halloween, consider stopping by the IU Archives to view our current exhibit “Haunted Stories and Halloween Fun,” which features fun and spooky materials that students have shared with IU’s folklore professors. From scary urban legends to fun Halloween costume ideas from the 1980s, students have proven to be a treasure trove of tales and traditions related to this spooky time of year. These stories are not only entertaining but also informative on the celebration of Halloween by young people and the urban legends they were familiar with. This last point is important because this has implications for which legends have persisted and been passed down, and thus have lasting cultural importance.
Why an exhibition on Halloween and urban legends? Before we answer that, let’s define what an urban legend is. It is a genre of folklore that relates to unusual or mysterious events that many believe to be true but are not necessarily true. This genre was championed by Linda Dégh, late distinguished professor of folklore at IU. Her research on urban legends included collecting stories from students and distributing questionnaires about students’ Halloween traditions and experiences, including stories they were familiar with that were related to the holiday. These stories have been preserved in a collection of her papers which were recently processed, as well as in the journal Indiana Folklore, which Dr. Dégh founded.
Linda Dégh however was not the only professor interested in students’ Halloween experiences. Professor John McDowell was also interested in how students celebrated and understood Halloween. In the fall of 1982, he asked his Folklore 101 class to keep a Halloween journal and recount their activities and experiences. The content of these journals included urban legends, costume selection and preparation, news clippings and flyers related to events and Halloween goods, food, decorations, and entertainment (see the inventory for the Folklore Institute student Halloween journals from 1982 here). So, why an exhibition on Halloween and urban legends? Because the IU Archives and libraries carry many stories and recounted experiences from students, which can shed light on students’ lives and how they celebrate this popular holiday as well as their perspectives on alleged paranormal and supernatural phenomena.
What can you expect to find in this exhibition? There are two cases of materials to view. The first case houses materials related to Linda Dégh. Here you can see Halloween custom questionnaires, in which students describe any supernatural experiences they have either had themselves or heard from another person as well as their knowledge of Halloween traditions and stories. In this section of the exhibit, you can also see examples of urban legends that students shared with Dr. Dégh.
There are also examples of materials related to the legend of the “House of Blue Lights,” including a recounting of the legend, a photograph of the house as well as questionnaires about students’ familiarity and experience with the “House of Blue Lights.” For those not familiar with this Indiana legend, the house was owned by Skiles Edward Test, an eccentric rich man who was known for hoarding and as well as his love of animals. According to legend, after his wife passed away, he buried her in a glass coffin which he wrapped in blue lights…which could be seen long after Test’s death. The house no longer stands, but the legend remains.
The second case displays three journals from Professor John McDowell’s Folklore 101 course from the fall of 1982 allowing viewers to see exactly what the students wrote about and get a glimpse as to what Halloween in 1982 was like in Bloomington. Visitors can see multiple pages from each, which provides a sense of how the season progressed for each student. Of course, the entries for Halloween are on display for each of the journals.
As a preview, I will share one of my favorite pieces on display- the tale of the Hodag. Linda Dégh collected a story about a cryptid from Wisconsin folklore known as the Hodag. A cryptid is a creature that has been alleged to be real, but never proven to exist. Other examples of cryptids that you may be familiar with are Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster. The Hodag is such a creature, and legend of the Hodag primarily comes from the northern Wisconsin town of Rhinelander. The tale the informant shared comes from campers from Camp Menominee circa 1958. In this version of the legend, the Hodag is described as reptile-like and would attack and eat campers who attempted to sneak out at night. The story served as a cautionary tale told by camp counselors to dissuade campers from sneaking out. The story claims that there have been actual eyewitnesses of the creature, but the informant did not claim to see one themself. What makes this telling of the legend unique is that it is accompanied by a drawing of the creature, created by the informant who shared the story. To see the full exhibit, you will have to come and see for yourself!
Get into the spirit of the Halloween season and come visit the IU Archives and check out our latest exhibit, if you dare! For more information, consider contacting the archives to view the newly processed Linda Dégh papers or the Folklore Institute student Halloween journals.
