Fall at the Poor House Museum: Haunts & Mystery

Summary

The Van Buren County Historical Society is holding Halloween events with paranormal tours throughout October and a murder mystery November 1.

On a hill outside Hartford, one of Van Buren County’s oldest buildings is having its busiest season of the year.

For more than 140 years, the brick building at 58471 Red Arrow Highway has served county residents in one way or another. Today it is home to the Van Buren County Historical Society’s museum: 44 rooms of local history and, if you ask the right people, a few residents who never quite checked out.

This October, the museum is inviting the public to try their hand at paranormal investigation, and on November 1 it hosts a murder mystery. Come for the history, stay for the goosebumps, or the other way around.

A Home for Those With Nowhere Else to Go

In 1866, the county purchased a farmhouse on 173 acres in Hartford Township to serve as its poor house. Long before modern social services, this is where the county cared for residents who were elderly, ill, or out of options. Those who were able worked the farm, raising the crops and livestock that fed the household.

On April 30, 1884, fire destroyed the original wooden building, and lives were lost. The county rebuilt that same year, this time in brick, and that building still stands today. At its fullest, it housed around 60 people. Additions followed in 1910 and 1920, and it closed as a residence in 1952.

The Residents Who Stayed

Tad Moody has volunteered at the museum for more than 20 years and is known around the building as its resident ghost guy. Ask him and you’ll hear about the fan that turns itself on, the woman seen working at the sewing machine, and the man who sits in an upstairs window, still watching for his family.

Investigators from across the country, and as far away as Australia, have come to explore the building with their equipment. Do the stories hold up? We’ll leave the verdict to you.

Become a Paranormal Investigator (Through October)

For the rest of October, the museum is offering special investigation packages:

• $10: Explore the museum with a K-2 meter
• $25: A full paranormal investigation using the museum’s equipment. Stay for hours.
• To book: Call Tad Moody at (269) 621-2546 or email TadMoody100@gmail.com to schedule any day of the week.

All proceeds benefit the museum. One house rule: all visitors must wear full-length pants on the premises. The ghosts may not have a dress code, but the museum does.

Murder Mystery: Sunday, November 1

Prefer your mysteries solved? On Sunday, November 1, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., the museum hosts a murder mystery where guests help decide who is really guilty. Museum volunteers, dressed in costume and in character, will give you clues to solve the crime.

No RSVP needed. Free-will donations are welcome.

Plan Your Visit

Van Buren County Historical Society Museum
58471 Red Arrow Highway, Hartford
(269) 500-1450 | poorhousemuseum@outlook.com
www.VanBurenCountyHistoricalSociety.org