On Halloween, The Ghostly Activities Club took in a dark history, haunted house adventure at Meeker Mansion in Puyallup, Washington. See the frightful sights after the jump.

Checking In For The Frightful Night

Checking in was easy enough: Just walk up the coffee shack, give your name, and get your tickets.

The Halloween event didn’t have set times: You just show up and wait your turn to go through the haunted house.

So, I met Amy and Chryssa at an antique shop where we just had to buy a haunted doll (These things are really starting to build into a proper creepy collection).

Next, it was off to Crockett’s Public House to meet the rest of the club for grub. I had a deeelishish grilled cheese with a thick tomato basil soup, perfect for dipping the grilled cheese into it.

After that, we mosied over to Meeker Mansion … and Ovi (our Ovilus 5) started going bonkers in line. The spirits were ready for us.stuff

The Scary Adventures Starts In The Basement

Our group started in the basement. After some history on the mansion from 1920, we went inside to meet a Civil War widow (Mrs. Raven), who was making some vinegar (a.k.a., blackberry wine).

Widows have to make a living after all!

Anyway, the cops came to bust up the shenanigans, and we went back into the basement to meet a coven of witches. They spewed a spell on us …

… and sent us upstairs to the kitchen.

Kitchen Witch Snacks

In the kitchen, a kooky witch brewed a stew … and she needed our help to make it. She also dazzled us with a spell to light the room with floating candles.

Her stew included sticks, stones and rats. Although, she had a severed hand in the warming cove. That must be for dessert.

The kitchen witch then sent us on our merry way after taking time for a selfie.

Upstairs For Victorian Death Rituals

The top floor had to be the creepiest of all. We saw zombies, rotting bodies, dead body photos, and a murder (sorta) for hair.

This room led to some murder-tainment on Victorian death wreaths. We witnessed a “caregiver” ripping the hair from an unfortunate (and doomed) lady in bed. It wasn’t exactly a painless death do to old age. But it did prepare us for the gruesome and sad sights down the dark and deathly hall.

The next room had a zombie maniac. If he’s grumpy, he’d try to kill us … and he was grumpy and tried to kill us! We quickly fled to …

The Victorian death photo room (with an excellent narration) held more than a dozen photos of people mourning their lost loved ones, including a family dog. We learned about how hard life was during the Victorian era, and how diseases (like TB, diptheria and cholera) would wipe out families.

After this sobering stop, we strolled down a candle-lit stairway to …

Your Future Will Be Told On The Main Floor

We waited for a few minutes before entering the next room, where Chryssa made a friend, ghoul girl. There was a little stalking happening. After the friendly(?) ghoul-girl bonding, the door opened, and a psychic greeted us in Ezra’s office with an accompanying parlor. Shelly, who’s also the Puyallup Historical Society director, told us about the Meeker family, showed off some of Ezra’s books, and the restoration efforts for the mansion. It had been a retirement home and long-term care facility before it became the museum we know today.

It was a fun way to learn more about the mansion. Next thing you know, we open the parlor doors to another parlor … a funeral parlor.

Saying Farewell To Eliza Meeker

Next up, the funeral parlor where locals said goodbye to Eliza Meeker in about 1909. Three funeral directors (when do you ever get 3 funeral directors in one spot, eh) re-enacted her eulogy and send off.

We even got to participate in the funeral by placing a rose on the (real) coffin. Ghostly sobs echoed in the room, too. Maybe Eliza watched us from the shadows?! Maybe it was just ghoul girl continuing to haunt Chryssa?!

A Surprising “Meal”

The last stop took us into the dining room. Ghoul girl led us down the dark hallway, all while stalking Chryssa.

Inside, a vampire maitre d told us about the menu, which include O+ blood, fingers, eyeballs and brains. Then, he lifted the main course centerpiece to reveal a living head!

The vamp passed out some forks to Amy and Chryssa to take a bite out of the poor soul who became dinner. BUT … the cockroaches in the meal’s hair revulsed the ladies so much we had to go …

Wrapping Up Our Haunted House Adventure

After the “meal,” ghoul girl led us to the gift shop … and she continued to stalk Chryssa!

We shopped for some tchotchkes (I got a pin, hoodie and coffee mug) and that was the night. I’d recommend everyone to swing by the Meeker Mansion next year. It’s strange the historical society only does this 2 nights a year. It’s obvious they put their hearts into it. The lighting and rooms had exquisitely macabre décor. I also loved the narrations in the body-on-slab room and death photos room.

Overall, it was spooky and not overly graphic. Kids under 10 would get scared by some of the rooms. Older kids, not so much.

If you like your history haunted, then take a trip next year.

Thanks for reading Ghostly Activities. If you’ve had a spooky encounter at Meeker Mansion, or you want to tell more about your adventure in the haunted house, let me know in the comments. Much appreciated and take care!