A Haunted House to Remember

For Halloween one year, perhaps in '77 or '78, we created a spook alley in the big house in Cleveland. Viewers would enter through the back door, led slowly up the back stairs by myself as the guide. I was robed in black, seated in the creeping electric chair with a flashlight held under my chin. At the landing by the apartment entrance they were then turned over to someone else who led them up more stairs to the attic. They had to pass through black plastic strips and wet strings, I think. Upstairs Mom had a bowl of peeled grape eyes and spaghetti intestines. I recall there were shadow shows and halloween spooks lurking. The real thrill came when they entered the dark, musty attic room and were startled by dead bodies rising from coffins. There was a large trap door in the floor and a pulley suspended overhead from which an ancient looking rope and hook were attached. The participant would sit on the seat from the swingset and get lowered by the thick rope down into the apartment below as dry ice mist rose up through the trapdoor opening. Victim after victim were lowered down by Dad and his assistant, that is, until large Pete Gail had his turn. With much strain and difficulty, he was let down to safety below. The next person in line was Jon's friend, Tyler Yorgason, who couldn't have weighed more than 80 lbs. But, after the last oversized load, the old rope gave up and broke with Tyler on the swing. He only suffered minor injuries, but it sure was a scare. After that I don't recall if that part of the tour was closed or if another rope was used.
-Margaret