Mystery Manor's Mysterious Past Exposed
By Jen Nish and Marissa MarkIt's that brisk time of year again, kids. It's the time when the leaves are falling, the wind is changing, and fear is bubbling in every nostalgic American heart. Yes, it's October, the month of Halloween, cheesy ghost stories and, more profitably, haunted houses.
Haunted houses have been around Omaha for years. However, one is the oldest and most notable. Mystery Manor, at 719 North 18th Street, has been serving Omaha as a house of terror for 17 years. What many people visiting the manor don't know is that there is a story about the artificially haunted house that predates the paying public visits. During a visit to a sneak preview of the haunted house, Mystery Manor's publicist explained the true story behind the house.
Here's the gist: Brutal triple murders at Hall Manor (Mystery Manor)remain mysterious and unsolved. Greta Hall, her husband, William Hall and her brother, John Martin, were all murdered with the same ax, at the same site.
It was 1929, one week before Halloween. The body of Greta Hall had been discovered axed into pieces. Apparently, crazed by the fall of the stock market, William, in a blinding rage of madness, took his ax and attacked his wife.
Before morning, William realized the horror of his actions and buried his wife's mutilated body in a shallow grave in front of their home, Hall Manor.
A week later, on Halloween night, John Martin avenged his sister's brutal murder by attacking William Hall, using the same ax and burying him in the same grave his sister was buried in. Toward midnight, a passerby noticed John Martin's body draped over a grave. Rumor is that he was killed with the same ax, but authorities never discovered who committed this murder. Supposedly, William Hall's soul is trapped within the mansion's walls and unexplained sights and sounds have sent all of it's proceeding occupants away in terror.
Mystery Manor's season this year started on Oct. 4th, opening at 7:00 each night, and tonight will be its last night. Admission is $8, and proceeds go to Prevent Blindness Nebraska.
When asked how this story would affect their visit to the haunted house, Marian students had a variety of reactions. "I would be more intrigued to go," said junior Liz Rassmussen, who has enjoyed her previous visits to the haunted house.
Sophomore Christine Swanson agrees that she would be more likely to go, knowing there is truth behind the terror. "It would be a lot more fun, because it's not made up," she said.
Senior Mary Treinen said it would be scarier, "It would make it a lot creepier, and it would be more realistic, because usually when you go it's all fake."
Freshman Gusia Faryna had a different perspective. When asked if she would be more scared, knowing the truth, she said, "Probably not, because I'm not superstitious."
Superstitious or not, everyone gets scared every so often. This year, as you venture out into the cold autumn air for a night of fun and fearsome activity, keep in mind that there may be more than memories lurking in the walls of Mystery Manor.
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