Mama Kat Thursday: The Creepy-Coolest Haunted House!

Today's Mama Kat prompt I've chosen the option to write about something "creepy"---in this case, something creepy-cool:

The Indianapolis Children's Museum Guild's famous "Haunted House!"

It was started by the Children's Museum Guild in 1964 in order to raise funds for special projects & exhibits and housed in a large gingerbread-looking two-story house in front of the museum called the Dreyer Building.

I remember Mother taking us there as children in the mid-60's. We waiting in a long, long line of people that wound from the parking lot to the front, then, once inside, we wound through two stories of scary fun! Volunteer Guild members dressed as witches strolled along the line, greeting guests.

 Inside, this Haunted House was painted black and on the floor, we followed a trail of glow-in-the-dark footprints that guided us on our creepy journey from room to room, upstairs, then down. Each room held a spooky theme and more disguised Guild members to pop-out at you as zombies or sit up in coffins or be a group witches huddled around a cauldron steaming with dry ice mist, every scene brightly colored with neon colored, glow in the dark paint and also colored lighting. I remember lots of flashing strobe lights illuminating various scenes briefly, such as hanging skeletons.

At the end of the tour, we'd pop out a back door into the parking lot where Witches waited to offer refreshments.

I know we went several years as kids, though I think the first trip was probably the coolest because it was a new experience! 

The Haunted House always featured a different over-all theme every year, such as Outer Space or The Haunted Woods, etc. 

The Indianapolis Children's Museum Haunted House is among the most famous of Haunted Houses in the United States. It's America's longest continuously operating Haunted House and celebrated it's 50th anniversary in 2013!
In 2010, Rand McNally rated it as one of the top 10 Haunted Houses in the country. 

Dreyer Bldg.

I think we only visited it while it was still in that ginger-bread Dreyer Building. That house was torn down in 1975, but, by then, the Museum had already acquired an adjacent property called the Harrison Building, which was a two floor building with 6 apartments they could transform into their yearly Haunted House and they used that for the next 13 years.

In 1978, they added a "Lights On Tour" for younger children who might be frightened by the standard tour.

In 1995 the Museum constructed a set facade of a "crumbling Victorian house" to mount over their front door to promote their Haunted House and other fall events.

In 1996, after the completion of their Festival Park that added a Haunted Festival as an additional annual haunted event until 2007.

As part of their 2009 expansion, the Museum opened a new  Welcome Center that offers dedicated indoor access to the Haunted House in the Johnson-Weaver Pavilion, so visitors no longer have to wait in line outside!

That's where it's held today, with a new theme every year, plus the Lights On Tour for little ones, an extra "Scary" tour for the brave and other events.

I really enjoyed learning about the evolution of this childhood memory. I really had no idea it wasn't still in the same building.
You can read the full history here. 
There's a of "Themes" about all their past themes and interesting incidents, like a bomb threat in the 60's. Plus a interesting little photo slide show widget at the bottom of the page.

I think if I happened to in Indiana some  October, I wouldn't mind having a peek, just for old times sake.

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What was your favorite Haunted House as a kid?

Thanks for Visiting!