Halloween History in the Hill Country

Published in the Kerrville Daily Times on October 3, 2025

Finally! One of my favorite months of the year is here! I love the fall months in the Hill Country — my step gets lighter as the temperatures cool and the leaves change color. My lifelong interest in ghost stories, practical jokes and costuming also makes me a sucker for all things Halloween. So, of course, my columns this month will have a Halloween theme.

The photo accompanying today’s column was taken on Halloween, 1875. The building in the photo still stands today and even looks a lot like it did back then. The Woolls Building, constructed around 1873-75, is one of the oldest structures in downtown Center Point. It is located at the corner of San Antonio Street and Skyline Drive.

Six people stand on the balcony of the Woolls Building in downtown Center Point in 1875 as they try to work out how to deal with two cows placed on the balcony as a Halloween prank.

What the photo depicts is a Halloween prank. Along with the four men and two young boys on the second story balcony are two black cows. Leaving a cow or horse on the second story or rooftop of a building was a common prank to pull on unsuspecting business owners. 

Both horses and cows can be led up a flight of stairs fairly easily, but are extremely shy when it comes to going back down the stairs. This prank often left the business owner with the difficult task of figuring out how to get a spooked animal down stairs and out of the building without causing too much damage.

Outhouses were also known to find their way onto rooftops and other inconvenient locations as a Halloween prank.

As Kerr County grew and more families made the area home, the rowdy pranks were left behind in favor of Halloween parties. By 1900, spooky themed parties were given for both children and adults. The descriptions of parties given by two of the local congregations actually surprised me.

The Nov. 6, 1909, issue of the Kerrville Mountain Sun gave this account of a children’s Halloween party given by the Methodist Church and the Kerrville Social Club: 

Kerrville’s younger set were afforded a most pleasurable evening on Friday of last week, at an entertainment at the home of Mr. and Mrs. W.T. Cason, on Water Street. … The feature of the entertainment was the queer behavior of spooks and spirits. All the things were done that are typical of Hallowe’en. Ghost stories were told, witches read palms and predicted remarkable things that the future holds for some Kerrville young people.

The refreshments served were in keeping with the other features of the evening. Each course carried with it some typical Hallowe’en prophecy, many of which were very amusing. The gay party spent the hours in mirthful happiness that was strangely at variance with witchlike costumes and symbols of witchcraft that appeared on every hand.

 The Baptists also had their own spooky party that year. The festivities took place at “The Oaks, the pleasant country home of Mr. and Mrs. J.T.S. Gammon.” The Nov. 7, 1909, issue of the Kerrville Mountain Sun gave this report: 

After climbing the mountain pass in the moonlight, which cast weird shadows on the cliff and mountain crest, guests were met at the gates of the hospitable home by a couple of “cadavers,” who silently und sepulchrally led them into the vestibule, where another “spook” took charge and conducted them beneath a bad luck ladder, where it was necessary to carry a rabbit foot, and also to whistle all the time. Once past this dread ordeal a third “wraith” took charge and led the guests into the realm of witches, where fortunes were told.

Continuing the uncanny march, the quests were required to descend the steps backward into a region presided over by his Satanic Majesty. As they went down the steps each carried a looking glass and candle and looked searchingly for a reflection of their future Mr. or Mrs.

After going through the whole gamut of Hallowe’en performances, the guests were escorted to the dining room, where delicious refreshments were served. 

Other parties were more sedate. On Halloween night of 1908, a party was given at a home in Ingram. Listed among the guests were family names local historians would recognize immediately: Colvin, Dowdy, Leinweber, Nichols and Zumwalt. The description of the party read, “Many nice games were played and refreshments were served. At 12 o’clock, Miss Bessie Smith played ‘Home Sweet Home’ and all departed, having spent a jolly time.” 

What a polite way to tell folks it’s time to go home.

In the late 1910s and into the 1920s, it became fashionable to have a masked ball or dance on Halloween. Many organizations held dances on All Hallows Eve, but this depiction of a high school dance, from the Nov. 5, 1920, issue of the Kerrville Mountain Sun was a lot of fun to read: 

The Tivy High School Auditorium was the scene of the annual High School Hallowe’en Party last Saturday night. The large hall was decorated in festive black and orange witches, cats, goblins, owls and other symbols appropriate of the Hallowe’en season.

The far left end of the auditorium was arranged to represent an October forest scene. On the edge of the forest stood a witches tent, from which later in the evening a ghostly figure made its appearance. The right end of the room was autumnal-like in its harvest attire and a huge skeleton awed the guests by its uncanny presence in the field.

The stage was bordered with natural cane stalks. Here sat the three witches of Haydees to judge the delinquent school boys. From the center of the ceiling was suspended a tremendous lighter pumpkin, seventy four inches in circumference.

As the students arrived, arrayed in varied masquerade costumes, they were greeted at the door by a ghost with icy hands. After the unmasking, the gruesome witches’ supper took place. … At the weird hour of 12, one of the witches presiding over a cauldron distributed miniature diplomas, which predicted the future or each student. These diplomas were arranged in the black and orange motif.

I hope you have a wonderful “Spooky Season.” If you like your history with a side of the supernatural, the Kerr Arts & Cultural Center is giving ghost tours of downtown Kerrville this month. The tours are $10 a person and are at 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, starting Oct. 10. If you’ve done one of our tours before, come back — the center has a new tour guide, Kevin Clark, conducting the tours, and he tells the Kerrville ghost stories, local legends and tales of murder and mayhem in a fun and delightful way. Call the center at 830-895-2911 to reserve your spot on a tour.