Halloween parties have been a longstanding tradition at the University of Northern Iowa. In the late 1800s, rooming houses held their own Halloween parties that included pumpkin carving, taffy pulls and games — much like events hosted by halls this week.
The student newspaper, then named the Normal Eye, recorded the environment of Halloween evening in November 1895.
“On Halloween evening the young ladies of Bley Hall most successfully entertained a number of Normal friends. The evening throughout was spent in that happy and helpful association which lightens the burdens of life, cheers the lonely heart, and makes school days indeed more pleasant. All who were present thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and are now wishing that more Halloweens might soon come. These ladies never do anything by halves.”
By 1910, many organizations held their own Halloween parties. Some of these parties also featured the initiation of new members. The new members often had small pranks played on them during these parties.
Fortune telling was a tradition from the parties that developed in the 1910s, and continued for several decades thereafter. Many times the entertainment at these parties included a witch — who revealed the future of those who dared to ask.
Individual organizations and residence halls have continued to host their own parties throughout the years. In 1933, Bartlett Hall held a Halloween Dinner attended by 143 women. In 1935, Bartlett Hall held a party that included recreational dancing and other activities.
Halloween activities in 1944 included a Halloween Party held by the residents of Seerley Hall. There was a haunted room, and a carnival atmosphere that again included fortune telling, singing and assorted refreshments.
The UNI campus has reputedly been haunted over the years by at least two ghosts: Zelda and Augie.
The exact date when Zelda first appeared is hard to determine, but she is described as early as 1963 in the student newspaper, the College Eye, as “the spirit of the theatre that is neither seen nor heard.”
Zelda was reported to live in the basement of the Auditorium Building, now known as Lang Hall, which was then the home of college dramatic performances. But Zelda moved with the Theatre Department when the new Strayer-Wood Theatre opened in 1978.
Reports of Augie started appearing in the student newspapers at least as early as 1977. At that time he was reported to have changed the lettering on a bulletin board outside one room to say “Augie will return to haunt Bordeaux House.”
More of Augie’s antics were reported in 1992 when a resident assistant claimed to have seen a man in a striped outfit walking down the hall while the hall was closed. The man vanished into the women’s restroom. When the resident assistant went into the restroom, there was no one there.
Halloween, with its disparate folk and religious roots, has inspired a variety of activities among UNI students over the school’s 150-year history.
A few students chose disruptive, anti-social activities. A larger number, especially in recent years, participated in philanthropic activities that brought happiness into children’s lives.
But most students of most eras, if they celebrated Halloween at all, seemed to see it as an opportunity to enjoy friends, good food and good drink — and maybe to feel the thrill of being scared.
