On August 22, 1876, six doctors gathered in a Portland living room to catch a ghost.

A curtain hung across one corner of the room, with just the bottom of a woman's skirt visible beneath it. The lights were almost out, and the doctors sat waiting.

The woman behind the curtain was Mrs. Hull, a local materializing medium. She didn't just claim to speak with the dead. She claimed she could make them appear right there in her living room, where people could see, touch, and even kiss them.

And apparently, her séances could get pretty elaborate. Accounts from the time describe figures dressed in white walking out into the room and bringing people flowers. Sometimes one would even pull back the curtain to show Mrs. Hull still sitting on her stool, while the supposed spirit stood in front of everyone.

One of the people who came to see Mrs. Hull was a doctor named Greene, whose wife had recently died. At an earlier séance, a woman appeared from behind the curtain, and according to Mrs. Hull's husband, Dr. Greene recognized her as his wife by her smile and the way she wore her hair. He even claimed he could see Mrs. Hull still sitting behind the curtain at the same time.

I looked into Dr. Greene and found a prominent Portland surgeon named William Warren Greene, whose wife, Elizabeth, had died that June. I can't confirm they're the same man, but it's a pretty close match.

But Dr. Greene and several other doctors eventually grew suspicious enough to make a plan. The spirit he'd believed was his wife was supposed to appear again on August 22, and this time, the doctors were ready.

After about twenty minutes, a woman dressed in white stepped out from behind the curtain. Dr. Greene approached her and asked for her hand. She reached out, and he grabbed it. She resisted, but he pulled her into the room and lifted her veil.

It was Mrs. Hull.

Behind the curtain, the doctors found her stool empty. The skirt that was supposed to prove she hadn't moved was empty too, and a pile of clothing lay on the floor.

The Hulls disputed parts of the doctors' account, but they didn't deny Mrs. Hull was the woman under the veil. Instead, they had another explanation. She'd been under the influence of spirits and hadn't meant to fool anyone.

You'd think that would have been enough to convince people she was a fraud.

Apparently not.

A few weeks later, a Spiritualist named Thomas R. Hazard came to Portland to investigate for himself. He wasn't ready to dismiss Mrs. Hull just because the doctors said so. He visited the Hulls at their home on Brattle Street in Bayside, the little street near Isa Bistro.

This time, they came up with a way to make sure Mrs. Hull couldn't secretly leave her chair. They passed a silk thread through her pierced ear and attached it to the wall with sealing wax. If she got up, the thread would break.

Hazard claimed a spirit appeared anyway, and the thread was still intact afterward.

And Mrs. Hull kept going. Six years later, she faced another accusation in New York, where someone grabbed a supposed spirit and reportedly found Mrs. Hull again. Her supporters defended her.

Then, in 1890, a man looking for a medium for a grieving friend was given Mrs. Hull's name as a recommendation.

Fourteen years after she'd been caught dressed as a spirit in Portland, someone was still recommending her to people hoping to see the dead.

And if you see someone walking around Portland this Halloween with a curtain over their head and a skirt sticking out underneath, it's probably me dressed as Mrs. Hull.

Want to read the original account? Here's the actual newspaper from September 23, 1876. Look for “EXPOSED MEDIUMS” on page 8. The account includes Mrs. Hull's defense and the bizarre experiment involving a silk thread through her ear.

Last Halloween, I sat in a lawn chair at the bottom of my stoop in Parkside, fully dressed as a pirate, with a big bowl of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. I spent the whole night waiting for kids to show up so I could stuff their pillowcases.

The scariest part of the whole night was the fact that not a single kid showed up.

So this year, I decided to find out where Portland kids actually go trick-or-treating.

🎃 West End: This seems to be the big one. The streets around Reiche School, especially Pine, Brackett, and Chadwick, get plenty of trick-or-treaters. The neighborhood has been a Halloween destination for decades.

🍬 Deering Center: Alba, Best, Fuller, Madeline, and Leonard streets are longtime favorites. Lots of houses close together, and apparently some pretty serious Halloween decorating.

👻 Deering Highlands: The streets around Deering High School, especially Brentwood and Ludlow, also come up when locals talk about where to go.

🎃 North Deering: The residential streets off Summit Street were recommended by locals again this year.

🍭 Old Port: If you've got younger kids, shops along Exchange Street are handing out candy on Saturday, October 31, from 2 to 4 p.m. Look for the orange posters in participating shop windows.

I also found Nextdoor's Halloween Treat Map, where you can see which houses are handing out candy. It's looking a little empty around Portland right now, so if you're planning to hand out candy this year, add your house! It'll help parents figure out where to take their kids.

As for me, I'm changing things up this year and heading to a friend's house in the West End, where I'm hoping to have better luck. Because I really don't need to wake up on November 1 with four family sized bags of peanut M&M's that I'll somehow have to eat myself in the next two days.

🐱 Whiskey Pearl – 3 yrs
A great name for a shy little lady. Whiskey Pearl needs a patient home where she can settle in at her own pace. She'd prefer a quiet place without young kids.

🐶 Phil – 4 yrs
All the way from St. Thomas to Maine! This 37-pound goofball loves nature walks and playing outside. He's looking for a calm, patient home without other dogs or cats. Currently in foster care!

If the link doesn’t open anymore, it means they’ve already been adopted!

Mystic Pizza: The Musical @ Merrill Auditorium | 7 pm | 🎟️ $55

Begotten @ SPACE | 7 pm | 🎟️ $10

Halloween Rock Night: Two Minutes Out, Active Stationery & The Lazy Anarchists @ Flask Lounge | 8 pm | 🎟️ $10 PWYC

Boooties: Halloween Cocktail Specials & Spooky Decor (through Sat)

CMTM Halloween After Dark (21+) @ Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine | 6 pm | 🎟️ $35

Third Eye Blind @ State Theatre | 8 pm | 🎟️ $ Sold Out

Moe. + The Chops with Emma Derhak @ Live at Madrid's | 7 pm | 🎟️ $40

Bush Tetras with Crazy Déjà Vu @ SPACE | 8 pm | 🎟️ $20

Murder at the Monster Mash: A Murder Mystery Dinner for Habitat for Humanity @ Woodfords Club | 5 pm | 🎟️ $75

Creepy & Curious Collections @ Osher Map Library | 3:30 pm | Free

Upstate with The Pinkerton Raid @ One Longfellow Square | 8 pm | 🎟️ $30

Effin @ State Theatre | 9 pm | 🎟️ $32.50

Thumper Halloween @ SPACE | 8 pm | 🎟️ $15

Nerdy Prudes Must Die @ The Hill Arts | 7:30 pm | 🎟️ $19

Noontime Talk: The Haunted PMA Tour @ PMA | 12 pm | Free

The Casket's Hallow's Eve Monster Mash @ Aura | 9 pm | 🎟️ $35

Night Before Halloween Party @ Orange Bike Brewing | 5 pm | Free

Lost & Found Market: Maine's Largest Vintage Pop-Up @ Thompson's Point | 11 am | 🎟️ $10

The Great Pumpkin Ball @ State Theatre | 8 pm | 🎟️ $20

All Hallows' Eve: Spooky Tunes, Songs and Tales from Scotland @ One Longfellow Square | 8 pm | 🎟️ $30

SPACE Halloween: KoЯn, Björk, Garbage & Deftones @ SPACE | 8 pm | 🎟️ $16

The Red Eye Flight Crew Annual Halloween Bash @ Portland House of Music | 8 pm | 🎟️ $25

Myra Melford SPLASH Trio @ Portland Conservatory of Music | 4 pm | 🎟️ $35

A Very Jerry Halloween with Rose Alley @ Bayside Bowl | 8 pm | 🎟️ $20

The Ultimate Halloween Party @ Grace | 8 pm | 🎟️ $20

Lost & Found Market, Day Two @ Thompson's Point | 10 am | Free

The Monhegan Show @ Gallery at the Hay | 11 am | Free

Toastie Takes Kicks Off with Luncheonette @ Mr. Tuna

An Ode to He Who Walks Behind the Rows @ Mad Horse Theatre | 2 pm | 🎟️$21

Talons of Spring with Glass Cannons @ Live at Madrid's | 7 pm | 🎟️ $10

Nightmare of Love @ Empire Comedy Club | 6 pm | 🎟️ $15

Until next week,
— Jake Newman