If you think you go nuts for the spookiest day of the year, Pamela Apkarian-Russell has been collecting Halloween and everything related to the Salem Witch Trials and spiritualism for nearly 50 years. The collection is housed inside an historical home in Altoona, Pennsylvania and crowds every room of the house. There are, for example, 1,000 Halloween costumes in her collection! Apkarian-Russell is known as the “Halloween Queen” after an insulting man at an antiques show years ago told her he didn’t like seeing “all this Halloween queen stuff” on display.
Apkarian-Russell has since written more than a dozen books on murders, ghosts, and mainly on Halloween collectibles. There’s nothing like vintage decor, something which has gone up in value in recent years, and she collects everything from large to small, from Halloween cards and buttons to huge memento mori remembrance artworks using the hair of the deceased. There’s nothing about this holiday or the macabre in general that she doesn’t seem to collect.
She has amassed a large collection of fascinating objects: over 35,000 in all! Apkarian-Russell gives tours to the public of the Castle Halloween Museum, which sounds like a wonderful time for anyone who loves collectibles or vintage holiday decorations.
Have a look at this quirky museum in the video below.
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