Elaborate displays of mourning, including the making of decorative items from the deceased's hair, were just part of turn-of-the-century middle class culture. A two-night event sponsored and hosted by the Moore-Lindsay Historical House, 508 N. Peters Ave., will feature a display inside the museum exploring these and other Victorian practices. Meanwhile, young and old alike can enjoy candy, and hot apple cider, and spooky stories on the museum's big front porch.

The Victorian All-Hallows Eve Open House, scheduled for 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. both today and Saturday will bring the spirit of Halloween to people of all ages.

Activities on the porch will be geared toward children, and will give them an opportunity to see Halloween as it was celebrated in a Victorian era, as well as various other traditions and games of the period. Plans include trick or treat activities for children that will allow them to bob for candy ? a modern twist on the classic Victorian tradition of bobbing for apples. Meanwhile, volunteers have collected a treasury of folk tales and short stories that they will be sharing with those who come.

"A love of ghost stories began during the Victorian period. I mean there have always been folk tales about ghosts, but the stories seemed to achieve a certain respectability at the time," said Stephen A. Martin, executive director of the Moore-Lindsay Historic House.

Many of Edgar Allen Poe's stories are ideal to the Victorian era. They were found as both morbid and creepy. "Edgar Allen Poe's literature stories are archetypal stories for the period," Martin said.

Angie Colbert-Martin, chair of the museum's Halloween Committee, said that people were more connected with death during the Victorian era, because it was a very common part of life. Many things that would be considered morbid or frightening today were just part of everyday life during the period.

Inside the house, the display will showcase customs related to mourning and the desire to be reunited ? spiritually, if not physically ? with the dead.

The mourning rituals of the Victorian era included two stages deep or full mourning and half-mourning. During the process of deep mourning time froze. All members

of the house, including servants, would mourn the death of the family member. Curtains would be drawn shut, and clocks would be stopped at the time of the death. If there were mirrors in the house, they were covered. During the Victorian period many believed that the spirits of the dead could get trapped in the mirrors.

Deep mourning required that women dress in clothing made of black crepe, a dull fabric without any sheen to reflect light. Everything had the color black in it without any other type of decoration. Men, Children, and even babies were dressed in black. There was also a certain amount of time one was to mourn the death of a loved one. Deep mourning lasted one year and not only required black clothing but, a restricted social life.

Half-mourning also lasted one year. However, while in half-mourning one could trade their black dresses for a silk one. After a year of half-mourning, a widow could wear any color. However, there were those who followed the lead of Queen Victoria and continued wearing black. "Queen Victoria made mourning dead people really cool, she set a fashion for mourning," said Colbert-Martin.

Since death was so common during the Victorian era many people would attempt to contact the dead. Many a con man or woman discovered a "gift" for reaching the other side and made money "contacting" the dead for those whom sought to speak with spirits. The Fox sisters, members of a New York family who claimed to have an ability to communicate with the deceased, became celebrities during the era.

Admission to all Moore-Lindsay Historic House events is free, although donations are appreciated.

The Moore-Lindsay Historic House is unique in that it is one of only a few remaining homes in Cleveland County representative of Victorian architecture. The 110-year-old house was one of many such great homes that lined North Peters Street, which was also known as "Silk Stocking Row."

The house remained in the Moore and Lindsay families until the 1960s; it was then divided into apartments and ultimately fell into disrepair. The City of Norman purchased the house in 1973 and started renovations to remodel the home to its original Victorian character.

The Cleveland County Historical Society operates the Victorian-era museum. Guided tours of the home are offered Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Historical Society maintains a collection of some 5,000 rare books, documents, and artifacts in its archives and library established in the Moore-Lindsay Historic House.