PHOTO BY HUCK BEARD

How many objects, artworks and curiosities do you think you’ll find in a Halloween-dedicated museum? Take that number and double it. Now double it several more times. That’s probably still not even close.

The Castle Halloween Museum, which fills every room of a stately, sprawling Altoona house, contains tens of thousands of Halloween-related antiques, toys and ephemera, ranging from works of fine art (there’s a Warhol in the collection) to advertisements (look for the A&W Root Beer car signed by Grandpa Munster himself). The museum is the creation of Pamela E. Apkarian-Russell, a social historian and antiques specialist known far and wide as The Halloween Queen.

She’ll lead your tour herself — you’ll need to call in advance for reservations (814-940-1031) and bring $20 cash per person — giving a freewheeling lesson of the holiday’s harvest-themed history and changes over time. In one room, you might find a costume you wore as a child; she has hundreds, dating back to the earliest commercially made Halloween patterns. In another, you’ll find all manner of toys and figurines celebrating a modern icon: “The Nightmare Before Christmas” hero Jack Skellington.

What you won’t find is anything gory or violent; Apkarian-Russell loves to celebrate the spooky and playful side of Halloween, not necessarily the horrific stuff. Bring a bit of extra cash and leave with a curiosity of your own from the small gift shop — and if all of these Halloween memories make you hungry for candy, remember that Altoona is also home to the Boyer Candy Company, where you can buy Mallo Cups and Clark Bars at the factory outlet store.

Find It!
Altoona: 2028 Broad Ave.
Tours are by reservation only. Call in advance for a time: 814-940-1031