I was going through some old photos recently and came upon a batch that made me stop in amazement. It was a small collection of photos from Halloween past, notably the Highbury Cemetery display from way back in 2006.
It made me realize just how far we really have come since then. I believe 2006 was our 3rd or 4th year as an "official" yard haunt. I had just painted the first cemetery sign and it was the center of the display, along side my one enormous coffin (the first real prop that I had ever built, maybe 4 years before), a few of my first handmade tombstones, actual candles (that due to the constant wind never stayed lit), and some obnoxious purple "crinkle" material that we tried to use to cover the walls in the front porch.
The crinkle material was completely ridiculous to try and use, but it was very important in that it was the first time we had tried to create an enclosed "room" on the front porch. It was the first time we had trick-or-treaters actually walk up into the room to get their candy. And this idea eventually progressed from "big purple mess altar room" to a butcher shop to skull chamber and then eventually into the fully developed crypt that we used until 2018, our final year at that location.
As I look at the other photos in the collection, I see the beginnings of many other props and ideas that grew and became more detailed and advanced as the years went on.
And I quickly notice how far high quality photography can take a display!!
So please enjoy this little throwback to very humble beginnings of Highbury Cemetery. This was the start of an annual tradition that became much more than just a hobby.
