Haunted Hallow's Eve

An old-fashioned Halloween in Old Towne Brookhaven is an annual holiday treat.

- SARAH LOWMAN REYNOLDS

South Jackson Street is the red carpet road that leads to downtown Brookhaven. The stretch is lined with an eclectic mix of antebellum mansions, Victorian homes, and turn-of-the-century bungalows. It’s the main artery locals use to get from Highway 51 to the downtown area, but the foot traffic rivals the automobiles on pleasant evenings. Residents enjoy sitting on their porches waving to friends and canines strolling the shady sidewalks under the deep-rooted oak trees.

While the centuries-old homes on South Jackson—dubbed the “Most Victorian Street in Mississippi”—are the perennial attraction, the vibrancy of youth causes the street to come alive on Halloween. Just before dusk, local children in their make-believe best gleefully descend upon the area. Families drive in from rural parts of Lincoln, Copiah, and Pike Counties, making the street a one-stop social and candy destination. Residents embrace their roles of playing hosts to almost 2,000 princesses, pirates, ghosts, and goblins.

The Halloween celebration’s unofficial gateway is the three-story Victorian house of Wendi and Ryan Case on nearby Natchez Avenue, where six huge monster-themed blowups populate their front yard during October.