At this time of ghosts and goblins, Sully Historic Site celebrates Historic All Hallows Eve, Saturday, October 22, 2011 from 5 to 7 p.m.  In the 18th and 19th centuries, Virginians observed All Hallows Eve with storytelling, fortune telling, fall foods and family gatherings.  Bring your family for a lantern-lit tour of the 1794 house and grounds, and discover some of the origins of today’s Halloween traditions.

Listen to our storyteller read portions of Edgar Allen Poe’s spooky poem, The Raven, and hear about the long-lost “Lenore.”  Visit with the fortune teller to get a glimpse of the future.  Crystal balls, playing cards, and palm reading were used in fun-filled games at fall gatherings to try to tell what was in store for family and friends.

In the open hearth kitchen our interpreters will tell how donuts evolved into the sweet treat we enjoy today.  Have a cup of warm cider and get a tasty sweet of your own.  At the slave cabin, see what foods were available in Virginia in autumn.  Pay special attention to the stew pot – meat and vegetables are simmering inside a pumpkin!

Take a wagon ride and learn about the remains of old buildings in Sully’s woods.  Find out who was hiding in the ice house during the Civil War and what happened to the unfinished railroad.

Admission to this program is $8.  For more information call 703-437-1794 or visit us on the web at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/sully.

Sully Historic Site is located in Chantilly off Route 28, one quarter mile north of Route 50, five miles north of Route 66 or five miles south of the Dulles Toll Road.