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Spider Hill

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Spider Hill
Spider Hill logo
Sign for Spider Hill at Three Sisters Park, October 2023
StatusActive
FrequencyAnnually in October
VenueThree Sisters Park
Location(s)17189 State Route 29, Chillicothe, Illinois
Coordinates40°32′01″N 89°18′05″W / 40.533633°N 89.301313°W / 40.533633; -89.301313
CountryUSA
Inaugurated1999 (1999)
WebsiteOfficial website

Spider Hill is an annual haunted event held at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe, Illinois to celebrate Halloween. The attractions include a trail, haunted house, and a haunted hayride. It is touted by the organizers as the number one haunted attraction in Central Illinois.[1]

History

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Spider Hill was launched in 1999 by the local Optimist Club[2] and Three Sisters Park and featured three main attractions: The Massacre Mansion, The Haunted Express haunted hayride, and The Trail of Terror, which walks visitors through the forest.[3][4] Attendance in the first event was 8,000.[2] Sponsors of the event remind visitors of the legend of Spider Hill and the event's namesake where 23 individuals died at the site during World War I from venomous spider bites.[5]

The event is run entirely by volunteers, starting with 60 in 2000, increasing to 165 in 2007, and about 100 in 2022.[6][7] Volunteers participate in organized workshops to share scaring techniques.[8] The last attendance figures released were in 2004, when 20,000 visitors went through the various attractions during the October weekends and Halloween night.[8] Event volunteers or actors reveal the biggest screams result from encounters with terrifying clowns, causing a grown man to faint twice in 2003 and another to spit at the circus specter for scaring his girlfriend.[8][9]

Spider Hill went on hiatus in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10]

Attractions

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Massacre Mansion

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Massacre Mansion is the haunted house, which encompasses about 8,000 sq ft (740 m2). In 2012, the operators of Spider Hill bought a haunted house from Cedar Rapids called Nightmare Manor. Its props and scenery were used to double the size of Massacre Mansion.[11]

Haunted Trail

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The Trail of Terror is a winding path through the forest featuring scares along the way.

Hayride and Zombie Invasion

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The original haunted hayride was replaced with Zombie Invasion, which is a paintball shooting experience from aboard a "war wagon". In 2022, the Zombie Invasion was put on hiatus due to costs and returned to a family-family scenic ride.[7][12]

Paranormal investigation

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In 2023, Spider Hill partnered with Enlightened Souls Paranormal investigation group to offer paranormal investigation of a historical building at the park.[13] Tickets in 2023 were $45 for the paranormal investigation experience.[13][14]

References

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  1. ^ "Spider Hill". 26 July 2008. Retrieved 1 October 2008.
  2. ^ a b "Chillicothe Optimist Club - CLUB HISTORY". www.chillicotheoptimist.org. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
  3. ^ Boswell, John (21 October 1999). "New Haunts: Spider Hill is the Tri-county Area's Newest Halloween Happening". Metro Thursday. Peoria Journal Star. Peoria, Illinois. p. R1.
  4. ^ Hilyard, Scott (31 October 2005). "The fright stuff – A retired railroad worker is the (twisted) brains behind the horrors at Spider Hill". Features. Peoria Journal Star. Peoria, Illinois. p. C6. Access World News. Newsbank. Accessed via Illinois Community College Library system, Illinois Central College: http://infoweb.newsbank.com.library.icc.edu/
  5. ^ Green, Angela (3 October 2003). "Field of Screams". City. Peoria Journal Star. p. A1.
  6. ^ McMenamin, Ed (6 October 2007). "Spider Hill adds new frights – Chillicothe haunted house runs through Halloween". City. Peoria Journal Star. Peoria, Illinois. p. B6. Access World News. Newsbank. Accessed via Illinois Community College Library system, Illinois Central College: http://infoweb.newsbank.com.library.icc.edu/
  7. ^ a b Schopp, Collin (2022-09-22). "Chillicothe haunted house prepares for scares". WCBU Peoria. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
  8. ^ a b c Towery, Jennifer (13 October 2005). "Tricks of the afraid trade – Spider Hill's haunted attractions scarring some, sharing secrets with others". Neighbors. Peoria Journal Star. Peoria, Illinois. p. R1. Access World News. Newsbank. Accessed via Illinois Community College Library system, Illinois Central College: http://infoweb.newsbank.com.library.icc.edu/
  9. ^ Burke, Brad (4 October 2002). "Web of Gore". City. Peoria Journal Star. Peoria, Illinois. p. B01. Access World News. Newsbank. Accessed via Illinois Community College Library system, Illinois Central College: http://infoweb.newsbank.com.library.icc.edu/
  10. ^ Hilyard, Scott. "What a nightmare, no Spider Hill for Halloween in 2020". Peoria Journal Star. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  11. ^ Miller, Justin (October 3, 2012). "Spider Hill opens Friday with updated scares". Chillicothe Times Bulletin. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  12. ^ Strahan, Maggie (2022-09-30). "Haunted locations to visit in Central Illinois this fall". CIProud.com. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
  13. ^ a b "Spider Hill – Three Sisters Park". Retrieved 2023-10-07.
  14. ^ Watznauer, Kelsey (2023-10-02). "Spooky season awaits at these Central Illinois haunted houses 👻". pantagraph.com. Retrieved 2023-10-07.

Other bibliography

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