Best Halloween Decorations

401 E. Mansion Street

Marshall MI, 49068

Written by: Chelsy Vaughn Martin

Sarah (our administrative assistant and my mom) and I took a trip to Marshall, MI for dinner and to see the beautiful historic homes and after seeing this one home, I just had to write about it. 401 E. Mansion Street, a Queen Anne Style home, built in 1886 by Clinton T. Cook, a grocer who worked just around the corner from this beautiful home. When Ken and Sarah went to Marshall last October to eat at Schuler's, an incredible restaurant with lots of history, they happened upon this home and were in awe of the Halloween decorations. So this year, when my mom and I went back, she had to take me to see it. 

While we were at dinner, one of the waitresses named Sarah, told us where to find this house. She said that people nicknamed the owner "Holiday Holly" because she decorates like crazy for every holiday. When we got there, I fell in love instantly. We parked and walked up to the house, we weren't the only people there to see it either. Holly happened to be outside and we were lucky enough to talk to her! She even let us go inside, although her decorations inside weren't complete, to see what she does for the kids on Halloween night. We ended up talking to Holly for over an hour and she shared her inspiring story with us. We also met Holly's husband, Scott who ironically works at the GM plant in Fort Wayne. While we talked, several people walked by just to see what Holly had done this year.

Holly grew up in Michigan, but her husbands job took them to St. Louis, MO. They came back for the annual Marshall Michigan Historic Homes tour and fell in love with this house immediately! She tore the picture out of the brochure and put it up on her wall, where it stayed for 20 years. Then, in 2003, the house went on the market. She knew she had to buy her dream home and her husband agreed with her. Unfortunately, after they went to get financing, they came up $15,000 short, and knew that they wouldn't have enough time to sell their own home to come up with the extra amount. A family that she cleaned house for knew how much she loved this home and loaned Holly and Scott the money. They said that Holly was like a daughter to them. Holly's dream home was finally her own. 

Holly's decorations were the best I've ever seen. She had spooky images in many of the windows, zombies coming out of graves in the front yard, a devil in the basement window, a spider web above the front porch, a creepy butler waiting to greet guests at the top of the porch, mums lining the porch steps where a skeleton sits with his skeleton dog, an eerie girl in a swing where her skeleton parents swing her back and forth, pumpkin lights lining the sidewalk and atop her fence posts, a spooky grim reaper in the side yard, strobe lights, music, a giant cauldron that they fill with $300 in candy on Halloween night, a gargoyle with eyes that light up red, giant spiders, bloody dolls, an organ and so much more. With each glance, you see something new. Her house is decorated tastefully with a theme that's true to Halloween. On Halloween night, a line forms down the street where families will wait up to an hour or more just to get a peek inside Holiday Holly's house. It's no wonder that several articles have been written about Holly's home as well as a few features on national television specials for the holidays. 

An animated zombie on the front porch

A creepy butler that Holly found at an antique shop along with a skeleton and his skeleton dog.

A vulture pics at scattered bones on a grave site.

 Zombies emerge from their graves and move around as people pass by in the large cemetery out front.

Lights illuminate all the windows while spotlights highlight more eerie features.

Playful lighted ghosts flash brightly.

Lighted pumpkins sit atop each post on the fence.

Angry eyes peer out at passersby.

Skeleton hands reach from the earth as if trying to escape.

Holly had tombstones with clever names like I. M. Dedd and B. Lee Vingosts.

 A zombie holds his zombie dog, which lights up and moves when you walk by.

A demon peers from the basement window holding an infant skeleton.

Gory dismembered body parts hang from this tree.

Inside a clown and woman stand on the stairs, waiting to scare trick-or-treaters.

A gruesome doll sits on the organ where just hands play an eerie tune.

A witch and hooded skeleton hang from a tree, swinging in a sinister way in the wind.

I'm so excited to go back and see Holly's house for Christmas. The amazing thing about meeting Holly was hearing her story. It was a story that, as a real estate agent, touched my heart. I love that at The Vaughn Group, we can help people, like Holly, find the home of their dreams. Her putting up the picture of her dream house on her wall, and 20 years later being able to buy it, just shows that you can live out your dreams. If you, or anyone you know, happen to be in need of a real estate agent, or just a bit of real estate guidance, please call or text Ken at 260.413.9416 or email him at Ken@fwhomz.com. You can also contact me at 260.403.8236, or email me at chelsyvm@fwhomz.com

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!

(My Halloween hair and makeup this year!)