Westfield, NJ, makes list of spookiest towns

One New Jersey town was selected as being particularly “spooktacular”; Westfield, home of the annual Addamsfest, was named to the list compiled by Woman’s Day magazine.

Addamsfest celebrates native son Charles Addams, creator of “The Addams Family.” As reported by Tap Into Westfield, “Every year residents go all out to bring his creations to life through AddamsFest,” the magazine says. “Must-sees include themed jack-o’-lanterns, a 13-foot replica of the TV family’s home floating on a lake, and exhibits of Addams’s work, including a life-size skeleton he drew on a barn wall as a teen.”

This year marks the fourth year of Addamsfest, with activities taking place throughout October, including Morticia and Gomez’s Mask-erade Ball on Oct. 1, Complements: The Art of Charles Addams and Suzanne Heilmann: Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from October 8 - October 31 at The Rialto Theater, Wicked Windows, the Haunt Your House Contest, and Gomez's Lecture Series.

There are various stories about Addam’s childhood in Westfield; at least one account says that he was caught breaking into a house in Westfield that was the inspiration for the Addams Family mansion, but other versions say it was house on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, where Addams went to school. One of his earliest forays into cartooning was drawing for his school’s newspaper at Westfield High School.

He started writing for the New Yorker in 1932 and drew his first Addams Family cartoon in 1937 and continued the series until his death on September 29th, 1988. In the early 60s, Addams was approached about licensing his creation for the production of a live action television series based on the family; in order to make that happen, he had to give the characters names (which they didn’t have in the cartoons) and flesh out their personalities.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle. Any opinions expressed are Bill Doyle's own.