THE BIZARRE AND OMINOUS HISTORY OF STARC MANOR:

This crumbling old ruin was built in the year 1910 by Dr. Lawrence Starc, a surgeon rumored to be involved in alchemy, witchcraft and other occult practices. The building served as both his personal residence and as a sanitarium.

Medical records reveal that most of Starc Manor's inmates were eventually deemed incurable and either committed suicide or were simply listed as missing. Because Dr. Starc himself suffered from a nervous condition that left him unable to bear the thought of human burial, the bodies of deceased inmates were generally cremated. When it was discovered that the good doctor was using the basement crematorium almost daily to incinerate bodies and, at the same time, to heat the rest of the building, the sanitarium was promptly closed. No further public record of Dr. Lawrence Starc has been found.

Starc Manor sat empty and unused until 1942, when it became home to a small group of nuns led by Sister Helena Starc, one of Dr. Starc's cousins. No one seemed to know which denomination these nuns belonged to, but there were soon rumors that they were actually devil worshippers. Townsfolk passing by the nunnery late at night often heard strange chanting and screaming, as well as what sounded like the crying of small children. Public outcry apparently led to the nuns abandoning the building one Halloween night, never to be seen again. A few of the townsfolk reported seeing the nuns flying away on broomsticks, but these accounts were never taken very seriously.

The building remained vacant until the summer of 1974. It was then purchased by a gentleman named Clayton Hoxe. Word soon spread that Mr. Hoxe was an art collector, and that he intended to turn Starc Manor into an art museum. The townsfolk were delighted to think the horrible old building might soon be transformed into a pleasant cheerful place to visit, and those who met Mr. Hoxe found him to be a very pleasant individual. Public curiosity increased when it was noticed that shipments to the manor only arrived late at night, and that the crates of art and sculptures were often delivered by hearses.

Finally, the art gallery's opening was announced and everyone in town received a personal invitation from Mr. Hoxe. The opening celebration was scheduled for Midnight, a notion everyone considered very creative and original. Reports show a large crowd was in attendance when Clayton Hoxe opened the front doors and invited everyone inside.

There is no record of what the people saw that night, and no specifics regarding the artwork exhibited can be obtained. But the sights they beheld caused everyone to flee the building in a state of panic. Within a short time, the local populace formed a mob and returned to Starc Manor, intent on destroying the exhibit and taking Mr. Hoxe into custody. But they arrived to find only an empty building, with dust and cobwebs filling an interior that clearly hadn't been disturbed in many years. Clayton Hoxe was never found.

Although this concludes the official history of Starc Manor, there's one more bit of folklore associated with the place... local folks all agree that Starc Manor is haunted, and that anyone remaining inside the building at Midnight will mysteriously vanish. Every once in a while, kids will dare each other to go in at Midnight, and sometimes a few kids do sneak inside as the clock strikes twelve... and none of these children are ever seen again.