The Ghosts of Mecosta, Michigan

Halloween at Piety Hill, the home of a conservative icon. Turn any article into a podcast. Upgrade now to start listening. Members can share articles with friends & family to bypass the paywall. Halloween is the most eagerly anticipated holiday in Mecosta, Michigan, a phenomenon entirely due to the legacy of Dad, the “Wizard of Mecosta.” Growing up in a village of 400 souls that is considered something of a ghost town by many, I believed it was part of our family’s civic duty to decorate the house, fling open the doors, and give our neighbors a proper scare. Want to see more of The Dispatch in Google search? Add Us as a Preferred Source Andrea Kirk Assaf, who was raised in Mecosta, Michigan, is the youngest daughter of Russell and Annette Kirk. Andrea lives near the village during the summers, and in Rome, Italy, during the academic year, where she and her husband run a study-abroad and pilgrimage business, Roots in Rome. Andrea has authored several books with HarperCollins UK, and writes daily at fourseasonschole.substack.com. More Where I'm From