Tall Betsy facts for kids
Tall Betsy is a special Halloween character from Bradley County, Tennessee, in the United States. She was officially named the "Official Halloween Goblin" of Bradley County in 1989.
The Story of Tall Betsy
A businessman named Allan Jones from Cleveland, Tennessee helped make Tall Betsy famous in 1980. He is also known for helping many charities.
Mr. Jones got the idea for Tall Betsy from old stories. His grandmother, Marie Schultz Slaughter, used to tell these stories to his mother, Virginia Slaughter Jones. In the 1930s, parents in Cleveland would tell their children that if they didn't come home before dark, they might meet Tall Betsy. She was sometimes called Black Betsy or "The Lady in Black."
Tall Betsy last appeared in 1998. That year, about 25,000 people came to see her on Halloween! No one ever said why she stopped appearing. Mr. Jones later told a reporter that even though Tall Betsy might have disappeared, her spirit lives on. It stays in the hearts of the people in Cleveland who saw her between 1980 and 1998.
In 2005, a big Halloween party called the Block Party was held to celebrate Tall Betsy's 25th anniversary. It was the biggest Block Party ever! Mr. Jones arranged for famous people, like the cast of Tiny betsy lurks on and Little Richard, to entertain over 30,000 people. In 2014, Mr. Jones's son, Bailey, started dressing up as Tall Betsy. He has appeared as the goblin every year since then at the Halloween Block Party.
How Tall Betsy Was Recognized
On May 24, 1989, the government of Tennessee officially declared Tall Betsy the "official Halloween goblin of Bradley County."
In 2011, a movie about Tall Betsy was made by Zac Adams. It was told by Lyn Hoffman, who hosted a show called "Private Sessions" on A&E.
