A seemingly near-perfect figurative cauldron was brewing at the George Taylor House, Lehigh and Poplar streets, Catasauqua, for an Oct. 31 Halloween-themed event.

George and Ann Taylor, played by Rick Guth and Angie Steltz, opened their home to the public. Historic harvest celebrations of agrarian humanity that date back to the early Greeks, as well as a lot of stories about encounters with the supernatural in the GTH, and surrounding grounds, were part of the day.

On this crisp, cool autumn day, a blue moon - the second full moon in a month - was in place. The last October blue moon occurred in 2001 and will not occur again in October until 2039.

The 12-hour gathering of history and haunts at the GTH was called Halloween Harvest and Haunts.

It ran from 1 p.m. Oct. 31 to 1 a.m. Nov. 1 and began 1-4 p.m. with interesting historical talks, warm apple cider, friendly house tours, kettle corn and popcorn and 18th-century tutorials given by 18th-century costumed re-enactors. Attendees were able to gain a better understanding of the lifestyles of 18th-century Americans.

To kick off the day, Lawrence Wood, a Mohawk Native American re-enactor, traveled from Monroe, N.Y., to present at the event. Wood is a passionate advocate for educating the public on the historical dynamics of the Mohawk nation and Colonial America. He shared what it was like to live in that era with the interplay of the British, Native Americans and the French politics.

Ryan Strawn was in 18th-century garb, representing Northampton County Militia, which was founded in 1775. Strawn was on hand to explain the history of the militia and their activities at the birth of America. He has an uncle who was a colonel in Washington’s Continental Army.

Around 5 p.m., the house tours added a spookier Halloween flair. Halloween, also called Samhain by pre-Christian and Neopagans, has a complex history over thousands of years that evolved to the present-day Halloween. The tour after 5 p.m. included stories of supernatural happenings in the house.

A planned exclusive gathering of a maximum of eight people, who paid a fee, spent the 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. hours in the house with a number of GTH volunteers. The elite eight had free rein to walk anywhere throughout the GTH - including the attic.

They were treated to stories of supernatural or inexplicable activities experienced by numerous volunteers who have spent time in the house over the years.

Guth and others present testified there have been a number of what are considered paranormal experiences observed by GTH volunteers.

A few unexplained encounters include hearing footsteps emanating from a room no one was in, hearing a little boy not from the GTH in the home and hearing a lady in the house.

A personal testimony by a volunteer named Jason recounted the first time he went up to the attic.

He said he “felt a presence around [him] that felt heavy - like when you are in water and try to move.”

Another incident in the attic was when Jason crossed the attic door threshold and all noise stopped. There were other volunteers in the house talking, but after crossing the threshold, he said he heard no one. When he left the attic, as he crossed the threshold, the other volunteers talking downstairs could again be heard.

Lights in the home that had been turned off after an evening gathering were found turned on in the morning.

In another encounter, a volunteer felt a presence after he asked to speak with the presence.

“The alarm system in the house turned on for no reason,” he said.

There is a story of a volunteer who was sitting in the house when he felt a pressure starting in his feet that traveled up his legs to his thigh area, then receded.

There is also a report of a woman seen from the outside of the house looking out of a window’s curtain and an elderly female spirit seen in the summer house located beside the GTH.