Mary and myself with Sean Cassidy.

In the mid-1960s, the ABC TV network introduced America to the Addams Family. Prior to the show’s debut, it had been in publications as a cartoon series beginning in 1938. For two seasons, which spanned 64 half-hour shows, the program was broadcast into American homes. It is still in syndication today.

The show’s characters all became household names known for their Kooky images. Gomez, Morticia, Wednesday, Grandma, Pugsley, Uncle Fester and Cousin It. The actor known as Lurch, was played by a 6’9″ character who grew up in Philippi, West Virginia. His name, Ted Cassidy. Even more than his size, he was known for his deep hollow voice. Cassidy’s size at the time was due to a genetic condition which caused his extreme height.

He was born in Pittsburgh and grew up in Philippi. He played basketball in high school and later in college. He gained his degree from Stetson University in Florida. In his early career he was the voice on a radio in Dallas Texas. Later his distinctive voice was used by Hanna-Barbera productions for work in several cartoon series. His size, appearance and voice made him a choice by many studios to be the voice of, or appear in the rolls of villains or mysterious shadowy characters.

Ted Cassidy was married and had a son. He lived in Los Angeles until his death in 1975 during heart surgery. Five years ago, the town of Philippi, a community known for the first shot of the Civil War on June 3, 1661, along with the famous Philippi Mummies, and its covered bridge, decided to organize the first Lurch Festival. A way to honor its famous hometown actor.

The quiet community alongside the Tygart River, is home to 3,000 residents. The festival known as the Lurch Festival is held on the first Saturday in August. For an afternoon the population swells to nearly ten thousand visitors for the day’s events. The area just beyond the famous covered bridge is home to the local museum and was filled with crafts, local craft beer offerings, music and loads of food vendors.

It was apparent that the visitors were there to honor and remember the Adams family. It was a day filled with several young ladies dressed as Wednesday Adams. A few others were in full odd attire, not too sure if they were in costume or simply dressed as themselves, but they were having a good time.

Each year of the Lurch Festival, Sean the son of Ted Cassidy, returns to the festival to promote his father’s legacy. He is also a tall gentleman and extremely gracious to the hundreds who want a picture and book signed by Sean. There is little doubt that he is the son of Cassidy with the exception, his voice is not as deep. Early on in the day’s festival activities, Sean appears in his normal daily clothes, but later in the day he dons the appearance of his father’s character, Lurch.

Inside the old train depot is the town’s museum, which has a collection of civil war items, old industrial equipment, books and memorabilia from the town’s history. The highlight of the exhibits housed in the station are two female mummies.

A local farmer in Philippi, named Graham Hamrick, dabbled in science back in 1888. He was sure he could embalm bodies using a new and inventive way of preservation. The famous and infamous West Virginia Hospital for the Insane being close by, Hamrick purchased two deceased women for use in his experiment. Later on, there were some who called him a true Doctor Frankenstein from the backwoods. Using his potion, he had preserved vegetables, reptiles and the head of a man whom he kept in a jar. Hamrick, who must have been very intelligent, was trying to find the formula used for embalming ancient pharaohs. The mummies on display are examples of his scientific achievement in embalming chemistry; he truly must have found the ancient secrets of human mummification.

Mary and I have attended a few off-beat festivals this summer. They were unique and offered visitors the opportunity to share what makes our state entertaining for visitors. This one-day event takes a lot of work by the local population and is well organized. If you want to take advantage of our state’s many wonders, go online and search for WV Fairs and Festivals for 2025. Who knows, you might just find something new and unusual to visit before the summer fades into fall. That’s how I see our Great State Through the Lens.