Happy Hallowe’en to all the ghosts, hobgoblins, vampires, and ghouls which will partake in this year’s festivities. Hallowe’en festivities certainly changed depending on the era (some for the better, like how in 1913, Farmington children and youth enjoyed setting dry leaves on fire in the streets), but some traditions last time immemorial. One of these long-lasting rituals is telling horror stories. This month, I am going to change things up by telling the tale of the curse of the Hippach family (of Hippach Field fame). While the Hippach’s curse mainly centers around their hometown of Chicago, there may have been a way that Farmington was affected by the malevolent spell. Let’s travel to Chicago shortly before the turn of the last century.
Merriment, glee, and unadulterated happiness filled the streets of Chicago in 1893. The Columbian Exposition, better known as the Chicago World’s Fair, was going strong in the city of Chicago, reflecting the atmosphere of the Gay Nineties. While many people enjoyed the Ferris Wheel invention and the ornate buildings (one of whom was Farmington’s own W.G. Mallett), a darkness was brewing just outside of the fairgrounds. A man going by the name of Dr. H.H. Holmes was having a hotel constructed. This hotel was not a place for people to enjoy a restful night of sleep after a day at the fair, but rather a twisted, macabre fun house of horrors. For you see, Dr. Holmes was not a doctor, but rather a serial killer who used his “Murder Castle” to torture and kill many innocent fairgoers. At the time of construction, many contractors were hired to complete the building. One of the companies that put in the windows of the building was Tyler & Hippach Glass Company, owned by Louis Hippach (father of Howard Hippach, Abbott School Class of 1914). By installing those windows, some believe that a curse was brought upon the Hippach family. In the coming years, it appears that the curse manifested itself quite tragically.
In December of 1903, Louis Hippach’s two eldest sons Robert and Archie were attending a matinee at the Iroquois Theatre in Chicago. While in attendance, a fire broke out in the “absolutely fireproof” building (as the new theatre was called in the newspapers when it opened in 1903). Between the smoke, flames, and horrific crushes, hundreds of people lost their lives. Sadly, both the oldest Hippach boys perished.
After the deaths of her two eldest sons, Ida Hippach fell into a deep depression. A bit over eight years later, Ida (along with her daughter Jean) decided to take a vacation to Europe to calm her nerves and enjoy the company of one of her two remaining children. When it was time to return home to America, Ida and Jean boarded a White Star Line ship in Cherbourg, France on its maiden voyage. This ship had earlier disembarked from Southampton, England. This ship also stopped in Queenstown, Ireland on its way to New York. This ship was the RMS Titanic. In a moment of luck for the family, Ida and Jean survived the sinking (Ida also gave a first-hand account).
While death evaded Jean at that moment (and much longer than that as she died in the 1970s), death would return to her in a way on September 28, 1914. On this day, Jean and her boyfriend were riding in an automobile. Suddenly, an eight-year-old boy ran out in front of the car and was struck by it. The boy sadly passed away. Exactly one month later, on October 28, tragedy would strike the Hippach family once again. Howard, 18-years-old and recently graduated from the Abbott School for Boys, was out driving his automobile with his dog. At some point during the drive, something occurred which caused Howard to go off the road. The car flipped and Howard was crushed to death.
Louis Hippach decided to fund the creation of the Howard H. Hippach Memorial Athletic Field at the Abbott School in Farmington, which the field opened in June of 1916. What is interesting to note is that almost exactly a year and a half later, a fire destroyed the roof of the Abbott School Dormitory, being the first domino in a series of events which led to the closure of the school around 1930. Did the curse contribute to the failure of the Abbott School? We may never know.
Layne Nason is a Farmington historian, specializing in the history of the Abbott School for Boys and Farmington during the era of the Great War.

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