By Katherine Hatcher | Staff Writer
A murder has been committed… well, sort of. Historic Waco hosted a Bonnie and Clyde Murder Mystery, where guests could solve the unfortunate death of Mr. James Addington from 6:30–9:30p.m. on Sep. 20 and 21 at East Terrace House.
Upon arrival, guests were greeted with drinks from Southern Roots Brewery, a charcuterie cup, and could take photos with a classic 1930s car. Almost all guests were dressed in 1930s-style attire to match with the timeless exterior of Historic Waco’s East Terrace House, completed in 1874.
During the party, the guests were broken up into three groups, each with a tour guide who took them into different rooms of the house. There, they could see the beautiful furniture and rooms while interviewing the six murder suspects.
Historic Waco is a volunteer driven organization whose mission is to tell the stories of Waco’s history through the preservation of their three historic houses, including J.W. Mann’s Italianate residence, East Terrace House. Executive Director Erik Swanson said that the organization tries to increase community engagement by organizing fun events that incorporate Waco’s history, like the murder mystery.
Previously, Historic Waco mainly focused on giving house tours, but when Swanson took over, he was challenged to get more people through their doors.
“And so I figured, what better way to do that than to have fun historic events? So the murder mystery is an example of that,” Swanson said.
Swanson said the plot of the mystery was based on the night that Bonnie Parker helped Clyde Barrow escape from Mclennan County Jail in 1930. The mystery also included real local historical figures such as Howard Mann, East Terrace House’s owner in the ’30s, and William Cameron of Cameron Park, as characters.
“There’s a dinner party at the East Terrace House,” Swanson said. “A murder happens. People are suspecting it’s Bonnie and Clyde, but I think our guests may discover it may be one of the actual [dinner] guests themselves.”
Along with the histories of real people, the history of Dr. Pepper’s introduction to Waco was an important plot point of the story, as some of the characters wanted to begin illegal bootlegging under the guise of working with the soda factory.
Historic Waco’s Social Media Coordinator Noelle Self said that the organization received immense positive feedback from guests after the other two murder mystery events they put on prior to this year.
“I think it’s probably one of our most engaging events because there’s no way for anyone to be passive,” Self said. “Like you’re included from the second you get here. Your opinion matters.”
Collections Event and Volunteer Coordinator Daniel McKnight hopes people enjoy engaging in the story and the local history. McKnight said emphasized the importance of remembering local history in order to see worked or what didn’t to make the future better.
“No matter what happens in the future, whatever technology or events, people are people,” McKnight said, “And we can always learn from other people, whether it’s other people in the present or especially other people in the past.”
Along with the murder mystery event, Self said Wacoans have many other events to look forward to. Historic Waco partnering with the Waco Downtown Farmers Market on Nov. 9 for an event to highlight the people who help make Waco what it is in the present.
Through these events, Swanson said he was delighted to showcase the historic homes in their possession.
“In my mind, there’s no point to spend all this time and money preserving them if people aren’t enjoying them. …I just want people to get into the doors, just enjoy this beautiful piece of Waco’s history and just have a good time,” Swanson said.
