Hometown of 'Addams Family' creator goes all-in on Charles Addams' kooky and spooky creation

Let's visit Westfield, New Jersey, where every day is 'Wednesday' and every October is 'AddamsFest'

Oct 29, 2023

The other day, I had the pleasure of exploring Westfield, New Jersey, with the most expert of guides — Councilwoman Dawn Mackey, the founder and chair of “AddamsFest.”

This New Jersey suburb is so close to New York City but is truly a world away. Here, you can commune with the spooky spirit that captivated Charles Addams as a child, influencing his worldview and inspiring him to create his greatest contribution to American pop culture — the Addams Family.

Mackey took me and my WABC-TV colleague Mark Nunez on a tour of the town, and you can see the fruits of our visit by watching the video of our visit at the link, or below!

As I wrote for ABC7NY and Localish:

Salem, Massachusetts, is the so-called "Witch City." Sleepy Hollow, New York, is the hilly home of the Headless Horseman. And Westfield, New Jersey, has become the playground of the creepy, spooky and all-together kooky "Addams Family."
For the sixth year in a row, the birthplace of cartoonist Charles Addams, the creator of the beloved "Addams Family," has turned this charming suburban town into an immersive celebration called "AddamsFest."
These streets were a wellspring for Addams' imagination as a child in the early 20th century, and influenced his most famous creation.
Every day on his walk to school along Elm Street, the young Addams passed a haunting Victorian mansion that helped shape his depiction of his iconic "Addams Family" house. The young Addams frolicked amid the Colonial-era gravestones in the Presbyterian Church's burial ground, where lantern tours are offered during "AddamsFest."
The Rialto Theater on East Broad Street appeared in his classic cartoons in the New Yorker magazine, where Addams freelanced for decades, first publishing an "Addams Family" panel in 1938.
The characters did not have names in his cartoons, but they made Addams, who signed them "Chas Addams," a household name.
It wasn't until the cartoons were being retooled for the beloved 1964-66 ABC-TV sitcom that Addams christened his characters, including matriarch Morticia, patriarch Gomez, Uncle Fester, and children Pugsley, and, of course, Wednesday. The sitcom plays in reruns to this day, and has spawned a cottage industry of movies and most recently, the Netflix series "Wednesday."
Indeed, it's been said that every day in Westfield is "Wednesday," and "AddamsFest" is the biggest sign of that.
"AddamsFest" is an ambitious volunteer effort that was the brainchild of Councilwoman Dawn Mackey, the chair of the celebration.

Read the rest of the story over at ABC7!

Here are some photographic highlights from my visit, complete with coordinates so you can plan your own visit!

1.) Charles Addams’ childhood home

Address: 522 Elm St.

Addams would begin his jaunt to school down Elm Street here. The house, as you can see, takes Halloween seriously!

2.) Inspiration House

Address: 411 Elm St.

Addams would have passed this house every day on that walk to school and back home. It is one of the homes that’s said to have fueled his vision for the Addams Family house. It’s absolutely gorgeous and mysterious and even altogether ooky.

3.) Trader Joe’s

Address: 155 Elm St.

Trader Joe’s tips its hat to Addams Family lore, with models of the fictional house, grillmaster Gomez over the meat section, and other fun signs that fans of the family will appreciate. TJ’s is always good about embracing their neighborhoods, and this one does not disappoint.

3.) The Gallery at Elm Street

Address: 122 Elm St.

NOTE: Oct. 29 is the last date to see this!

This is the home of the Charles Addams/Edward Gorey exhibit, which is wonderfully curated. You can also visit Dudley here, a sketch of a skeleton that is attributed to a young Charles Addams. It was removed from an area barn and placed on display here. It’s so cool to see one of Addams’ earliest works — preserved by fate — next to some of his most famous New Yorker cartoons.

4.) Addams Tavern

Address: 115 Elm St.

A spooky spot for Addams Family fans to grab nourishment! Enjoy one of the “Wicked Windows of Westfield” here, too.

5.) Wicked Windows of Westfield

All around downtown

Over 60 storefronts have gotten into the spirit of AddamsFest! Check out some of my favorites:

6.) Addams Family House at Mindowaskin Pond

Address: 385 E. Broad St.

A must-see site is The Addams Family House on Mindowaskin Pond, a replica of the house that is a nod to another Westfield tradition, this one at Christmas time -- the replica of the Presbyterian Church

7.) Presbyterian Church Burial Ground

It is here that a young Addams frolicked amid the graves, a sure influence on his vision for the Addams Family. Tombstones like the ones here showed up in his cartoons.

8.) Rialto Theater

Address: 250 E. Broad St.

Now called the Center for Creativity at the Rialto, this historic theater figured in Addams’ cartoons and was a big part of civic life when he was a child, and remains so today.