Mischief Night: The History Of Long Valley's Halloween Tradition

LONG VALLEY, NJ — Dangling toilet paper from trees was once a sign that local teenagers had a fun time the night before Halloween, according to an apparently old Long Valley tradition.

Most Long Valley residents have always referred to the night before Halloween as "Mischief Night," but it seems that this generation of teenagers is unaware of or uninterested in the prank-filled night.

Mischief Night allegedly has a strong following in New Jersey and the coastal Northeast. So, where did this license to wreak havoc come from?

The act of toilet papering the tree in front of 2 West Mill in the town square was the focal point of the Long Valley tradition of allowing teenagers to roam the neighborhood and "damage" township property.

According to records from the Washington Township Historical Society, the tradition most likely began in 1962, when Al Joseph and his wife Betty, who ran the Long Valley General Store, brought the focus to that one specific tree.

"The fun continued when Gil Taylor had Taylor's General Store and as you can see by the attached photo from 1993 or 1999 by Chris Hartshorne who ran Tucker's Breakfast King and Rosie's Cabaret," Washington Township Historical Society member Eileen Stokes said.

(Courtesy of the Washington Township Historical Society)

Throughout the country, Mischief Night has existed in its current form for at least several decades, with the night first referenced as a Halloween-adjacent tradition in the U.S. during the 1930s, according to Time.

However, the practice is said to date back hundreds of years, to a time when Halloween and misbehavior were inextricably linked.

Mischief Night was once even supervised by the Long Valley police department, with an officer present during the toilet paper attack and locals assisting in the distribution of cider and cookies to the local teenagers who participated in the prank.

Although there is no particular reason or explanation as to why the tradition came to an end in the township, Stokes estimates that the practice died out shortly after the tree's property was sold in 2000.

"I am not sure when the practice died out. The event is still spoken of fondly by grown adults," Stokes said.

So, whether it was the departure of once-lenient property owners that prompted stricter zero-tolerance police policies or teenagers simply having more to do in the 2000s, the holiday tradition has since passed, with no word of a possible future return.