By Brennan Crain

What you need to know:

• Dr. Barret Lessenberry and his family are bringing their annual haunted tunnel back to South Green Street on Saturday.
• The Halloween tradition has continued for at least two decades, with each year’s storyline drawing inspiration from local history.
• This year’s theme looks back at Glasgow’s tourism industry and the days when residents rented rooms in their homes to visitors.

GLASGOW, Ky. — A hearse and tent have occupied Dr. Barret Lessenberry’s front yard for weeks, offering a preview of the frightful scenes waiting for those who dare to venture inside.

But this year’s haunted tunnel draws inspiration from a piece of Glasgow’s history, the days when residents rented rooms in their homes to travelers looking for a place to stay.

For at least two decades, Lessenberry and his family have transformed their South Green Street property into a Halloween attraction.

The street is typically busy with trick-or-treaters and others taking part in the festivities, with an estimated 1,000 to 1,500 people making their way through the haunted tunnel each year, Lessenberry said.

Each year brings a different theme, often drawing from the people, places and history that have shaped the community.

“Usually, there’s always a pretty good grain of truth in the story relating to the house and its history,” Lessenberry said.

This year, visitors will get a glimpse of Glasgow’s tourism industry during a time when residents opened their homes to travelers and rented out rooms.

One of those residents was Basil Smith, who built the house Lessenberry now calls home at 1015 S. Green St. in Glasgow.

“Basil rented rooms to make a little extra money,” Lessenberry said.

Smith also owned the farmland surrounding the property. What is now Lessenberry Court once stretched back toward what is today Weldon Park.

“I remember corn in this field, out by Sunset Avenue,” Lessenberry said.

The real history provides the setting. What happens next is where Lessenberry’s imagination takes over.

In this year’s fictional tale, Smith had several boys helping him tend the cornfield and care for the farm animals. Among those who came through the area was the Strode family, who rented a room in Smith’s home.

Then Mrs. Strode died — and Mr. Strode disappeared.

“Then they found that there were body remains scattered around,” Lessenberry said. “Basil had corn, tobacco and pigs. As you probably know, pigs, they’ll eat about anything.”

In the story, the search uncovered remains scattered across the property and as far back as what is now Weldon Park.

“Basil denied any knowledge of any of this,” Lessenberry said. “He had no knowledge, whatsoever.”

As the story goes, Smith’s farmhands were responsible for what happened to the Strodes — and the pigs had apparently been getting an extra portion.

The large tent occupying Lessenberry’s front yard is arranged to take visitors through several different settings as the story unfolds. Among them is a pig pen, where visitors may encounter a rather large, old pig.

Whether that pig is hungry is another matter.

The haunted tunnel is free and open to the public, with doors opening around dusk and remaining open for several hours, typically until about 9 p.m.