For the first time since they began in 2013, Halloween wedding ceremonies — promoted as “Scaremonies” — were performed  by the Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder’s Office at the Port Costa School.

The school is located along the Carquinez Strait, near Crockett. And with the destination wedding market continuing to grow in recent years, these ceremonies offer newlyweds, guests and passersby a chance to reflect on the history behind the school.

“It will grow from $36.22 billion in 2024 to $47.69 billion in 2025,” Yahoo Finance reports about the wedding trend. “The growth in the historic period can be attributed to desire for unique experiences, increased affordability of travel, social media influence, rise in wedding tourism, cultural and exotic appeal.” 

Built in 1911, the school’s primary use was to serve students in 1st through 8th grade. But due to a declining population in the once-bustling town of Port Costa, the school was closed by 1966, left to deteriorate.

The nonprofit Port Costa Conservation Society (PCCS) purchased the school, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, and the surrounding area in 1988 for $13,500, with the intention of restoring it to its fullest potential. 

This mission prompted a 35-year-long renovation and restoration of the once-beloved school, but its haunted past remains, and stories of ghosts still echo throughout the town.

Suzanne Statler, financial secretary of the PCCS and co-founder of the Port Costa Museum and Archives Project, recalls some mysterious happenings that have occurred in the area.

“[There are] stories of people falling off piers, and people that died were seen in the bars again,” Statler said. “The school looked really spooky for a long time … some kids started a rumor that it was home to ghosts.”

While Sarah Louise Humann, the owner of the Crystal Garden gift shop in Port Costa, hasn’t seen ghosts herself, she has some wisdom to offer concerning the town’s eerie feeling.

“Any energy that is felt from beings that seem to be here who are not in this physical realm — it often feels like they’re here, because they’re not ready to stop having a good time,” Humann joked.

Despite its haunted reputation, the school has become a vibrant place for community gatherings. It hosts everything from bingo events to birthday parties, community meetings to yoga classes, and more, all to help bring the town together.

These activities wouldn’t have been possible without the PCCS’ ongoing upgrades to the building, like the addition of accessible bathrooms, elevators and more. Even with these enhancements, Statler said the PCCS doesn’t aim to replace the school’s identity, but instead wants to amplify the school’s historical nature.

“It’s still such a signature piece … we want to maintain the integrity of the design,” Statler said. “There’s beautiful wood wainscoting [paneling], the little library that’s now our archiving room, and we have a historic classroom that still has all the old desks collected over the years.” 

These tiny details have kept its vintage charm, and caught the eye of Joseph Barton, the records archive manager for the county’s Clerk-Recorder’s Office, whose job includes managing the destination wedding program.

This year’s Scaremonies coincided with four destination weddings taking place at the Port Costa School on Oct. 31. For Barton, whose father attended the Port Costa School back in the 1960s, these types of weddings are more than just scenic ceremonies, but ways to help people explore what the county has to offer.

“We’re partnering with the [PCCS] so we can bring this side of the county to more people that may not have heard of it to begin with,” Barton said. “This gives them the opportunity to go see what it’s all about and bring their friends and family.”

The Clerk-Recorder’s Office restarted destination weddings in 2018 after Barton and his colleagues wanted to switch things up and hold ceremonies — not just outside the office building, but around the county. 

Since then, the office has held 24 destination wedding events and performed more than 210 ceremonies at various local landmarks, the most popular being the Mount Diablo Summit at the state park.

Concord residents Chris and Alyssa Miller had their destination wedding at the Mount Diablo Summit on Sept. 26, and said they find the Scaremonies to be a fun twist on tradition.

“Having something as memorable as a Halloween wedding seems like it’d be such a unique memory to look back on,” Chris Miller said. 

“I think it’s great to put the [historic buildings] to use; if people didn’t use them, then they wouldn’t want to preserve them,” Alyssa Miller added.

Statler couldn’t agree more, and said she loves how the school’s purpose has evolved over time — bridging its historic past with modern celebrations.

“After all these years, I think the school would probably say that it was a really important part of a lot of people’s lives … both as a school and as a gathering place,” Statler said.

Editor’s note: This story was updated Oct. 31, 2025, to include the number of “Scaremonies” held on Halloween at the Port Costa School.