The ghost of Andrew Jackson Sloan cannot rest.

A victim of mistaken identity, Sloan was shot dead in 1865 by Faustino Lorenzano, a local vaquero, or cowboy.

Since then, Sloan sightings have occurred regularly near the site of his death, Arana Gulch.

The story of Sloan and Lorenzano, told by Tom Woolworth, is just one of the treats waiting families on Saturday at the historic Evergreen Cemetery.

Part of the Museum of Art and History’s Creativity in Motion series for kids, this event combines history and Halloween.

For those who want to take this opportunity to test-drive their Halloween costume (dress-up is strongly encouraged), a costume expert from the museum, Rachel Torrey, will discuss costume ideas and history.

Torrey, a textiles intern at the museum and a UC Santa Cruz graduate, came to the museum as a volunteer just in time for last spring’s exhibit of Victorian dresses from the museum’s collection.

"I thought I’d be working in the bookstore," she said. "But when I told them I’d been studying the history of fabric and costume on my own for years, they connected me with Marla Novo, the curator of the exhibit."

One of the talents Torrey brings to the museum staff is the ability to date clothing within five to 10 years.

"Sometimes donors can only give us an estimated time of when a dress was worn," she said. "I can do research that gets pretty close.

"People talk about clothes a surprising amount in letters and diaries. Magazines can give us an idea of styles, but not what real women were wearing. The best sources for that are photos from the period."

Currently, Torrey and Novo are at work on an exhibit of clothing from the Belle Epoque, a period beginning around 1890 and ending abruptly with World War I.

The show, scheduled for next summer, will include dresses, promenade walking costumes and wedding gowns.

She is also working on a graveyard tour featuring Victorian mourning wear, and information on Victorian funeral customs and graveyard symbolism.

Whatever you wear to the cemetery on Saturday, come prepared for a ghostly good time — with face painting, fortune-telling, gravestone rubbing, refreshments and a new perspective on olden days.

Contact Nancy Redwine atnredwine@santa-cruz.com.

If you go

WHAT: Tales From the Tomb: Ghost Stories at Evergreen Cemetery.

WHEN: 3 p.m. Saturday.

WHERE: Evergreen Cemetery, next to Harvey West Park in Santa Cruz.

COST: Free. Pre-registration highly recommended.

INFO: 429-1964.