You Scream Ice Cream, part I - The Tale of Victor Ham

In 1944, the town of Hamville was founded by the brothers Ham - Donald, Marcus, and Victor. They had a vision of a town that would enthrall the culinary world and bring in people from far and wide to sample exotic foods in unique environments. In this spirit, they invited many restaurateurs to begin eateries in the Hamville area, but the brothers started the town with their own places. Donald, the eldest, opened the Hamville Diner, which stayed open mostly due to its historical significance for 33 years before finally closing and becoming a museum of Hamville history in 1977, three years after Donald's death. Marcus, the middle brother, had more success with Ham's Deli, a sandwich shop that was the town's most popular lunch stop for nearly forty years. Marcus himself was working on new plans for the restaurant when he died in 1981, plans which were continued by his son Leonard. Ham's Deli closed in 1983, and reopened the next year as Sub Subs. Victor was the youngest brother, and it is the sad fate of his restaurant, Ham's Creamery, that led to the founding of the You Scream Ice Cream Parlor.

Ham's Creamery was universally acclaimed as one of, if not the greatest ice cream parlor in the world. Patrons were consistently amazed at the uniqueness of the flavors, and their superior quality. Victor was deluged with requests to package his product and sell it in a worldwide market, or at least to start a franchise. This was, of course, against everything the Hams stood for when they started the town, and Victor flatly refused every time an offer was made.

The Creamery thrived. Though many restaurants were appearing all over Hamville throughout the forties and fifties, still the Creamery remained the one place visitors could not get enough of. Victor's standing in the town, however, was always a source of contention among the residents. They would never discuss it in front of outsiders, but everyone in Hamville knew - Victor Ham was a lunatic.

Victor's house stood on the edge of town, with no neighbors on any side. While most of the Hamville residential areas were thriving, the area around Victor's house remained undeveloped. Passersby frequently noted the strange noises coming from the house, and the occasional bloodcurdling scream.

On November 11, 1963, Victor Ham was found dead in Ham's Creamery. He had not been seen in the restaurant for five years. At the age of 43, authorities did not want to rule out possible foul play, but it appeared that nothing was wrong. He seemed to have just died. The Creamery existed for another three years, but the magic was gone. Customers just couldn't find that spark in the ice cream anymore, and in 1966, the Creamery closed for good.

There was much talk about what to do with Ham's home. Some thought they could turn it into a museum, others wanted to tear it down and develop the area, others wanted put it on the market and allow someone to live in it. No one could decide, and the house sat in its place, untouched and falling slowly into disrepair, for the next ten years.