INDIANA        

         

THE PARANORMAL WORLD DATABASE       AVON HAUNTED BRIDGE (AVON) BACKGROUND: Built in 1906 for the Big Four Railroad and it’s still in service today. It was designed using spandrel arches by engineer W.M. Dunne. The bridge was double-tracked in 1908. PHENOMENA: Urban legend alert >> One concerns a drunken rail worker who slipped during the construction phase and was buried alive in the cement. It’s said when a train crosses the bridge his cries of agony are still heard. Another legend revolves around a mother who was walking the tracks to take her baby to the doctor. She slipped and fell from the bridge killing both of them. At night, it’s said the mother can be heard crying out for her infant. There is also a story about four workers who fell to their death into White Lick Creek and claims that people still hear splashes of their bodies in the creek. DIANA OF THE DUNES (GARY) BACKGROUND: In October 1915, 34-year-old Alice Mabel Gray withdrew from conventional life in Chicago and moved to the dune country in northwestern Indiana with but a few possessions, intending to write and live a simpler life in the natural setting along Lake Michigan. During her first five years at the dunes, Gray lived alone in an abandoned shack she named "Driftwood" located near the beach. Although hermits living in the area were not uncommon, a relatively young woman such as Gray living alone in the dunes was highly unusual. After Gray managed to survive her first winter at the dunes, news reporters began to seek her out among the secluded dunes and interview her for stories. Sources differ on how reporters learned of her existence and where to find her, but legend suggests that local fishermen informed the media after they had seen her bathing nude in the lake and running along the beach to dry herself. Public interest in Gray's unusual life continued after she began a relationship with Paul Wilson, a fisherman and carpenter, around 1920–21. Little is known of Wilson's early life, but locals described him as about six feet two inches, with a violent and combative temper. Gray's and Wilson's lives at the dunes changed for the worse in 1922 when the body of a man was discovered near "Wrens Nest." Wilson became a suspect in the man's murder. Deputy sheriff Eugene Frank also accused Gray and Wilson of robbing local cottages and stealing fish. When the couple confronted Frank about the accusations, a fight ensued. Wilson was shot in the foot and Gray suffered a skull fracture.  Gray died at Odgen Dunes of uremic poisoning on February 8, 1925. PHENOMENA: The fate of Alice's two daughters is unknown but legends say that she still returns to the beach and the wilderness that she loved so much. Over the years, many have claimed that they have seen the ghostly figure of a nude woman running along the sand or disappearing into the water. EDNA COLLINS BRIDGE (PUTNAM COUNTY) BACKGROUND: The bridge was built in 1922 and was the last covered bridge built in Putnam County. Legend says young Edna Collins’ parents used to drop her and her dog off to swim in Walnut Creek on their way to Greencastle. When they returned from their trip, they would drive onto the bridge and honk three times to let Edna know it was time to go home. One day, Edna didn’t come when they honked and her body was found downstream. Some say she was trying to rescue her dog, but others claim she was brutally murdered. PHENOMENA: Urban legend alert >> If you drive onto the bridge and honk three times, little Edna’s ghost will appear and attempt to get into your car. Some people claim to have photographed children’s hand prints on their car after they drive away and at times hearing a little girl giggling. ELKHART CIVIC THEATER (BRISTOL) BACKGROUND: In 1884, the Bucklen Opera House opened its doors for the first time, with a seating capacity of 1200. It was common for one performance to take place every week. Elkhart's location on the railroad made it a good stopping point for shows traveling from New York to Chicago. In 1896, the first movie was shown in the theater, which was also used as Elkhart High School's auditorium until 1924. The Bucklen was demolished in 1986 and was replaced by the Elkhart Civic Theater. PHENOMENA: The nature of the hauntings here include: books and papers flying off shelves, objects levitating, sewing machines running on their own and weird light anomalies. Shadows and the apparition of a floating dark-haired woman have been seen by both staff and theater patrons. Staff also claim to have been physically grabbed by an unseen entity when no one else is around. The ghost of handyman “Percy”, aka Percival Hilbert, is said to still remain there. He lived in the basement with his wife and two daughters after they were evicted during the Great Depression. He is said to manifest as “moving shafts of light” and it’s believed he appeared in a photo during a ghost hunt. EMBASSY THEATER (FORT WAYNE) BACKGROUND: The Historic Embassy Theater first opened in 1928 as the Emboyd Theatre. Bud Burger was the theater's beloved stage manager, taking care of all the stars from the 1930s through the 50s. He even lived there, caring for each inch of the theater. The theater has been known by its current name since 1952. It features a 1,100-pipe Page theater organ, which was restored between 1976 and 1996. In 1975, the year the theater was reopened as a performing arts center. Since then, the it has primarily been used for concerts, Broadway shows, symphonies, family shows, and home to the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra. PHENOMENA: Before Bud passed away in the '70s he requested his ashes be spread across the theater's roof. Friends complied and he’s haunted the building ever since. Organists have reported that when they practice in the empty theater, one specific seat will open as if someone is about to sit down, but no one is actually there. The seat will return to its upright position after a few seconds and a seat in a different part of the theater will repeat this action. This can continue for the duration of the rehearsal. A former theater director was awakened multiple times one night after dreaming of Bud Berger. At 5 AM he decided to go into work early. He was surprised to find a pipe had burst in the building and quickly had the water shut off before more extensive damage occurred. Another time, an interior door alarm sounded and staff members went to the lower level to investigate. They found it originated in the restroom, but found no explanation as to why as the Embassy was closed at the time. Just by chance they did discover a sewage pump nearby had failed and its motor close to burning out. They had found this failure just in time to avoid a very serious situation. FRENCH LICK SPRINGS HOTEL (FRENCH LICK) BACKGROUND:  The historic hotel in the national historic district at French Lick was initially known as a mineral spring health spa and for its trademarked Pluto Water. During the period 1901 to 1946, when Thomas Taggart, a former mayor of Indianapolis, and his son, Thomas were its owners and operators, the popular hotel attracted many fashionable, wealthy, and notable guests. In the 1920s and into the 1930s, the resort became known for its recreational sports, most notably golf, but the French Lick area also had a reputation for illegal gambling. After a series of subsequent owners and renovations, the hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. The restored hotel, with its exteriors of distinctive, buff-colored brick, reopened in 2006. PHENOMENA: Said to be haunted by Thomas Taggart, who appears near the service elevator in mist form accompanied by the smell of tobacco. It’s said he actually operates the elevator during busy times. He also appears on a horse in the ballroom or down the halls and hosts spectral parties the staff hear through closed doors when the ballroom is empty. A red stain is said to appear in a guest room bathtub where a bride committed suicide and the cleaning staff claim the whole sixth floor is haunted by shadows, breezes, footsteps, disembodied laughter and spirits who call the front desk from unoccupied rooms. Lastly, a ghostly African-American bellhop has shown up in photos taken by the bellhop stand. HACIENDA RESTAURANT (MISHAWAKA) BACKGROUND: The restaurant sits inside one of Rock Hills’ most historic buildings that was once a private mansion that was constructed back in the 1860s. hacienda is a Mexican food chain with 14 locations across the state. PHENOMENA: Former and present staff report a multitude of activity in the building and it’s said to be haunted by spirits of its former residents. One apparition is alleged to be a maid who was involved romantically with the mansion’s married owner. She became pregnant and when he all but abandoned her, she became despondent and hanged herself in the attic. Another legend has the owner of shooting himself in the basement with his ghost still roaming the building. Lights, electrical appliances and faucets turn themselves on and off with regularity. HANNAH HOUSE (INDIANAPOLIS) BACKGROUND: Built in 1858 by Alexander Moore Hannah, a prominent Indianan. Originally constructed for only Hannah and his staff but at age 51 he married Elizabeth Jackson and another wing was added on for servants. Before the Civil War, the mansion was part of the Underground Railroad. Hannah hid runaway slaves in the mansion’s basement until they could be moved to the next hiding spot. One night, a lantern was accidentally knocked over, causing a fire in the basement and killing many of the slaves hidden there. They were buried in simple coffins in the basement. PHENOMENA: The cellar is a particular hot spot with ghosts of slaves seen by several people along with moans, disembodied voices and cold spots. The ghost of Alexander Hannah has been reported in several areas of the property including the upstairs and the balcony. The ghost of an older woman is seen near one particular upstairs room and a chandelier was filmed swinging for no reason by a local TV film crew. HELL’S GATE (BRAZIL) BACKGROUND: There is a legend that there are seven gates to Hell located throughout the Wabash Valley and though many of them have been destroyed, one still exists in Brazil. As the story goes, a train derailment over the tunnel resulted in all passengers being killed and for whatever reason they were sent to Hell. PHENOMENA: Urban legend alert >> When you get to the tunnel flash your headlights (or a flashlight) three times into it and….something….will appear. There are reports of a gatekeeper gatekeeper standing on top of the tunnel, blood on the walls and spirits screaming and pounding on vehicles. If you see your name glowing on the walls, you will be dead by morning. Another legend states that if you find all seven of the “Hell’s Gates” tunnels and drive through them you will see Hell’s actual gates closing behind you. HIGHLAND LAWN CEMETERY (TERRE HAUTE) BACKGROUND: Opened in 1884, the cemetery includes 139 acres. The cemetery features a chapel built by architect Jesse A. Vrydaugh in 1893 for a cost of $10,000. In the 1980s, the chapel underwent renovation which was completed in March 1988. Highland Lawn also includes a bell tower built by the Heidenreich Company in 1894, a gateway arch completed by Edward Hazledine and a Colonial rest house designed by W.H. Floyd. The cemetery is known in local folklore including the story of Stiffy Green, a taxidermied bulldog who stayed night and day at his deceased owner John Heinl’s tomb and was subsequently buried with him, and of Martin Sheets, who was convinced he would be buried alive and thus installed a telephone inside of his tomb with a direct line to the cemetery's main office. PHENOMENA: Heinl passed away in 1920 and Stiffy (so named because of his stiff-legged gait) was stuffed and placed in the sitting position in the tomb when he died. Visitors report hearing Stiify’s bark coming from the direction of the grave to this day and on autumn nights, they say an old man and his dog are heard and seen walking near the crypt. The Sheets mausoleum holds the remains of Martin, wife Susan and infant daughter Ethel. Martin set up an account in his name with Indiana Bell Telephone that kept the line paid for and active, just in case he was wrongly declared dead. When Sheets’ wife, Susan died years later of a stroke, she was found in the kitchen of their home with the phone in her hand. Many assumed she had been attempting to summon help, but according to legend, when the mausoleum was unlocked to place Susan’s casket next to her husband’s, cemetery workers discovered the phone in the crypt was off the hook. “HOUSE OF BLUE LIGHTS” (INDIANAPOLIS) BACKGROUND: This was the name given to a house on the far northeast side of Indianapolis. Decorated year round with blue Christmas lights, it was actually the home of eccentric Indianapolis millionaire Skiles Edward Test. He was known to be a very kind man, yet strange in a way. He loved blue Christmas lights and covered his house with them - constantly. According to local folklore, Skiles' beloved deceased wife was embalmed in a glass coffin inside the house, surrounded by the eerie blue lights. Test himself encouraged the rumors when he began burying the remains of some of his 109 pet cats in carpeted caskets under brass nameplates. After Test's death, no evidence was discovered that indicated his wife was buried on the property, for, in fact, he had been married three times and all three women survived him. PHENOMENA: Urban legend alert >> Paranormal enthusiasts and thrill seekers spent a great deal of time looking for dead wives, spectral lights, glass coffins, guns, dogs, wolves and ghosts, so Test had a fence built to keep trespassers away. When he passed away in 1964, it was said that strange blue lights could still be seen glowing on the property. The home was destroyed in the 1980s and the property converted into a public park, but sightings of blue glowing lights hovering around the property continue on. INDIANA CENTRAL STATE HOSPITAL (INDIANAPOLIS) BACKGROUND:  The Indiana Hospital for the Insane finally opened in November, 1848 with a total of five patients. At that time, the hospital consisted of one brick building situated on a large parcel of land of over 100 acres.  In 1889 the hospital was renamed the Central Indiana Hospital for the Insane. After 1926 it was known as Central State Hospital, and by 1928, physicians cared for nearly 3,000 patients. By the early 1970s, most of the hospital's ostentatious Victorian-era buildings had been declared unsound and razed. It’s believed many patients were subjected to verbal, mental and physical abuse during their stay at Central State. PHENOMENA: A nurse exploring some underground tunnels and a room with manacles attached to the walls, claims she heard moaning coming from inside that room. An officer responding to an intruder call in the dark and empty asylum found nothing unusual until he started to leave when he heard a woman’s high-pitched cry and the sight of a woman in a robe rush past him and right through a wall. Security guards, police and visitors to the property all reported hearing screams from the deserted buildings, which have since been demolished. Other apparitions of people in gowns and robes have been seen in hallways, in a nearby cemetery and out into the streets. INDIANA REPERTORY THEATER (INDIANAPOLIS) BACKGROUND: The theater company has history in two theater buildings. It began in 1972 in The Athenaeum. In 1980, the IRT moved to its current home, The Indiana Theater, a former Paramount Pictures Publix Theater at 140 West Washington Street, built in 1927 and converted from a movie theater for IRT's use. For the most part, the theater stopped doing musicals in the 1990s. PHENOMENA: The most oft-told ghost story here concerns a former director named Tom Haas who was an avid jogger. When poor weather curtailed his outdoor running plans, he did so inside the theater. In January of 1991, Haass was struck by a van while running and died of his injuries about a month later. Soon after some odd things began to take place in the theater like creaking floorboards on cold or rainy days that is attributed to the ghost of Hass continuing his exercise regimen even in death. INDIANA UNIVERSITY (BLOOMINGTON) PHENOMENA: A long-standing campus legend concerns “The Woman in Black”, known to chase students and at one point appeared at a Woman’s League Halloween party. According to a Daily Student article published in 1911, “Nobody is going to smile incredulously any more when 'The Woman in Black' is mentioned … because ‘seeing is believing,’ and everyone who attended the Woman’s League Party yesterday afternoon saw her. Some of the more daring ones shook hands with her as she stood in the receiving line between two tall white ghosts.” There’s also "The Girl in the Yellow Dress" that dates back to the 1960s. It’s said a student murdered his girlfriend inside Read Residence Center after they returned from a formal dance. The girl was reportedly wearing a yellow dress and still lurks in the halls. Urban legend alert >> “The Hatchet Man” originates during Thanksgiving break in the 1960s when two female residents were staying alone in McNutt Residence Center. Despite warnings to stay behind closed doors due to recent crime in the area, they ventured out into town and at some point during the night, one of them headed home by herself. Walking back, she heard heavy breathing behind her and broke into a terrified run to safety. When she awoke the next day, her roommate was found dead lying in a pool of blood in the hallway. In the Career Development Center, legend says a doctor in the pre-World War II era practiced illegal abortions. Whether it was in an effort not to be discovered or sheer guilt, the doctor hid the fetuses in the floorboards and walls. After hearing crying, he eventually went mad and committed suicide. Numerous documents exist of fraternity brothers reporting sounds of the doctor screaming, a cold hand on their shoulder and the sound of babies crying late in the night. Urban legend alert >> The IU Auditorium is said to be haunted by a worker who fell from a scaffolding and died. It’s been claimed a bloodstain exists on the stage that returns even after the flooring was redone. The Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology office has a light pole outside the building - since removed - that would turn on in the morning and off in the evening. At some point a professor called the campus electricians to take a look. They concluded there was no way the light could have been turning on and off because it hadn’t been connected to a power source for years. Richard Dorson, one of the founders of the IU Folklore Institute, is said to haunt the department's building. Staff members have reported inexplicable things happening in the office and some claim to have seen his profile in an upstairs window. A former student also reported seeing Dorson walking briskly out of the building carrying a stack of books and papers shortly after his death. INDIANAPOLIS ATHLETIC CLUB (INDIANAPOLIS) BACKGROUND: The historic clubhouse was built between 1922 and 1924. It is an Italian Renaissance style brick building. One evening in February many years ago, a fire was discovered in the third floor ballroom. Due to the materials used in construction and a lack of sprinklers, the blaze quickly escalated. By the end of the night, one hotel guest and two Indianapolis firefighters, Cpl. Ellwood M. “Woody” Gelenius and Pvt. John J. Lorenzano, perished in the flames. The fire was traced to a faulty refrigerator. Positive consequences of the tragedy, if there are such things, included the requirement of working sprinklers in all high rise buildings and an increased focus on the safety equipment used by firefighters. After closing in 2004, the former clubhouse now houses luxurious condos. PHENOMENA: Staff and guests have reported the ghost of a young man attempting to wake people up.  TRIVIA: In February of 1992, Indianapolis found itself at the center of national attention, as heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson was tried and convicted of rape. During the media circus, jurors spent the evenings sequestered in the Indianapolis Athletic Club. JAMES ALLISON MANSION (INDIANAPOLIS) BACKGROUND: Construction was commissioned by James Allison and took place between 1911 and 1914. Also known as Riverdale, the building contains a library, carriage porch, aviary, and sunken conservatory. It was was nicknamed the “House of Wonders” because of the many amenities and technological advancements on display. With an elevator, central vacuum system, intercom, automatic lighted closets, and indoor swimming pool, this mansion easily outshone other high-end living spaces in the early 1900s. Allison was a prominent entrepreneur who invented the Allison Perfection Fountain pen and founded both Prest-O-Life (an automobile headlight manufacturing company) and an automobile company that became known as the Allison Engine Company (now a division of Rolls Royce). His most notable claim to fame is his founding of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, along with Frank Wheeler and Arthur Newby. PHENOMENA: Allison died in the late 1920s, but it’s said his spirit remains at the mansion. College administrators, visitors, and students claim books and furniture in the library are frequently rearranged and objects regularly go missing only to be found in odd places. A little girl who was visiting drowned in the basement pool and her apparition has been seen. Others report hearing disembodied voices in the attic. LE MANS HALL (NOTRE DAME) BACKGROUND: Dedicated in 1926, Le Mans is the second oldest college building at St. Mary’s College. Le Mans Hall is named for a city in northwest France where Blessed Basil Anthony Moreau founded the Congregation of the Sisters of Holy Cross and the Congregation of the Holy Cross (brothers and priests). Le Mans Hall is the administration building (first floor) and a residence hall. Le Mans Tower is the bell tower at the center of Le Mans Hall. Le Mans Tower is to Saint Mary's College what the Golden Dome is to the University of Notre Dame, a symbol of the institution. Commencement is held each May on Le Mans Green, the south lawn in front of Le Mans Hall. PHENOMENA: A range of reported phenomena include strange noises and unusual blasts of cool air. It’s said the ghost of a girl named Mary exists in the bell tower and she has a mischievous streak that manifests itself by occasionally stealing hair dryers. Urban legend alert  >>Legend states if one is missing, go to the middle of the hallway and ask Mary to return it. When you return to your room it will be found on the bed. On the 4th floor it’s been said that there are residual blood stains at the spot of a former student’s death. LINCOLN BANK TOWER (FORT WAYNE) BACKGROUND: Construction started in late 1929 with the building's opening in 1930. For decades, it was the tallest building in the state. It was chartered as The German American National Bank in 1905 but due to anti-German sentiment that arose from World War I, the German American National Bank became Lincoln National Bank on May 31, 1918. Shortly after LNB&T was formed, President Charles Buesching commissioned a skyscraper to serve as headquarters for the new bank. He considered it to be a monument to the German immigrants who settled the Fort Wayne area at the turn of the 20th century and formed the backbone of his investors, depositors, and customers. Buesching himself was a German immigrant. PHENOMENA: It’s said each floor of the building houses at least one ghost. On the top floor, the spirit of a man who allegedly jumped to his death through a window is said to haunt that area. A female ghost is reported to scream (possibly racial epitaphs) at passersby from a fourth floor window. MAIN STREET (FORT WAYNE) PHENOMENA: Even in the 1880s, a lady dressed in flowing white garments wandering the West Central Neighborhood and sometimes disappearing over the St. Marys bridge has been reported. Sightings, spooked horses and carriage riders, and mysterious encounters attributed to her disturbed residents so often and so dramatically that on at least one occasion, police devised a plan to capture the women. Urban legend alert >> Legend has it that a foot chase ensued one evening, which ended with the women being cornered in an alley. When an officer threw a sheet over her, she vanished, with the sheet falling harmlessly to the ground. MASONIC TEMPLE (FORT WAYNE) BACKGROUND: Built in 1926 with a cool $1,000,000 price tag, it was designed as a monument to the ambitions of the fraternity. Designed by Charles A. Weatherhogg, the building stands 10 stories high which made it one of the largest structures in Fort Wayne. At the time of it's construction, over 10,000 members regularly attended meetings, dinners, dances and fraternal functions. At the opening in 1926, a grand ball was hosted by the Associated Masonic Trustees and all of Fort Wayne was invited. It's said that nearly 3,000 citizens attended. PHENOMENA: Said to be haunted by the ghost of a young Mason who died as the result an initiation ritual decades ago. His ghost has been known to slam doors, turn off lights, and various other forms of mischief. PAUL RUSTER PARK CEMETERY (INDIANAPOLIS) BACKGROUND: The park bears the name of a 1964 graduate of Warren Central High School, Paul M. Ruster who died in 1978 of Hodgkin’s Disease. PHENOMENA: During the days of “Dungeons and Dragons” in the 80s, role playing groups met in the park and son began reporting eerie sounds and strange sights on the park’s boundaries that would often drive them from the park in fear. Urban legend alert >> It’s said many years back a 12-year-old boy was killed walking near the train tracks and was buried in an unmarked grave in the basement of his former house. People have said if you approach his final resting place you can hear a harmonica playing. Some also have reported seeing him walking down the road playing the instrument. He’s also seen near a large pond and fishermen have claimed to hear the harmonica sounds moving through the woods and around the perimeter of where they are fishing. RIVOLI THEATER (INDIANAPOLIS) BACKGROUND: The theater was built in 1927 and was originally designed and built as a single screen movie theater by Universal Pictures. It was sold in 1937 and continued to provide motion pictures and live entertainment until its final closure in 1992. Since this time the venue has remained largely vacant. In 2007 the Rivoli Theater was acquired by the Rivoli Center for the Performing Arts, Inc., with the intent to restore and reopen the theater. PHENOMENA: Said to be one of the most haunted locations in Indianapolis, former owners claim to see patrons sitting in the auditorium when they opened up for the day. When confronted, the “audience” simply vanished into thin air. There is said to be a man run through the auditorium, navigating between the seats and then disappearing through a wall. Toilets will flush by themselves and faucets turn on and off. Objects will move by themselves and the apparitions of women in evening wear and men in tuxedos have been spotted in the theater. It’s been said the theater was built on a Native American burial ground. ROADS HOTEL (ATLANTA) BACKGROUND:  It was built in 1893 by Newton and Clara Roads as a source of extra income and to occupy Clara as her husband was away on his traveling sales business. Newton passed, but Clara kept the hotel open by any means possible, including converting it into a brothel and speakeasy. It remained in use as a hotel until the 1920s. PHENOMENA: Their son Everett contracted tuberculosis at the age of 19 and was placed under quarantine upstairs until he finally died of the disease. His former room is said be to quite active. In the room across from his, a preacher named Lester Poor checked in and them climbed the stairs to the attic where he hanged himself. Many report seeing his shadowy figure roaming the building. There have been claims of shadows and apparitions of men, women and children, disembodied voices, phantom footsteps, lights working themselves, and doors opening and closing themselves. TRIVIA: Indiana native and notorious gangster John Dillinger is said to have been a frequent guest at the hotel. He would enter through a secret door in the back to reach his usual room there. ST. MARY OF THE WOODS COLLEGE (TERRE HAUTE) BACKGROUND:  Founded as an academy for young women by Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, who reached the site on October 22, 1840 after three months of travel. She led five Sisters of Providence, who had traveled from their convent in Ruillé-sur-Loir, France. In 1846, Saint Mary- of-the-Woods College was granted the first charter for the higher education of women in the state of Indiana. In 2015, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to become fully coeducational. PHENOMENA: The theater is home to the apparition of a nun who floats through the building late at night accompanied by footsteps running up and down the stairs. In the chapel at Foley Hall, a nun who was praying heard crying and looked to see another nun weeping. When their gazes met, she saw the nun had no face. Running to get other nuns to bear witness to her, they found she had vanished. It’s thought to be the ghost of a nun who was a painter whose method of leaving the face of her subjects as the final addition to her portraits. The faceless nun has been seen in Foley Hall often over the years and students claim they see her wearing a style of habit that has long since been abandoned. Apparitions have been seen in the tunnels under the campus. Urban legend alert >> In O’Shaughnessy Hall, a blood stain on a wall where it’s alleged a nun took her own life is said to withstand any attempt to remove it. SCHENCK MANSION BED & BREAKFAST BACKGROUND: Benjamin Schenck, whose father Ulysses - the “Hay King” - was a farmer turned merchant who transported hay down the Ohio River by water and by rail and established the New Orleans Express Line steamboat company, built the mansion beginning in 1874. He passed away before its completion, leaving it to his widow and children who lived there until they moved a few years later. The mansion was empty until 1923 when it was donated to the Indiana Baptist Convention. It was returned to the family five years later and then purchased by the Wiseman family in 1945. In 2000, it opened as the Schenck Mansion Bed & Breakfast. PHENOMENA: It’s said the mansion was built on the footing of an earlier building that was lost in a fire that claimed the lives of a couple inside. There are allegedly six spirits who reside here and single males are often awakened by what are described as “kisses”. Lights flicker on and off and odd sounds resonate through the mansion. There is a spectral “Lady in White” who is said to haunt the second floor of the building and roams its hallway oblivious to anyone and anything around her. Disembodied voices, footsteps and objects being moved in guests rooms are common reports. SLIPPERY NOODLE INN (INDIANAPOLIS) BACKGROUND: A large blues bar and restaurant with two performance stages in downtown Indianapolis. It also has the distinction of being the oldest continuously operating bar in the state of Indiana, having opened in 1850 as the Tremont House. The Inn served as a stop on the Underground Railroad during the American Civil War. During prohibition it was called a restaurant, although beer was still being made in the basement, and later it housed a brothel until 1953 when it was closed after one of its patrons was stabbed and murdered, the perpetrator leaving the weapon on the bar. The Inn is the oldest commercial building in the city. Its tin ceiling dates to 1890 and the oak bar is also over a century old. The Inn has operated under its current name since 1963. PHENOMENA: Guests, particularly men, are often harassed upstairs. On lower levels, doors open and close themselves, apparitions are seen by staff and guests are shoved by unseen forces. An employee reported a door opening in one upstairs room as she passed by only to see it closed when she returned. As she passed by again, she claims a woman emerged and stared at her with eyes she described as “pitched black”. She refused to go back upstairs from that point on. STEPP CEMETERY (BLOOMINGTON) BACKGROUND: The cemetery dates back to the 19th century and located in the Morgan-Monroe State Forest, the second largest forest in Indiana. The grave markers that remain indicate that the site is the final resting place for at least 32 people—mostly young women and children—the oldest of whom passed away in the early nineteenth century. PHENOMENA: A “Lady in Black” lurks in Stepp Cemetery whose origins begin back in the 1950s. Visitors reported seeing a ghostly woman hovering over a tree stump above a stone marked “Baby Lester.” Perhaps it’s the ghost of a local woman looking for the infant son she lost in the 1930s as many residents maintain. There is an alternative story about a woman in a black gown named “Anna” who lost her husband and teenage daughter that moves through the headstones. Another legend concerns two brothers who dueled to the death inside the graveyard. In any event, the cemetery’s reputation has drawn those interested in the macabre and ritualistic, especially those associated with a certain religious cult. The graveyard is not well-maintained with headstones vandalized or removed and trash spread about the property. THE GRAVE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD (FRANKLIN) BACKSTORY: The grave belongs to Nancy Kerlin Barnett who was 39 at the time of her death on December 1, 1831. There was no road here at that time so it was a place Nancy spent a great deal of her time at. A family plot was established nearby as relatives passed away, but in 1901 the city decided to build a much-needed road right through the site. THis would mean Nancy would have to be moved, but her grandson, Daniel Doty, refused to allow this to happen. He pled his case but it fell on deaf ears so he grabbed a shotgun and sat down on his grandmother’s grave threatening to shoot anyone who attempted to move him. The city relented and left her grave where it was. The road was split around her final resting place. PHENOMENA: Late at night, visitors and passersby have reported apparitions manifesting right in front of their cars as they approach, disembodied voices and electrical issues with vehicles. TIPPECANOE PLACE (SOUTH BEND) BACKGROUND: Clement Studebaker was born in Pennsylvania and was Pennsylvania Dutch. By the age of 14 he had learned to work as a blacksmith in his father's shop. He later worked as a teacher. In 1852, Clement and his elder brother Henry Studebaker opened the H & C Studebaker blacksmith shop at the corner of Michigan and Jefferson Streets in what is now the heart of downtown South Bend. He married Charity Bratt on October 12, 1852 in St. Joseph County and the  couple had two children, Clement Jr. and Eddie, who both died in infancy. Studebaker lived in the house from 1889 until his 1901 death, but the house remained in his family for many years. His son George lived there until 1933 when he lost the structure due to bankruptcy. The building stood vacant until 1941, when E. M. Morris purchased it and gave it to the city as a school for handicapped children. During World War II, however, it served as Red Cross headquarters. In 1970, possession passed to Southhold Restorations, Inc., a local historic preservation group. PHENOMENA: Studebaker has been known to drop by his old office occasionally marked by a drop in temperature, cigar smells and pictures that swing on the wall by themselves. One night some patrons were asking the bartender about the ghostly claims and he professed not believe a word of it. Immediately after, an expensive bottle of liquor flew a shelf and crashed to the floor. There have been many instances of a sound activated alarm in the restaurant going off and police calling continuously about it. A review of the audio tapes that accompanied it revealed sounds suggesting dishes and other items were being tossed around in the basement. There is a “Woman in White” who roams the building and the ghost of a pregnant maid named “Beatrice” who legend has it, committed suicide in the stairwell because the baby’s father refused to marry her. Other activities are: flickering lights, disembodied voices of children singing, strange orbs and apparitions that, according to witnesses, have been recorded on camera. TRIVIA: Clement and three other brothers went on to develop the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company which became the largest wagon manufacturer in the world and the only manufacturer of horse-drawn vehicles to successfully switch to automobiles. WASHINGTON HALL (SOUTH BEND) BACKGROUND: Ever since the university's earliest years, the site of Washington Hall has been associated in the minds of Notre Dame students, alumni, faculty and staff with music, entertainment and recreation. The original music hall, which stood on the site next to the Administration Building now occupied by Washington Hall, was a two-story clapboard building that housed classrooms and practice rooms as well as facilities for lectures, concerts and campus assemblies. It was destroyed by fire in 1879 and replaced with Washington Hall. PHENOMENA: There are ghosts in Washington Hall. Theories as to their identity vary, with the most persistent hypotheses being that the ghost is either that of George Gipp, who supposedly slept on the steps of Washington Hall the night before he became fatally ill in 1920 or a Steeplejack who fell to his death while working in 1886. While they may not agree on the ghost's identity, few students scoff at stories of doors slamming on windless nights, footsteps heard on the roof, light bulbs unscrewing themselves or inexplicable noises heard during late- night play preparations. To them the ghost of Washington Hall is very real and very much a part of the respect for the tradition that distinguishes Notre Dame TRIVIA: It has served as a forum for speakers ranging from Henry James, William Butler Yeats and William Jennings Bryan to Tennessee Williams, Pete Seeger and Phil Donahue. WHISPERS ESTATE (MITCHELL) BACKGROUND: The house was built in 1894 and purchased by Dr. John and Jessie Gibbons who reportedly adopted several orphaned children. Legend states one of them, a 10-year-old girl named Rachael, started a fire in the front parlor while sneaking a look at Christmas gifts that burned her badly and cost her her life. A 10-month-old infant named Elizabeth later died in the master bedroom, and a grief- stricken Mrs. Gibbons passed away in that same room from double pneumonia. Dr. Gibbons also used the home as his office, and during his 26 years of practice, it is said that dozens of deaths and amputations were done inside the home. PHENOMENA: The house’s most startling feature are its “whispering walls”  as well as its rattling doorknobs, but many also report seeing seen and hearing the ghost of Rachael running through the home giggling. Guests sleeping in the master bedroom where Mrs. Gibbons died claim to awaken in the middle of the night with uncontrollable coughing. Some claim the home is haunted by inhuman entities as well, but this is purely speculative. TRIVIA: Whispers Estate has been featured on Biography Channel’s My Ghost Story and Destination America’s Ghost Stalkers as well as Travel Channel’s Most Terrifying Places in America. WHITLEY JAIL (FORT WAYNE) BACKGROUND: The current Columbia City Jail dates back to 1875 when it was called the Whitley Jail for the county it was located in. The building served as a local jail and sheriff’s residence and possibly doubled as a courthouse. PHENOMENA: A violent former inmate named Charles Butler is said to haunt the building. He was sentenced to be executed for the murder of his wife. Visitors claim to feel an extreme electrical charge upon entering with camera batteries draining in short order. Some have claimed seeing Butler standing outside the jail house on a few occasions. It’s also theorized that a Sheriff named Allwein remains here as well with reports of a ghostly figure moving from the cells to the sheriff’s quarters. Activity includes footsteps that approach and then pass visitors in hallways, a door that opens by itself, curtains that flutter with no breeze to trigger them and a “blurry” entity that makes physical contact with people’s shoulders or hands. Many claim to hear a peculiar scratching on the walls inside the jail. WILLARD LIBRARY (EVANSVILLE) BACKGROUND: Willard Carpenter, Evansville's "pioneer of public charity," built and endowed Willard Library. He established a trust fund in 1876 to have the library constructed. An agent for the Underground Railroad before the Civil War, Mr. Carpenter incorporated his concern for the rights of African Americans into his requirement that the library "be maintained for the free use of all persons who may desire to consult it." The library building was started in 1876 at First Avenue and Pennsylvania Streets in Carpenter's field, a place where circuses once pitched their tents. A depressed economy halted construction in 1877. The building's foundation lay for five years unfinished. The building was resumed in 1882 and Carpenter devoted the rest of his life to the supervision of the building. The formal opening was held March 28, 1885. The library was named "Willard Library" rather than "Carpenter Library" because, while living in Troy, NY, Carpenter became enamored with the Emma Willard School, a female seminary founded by Emma Willard. Carpenter died before his library was completed and his death jeopardized the funding for it. Rather than leave his fortune to his surviving children, he left it to the library, and they hated him for it. Furious, his estranged daughter Louise sued to have access to the inheritance. She lost, and the library continued to grow. PHENOMENA: t is said to be haunted by “The Grey Lady” who was first reported to have been seen in the library in 1936 by a custodian near the furnace area. Soon other staff and patrons began to see her wandering halls with books, other times perched on stairways, and in the most terrifying cases, appearing in the elevator where the living could only wait until they reached the appropriate floor. Her presence is often preceded by a heavy perfume. She occasionally played tricks on library visitors by turning faucets on and off, making lights flicker and mis- shelving books. The library has established a “ghost cam” where viewers from all over the world can log in and try to see her ghost. RETURN TO PARANORMAL WORLD DATABASE