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Get the guide to Indiana ghosts that’s two books in one: part armchair reader and part ghost hunting guide!Mansions where sad deaths occurred and where spirits walk, murderers and kidnappers whose foul crimes seem to be punished from beyond the grave—countless ghost stories have been passed on for generations, joined by modern folktales that raise the hair on the head and stir the imagination. Wanda Lou Willis, one of Indiana’s most popular folklorists, has carefully researched and collected 78 frightening tales that will provoke and amuse even the most skeptical reader.
Enjoy these stories from the safety of home, or become a ghost hunter. Utilize maps and driving directions for the haunted locations that are open to the public. Journey to Hazelcot, the deserted dream mansion in Whitley County; to the tomb of riverboat captain Francis McHarry along the Ohio River, where ships pay homage to avoid the ghost’s curse; and to the bridges near Avon, where who-knows-what will occur on Halloween.
Whether you’re a horror fan, a history buff, or a traveler looking to explore Indiana like never before,
Haunted Hoosier Tales is for you. Share it with friends around a campfire, or try the stories alone at home—if you dare.
Inside you’ll find:
- 78 ghostly tales from haunted locations
- Stories arranged by county
- Maps and directions to the featured sites
- Historical information about 42 counties
Do ghosts walk the roads and wander the trails of the Hoosier heartland? Find out with
Haunted Hoosier Tales. Plus, the companion book
More Haunted Hoosier Tales is also available.
List of contents
Acknowledgments
Northern Indiana
- Allen County
- The Mason Long House
- The Pfeiffer House
- The Phantom of the Embassy
- Fulton County
- The Manitou Monster
- Sister Sarah
- Huntington County
- The Haunting of Canal House
- Kosciusko County
- The Fish That Got Away
- Merbrink Cottage: The Winona Lake House of Love
- La Porte County
- The Ghost of “I” Street Medical Clinic
- Marshall County
- Porter County
- St. Joseph County
- Whitley County
- Oscar, the Beast of “Busco”
- Things Go Bump in a Grand Manor: Hazelcot Castle
Central Indiana
- Clay County
- The One-Hundred Steps Cemetery
- Fountain County
- Chambermaid Haunts Hotel—Attica, Indiana
- Franklin County
- Hamilton County
- The Haunting of Eck House
- Hancock County
- The Plantation Club’s Hoodlums and Haunts
- Hendricks County
- Danville’s Creature from Hell
- Henry County
- Johnson County
- Little Girl in the Window
- Madison County
- Nineteenth Century Eccentric Ghost Tales
- Sam Maag... Is It You?
- “Good Night, Mr. G”
- Miss Robert’s Mansion
- Marion County
- The Acton Miracle
- The Alverna Retreat Ghost
- The Girl in White
- The Haunting of Beck House
- The Murat Shrine Temple’s Blue Light Special
- The Slippery Noodle Inn
- Indianapolis’s First Haunted House
- Monroe County
- The Haunted Morgan-Monroe State Forest
- Morgan County
- Parke County
- Bellmore—Dark Fantastic
- The Peek-a-Boo Ghost
- Spook Light Hill
- Tilghman’s Furlough
- Turkey Run
- Putnam County
- The Ghost of Governor Whitcomb
- Locust Hill
- Vigo County
- The Blue Hole
- The Ultimate Long Distance Call
- Warren County
- Harrison’s Phantom Militia
- Wayne County
Southern Indiana
- Bartholomew County
- Brown County
- The Haunting of Story, Indiana
- Dearborn County
- The Laughery Creek Road Massacre
- Floyd County
- Balls of Light
- The Ghosts of Culbertson Mansion
- Greene County
- The Legend of Poor Pollie: Linton’s Beloved Eccentric
- Harrison County
- The Legend of Haunted Hollow
- Jackson County
- Hush Little Baby, Don’t You Cry
- The Medora Haunted House
- Trombone Tommy
- The Witch of White Chapel
- Knox County
- Dark Hollow
- Purple Head Bridge
- The Spirit of Otter Lake
- The Coal Miner’s Ghosts
- The Ghost of Sigma Pi
- The Ghostly Supervisor
- Lawrence County
- The Light at the End of the Tunnel
- Chains of Destiny
- Martin County
- Perry County
- The Ghost Rider of River Road
- Vengeance Is Mine, Saith the Lord
- What’s Going on at the Tell City Library?
- Pike County
- Dead Man’s Prophecy
- Flat Creek Terror
- The Gullick House
- Scott County
- Poor Mary
- Day Is Done, Gone the Sun
- Switzerland County
- A Gentle Presence
- The Music of the Night
- Warrick County
- Washington County
About the author
Wanda Lou Willis is a folklore historian who specializes in Hoosier folktales and historic research. She is the author of Haunted Hoosier Tales and More Haunted Hoosier Tales.
She is a former features writer for the Indianapolis Star’s “Seniority Counts” section and contributor to the SouthernIN on-line magazine and the Suite 101 – Folklore site. Currently, she writes for Country Roads: Southeastern Indiana’s Lifestyle Magazine. Wanda has also made numerous appearances on Fox 59’s Early Morning show, has been on numerous local and international radio shows, and was a guest hostess on the South Florida radio show Magick Mind.
For many years, she taught folklore at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis and is a popular presenter at schools, universities, libraries, clubs, and historical societies. She has added acting to her list of accomplishments, appearing in Central State: Asylum for the Insane (2006) and Ghost Stories: Walking with the Dead (2007).
A fifth generation Hoosier, Wanda lives in Indianapolis, Indiana. For several years, she shared her life with Joy, her beloved Belgian Shepherd, until her untimely passing in 2007 due to tainted dog food. Though her Joy is gone, she has Hope, a beautiful, loving, foxy Foxhound.
