Ghost legends of Indiana
Encyclopedia
Indiana
, a US State in the Midwest, is the location of numerous ghost
sightings, and there are many locations that are considered to be haunted by locals. Some of the hauntings are celebrated in festivals, and most have some truth behind them.
has several locations where residents have claimed to have sighted ghosts. An old theatre sits on the town circle, and some residents claim that at midnight a man with a long red beard appears on the roof of the building pacing back and forth and cries aloud "Marie please come back to me, please." Movie goers also say that sometimes during movies you can hear a man sobbing in the back of the theatre, but when you look, no one is there.
there is a bridge that is thought to be haunted. The railroad bridge was constructed across the White Lick Creek in the 1850s by immigrant Irish workers. Cement
was mixed in large narrow vats and hardened into the form of a pylon. One afternoon while working on the bridge, a platform collapsed and a worker fell into the cement vat. As he slowly sank down into the vat, his fellow workers could not reach him in time and they had no way to save him. They could hear him knocking from the inside of the vat. The company decided to continue building rather than tear down the pylon to extract his body.
While the men finished the work on the bridge, and for years afterward, many claimed to hear knocks and screams from inside the pylon. Decades later, when the bridge was torn down, there were a number of sightings of a man wandering along the tracks trying to flag down trains.
, in the Indiana Dunes
, there is a legend that fisherman around Lake Michigan
would occasionally sight a naked woman swimming in the lake. The legend dates back to at least 1915, and goes on to say that a beautiful woman was living as a hermit
near the lake. Because no one knew her name they began to refer to her as Dianne
, because of her beauty. In actuality, she was Alice Mable Gray, the daughter of a wealthy Chicago
family, who had come to live on the dunes after she began to lose her eyesight. She had grown up near the dunes, and sought to enjoy the remainder of her life there. In 1920 a man named Paul Wilson moved into the cabin with her. He was an unemployed boat maker, and a suspected murderer. The two eventually married, but he began to treat her badly, and was abusive. She died shortly after the birth of their second child from being poisoned.
The local legend claims that Alice's ghost still returns to the beach at the dunes to relive her happier days. For decades there have been sightings of a naked ghostly looking woman running along the beach and disappearing into the lake. The legend is commonly referred to as Diana of the Dunes
. The story is commemorated in an annual Diana of the Dunes Festival and Pageant.
In New Albany, Indiana
there is a large mansion from the town's boom days as a ship building center. The Culbertson Mansion
is open to public tours, and visitors and the curators have claimed to have seen a ghostly figure in the building. They believe her to be the ghost of the owner's second wife who returned to protect her children from her husband's third wife. The mansion's carriage barn is turned into a haunted house
during Halloween
, and many tour the building then in hopes of sighting the ghosts.
Nearby the mansion is the carriage house. The following is a storyline for the current "Literally, A Haunted House" fundraiser, which raises the majority of the funds for interior restoration of the mansion. In the 1933 it was sold to a Dr. Harold Webb who moved in with his family. He setup a practice in the home and began to gain a number of patients. Over time, several patients went missing and his family began to notice strange noises and smells coming from the basement. In 1934, after a patient found the home locked at the time of their appointment and called the police, an investigation took place. Upon entering the home, the police found the entire family dead, each by torturous means of death. After further searching the home, the basement was found to have secret passageways where the doctor had kept the missing patients and performed gruesome experiments on them. After the cleanup, the building was locked up, but finally sold to the American Legion
who restored the building. When it was finally reopened in the, visitors noted unusual electrical problem, missing items, and other unexplained occurrences. The carriage house now serves as a haunted house during Halloween and the proceeds benefit the restoration and maintenance of the mansion of the estate.
James Whitcomb
donated his vast library to Ashubry University—now DePauw University
—in his will after his death in 1852. Whitcomb was an avid reader had amassed a large collection of books in his lifetime, and kept most every book he had ever read. During the years his library was in public use there were numerous sighting of Whitcomb's ghost trying to protect his books. In one notable incident, a boy had supposedly borrowed The Poems of Ossian from the library. That night, Whitcomb's ghost appeared in his room wailing, "'Ossian! Who stole the Ossian". The next day the boy immediately returned the book to the library and told about the experience. The collection of now rare books is now protected, but there are still occasional sightings of Whitcomb's ghost.
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, a US State in the Midwest, is the location of numerous ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
sightings, and there are many locations that are considered to be haunted by locals. Some of the hauntings are celebrated in festivals, and most have some truth behind them.
Angola theatre
The town of Angola, IndianaAngola, Indiana
Angola is a city in Pleasant Township, Steuben County, Indiana, United States. The population was 8,612 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Steuben County . Angola was founded by Thomas Gale and Cornelius Gilmore. Angola is home to Trine University...
has several locations where residents have claimed to have sighted ghosts. An old theatre sits on the town circle, and some residents claim that at midnight a man with a long red beard appears on the roof of the building pacing back and forth and cries aloud "Marie please come back to me, please." Movie goers also say that sometimes during movies you can hear a man sobbing in the back of the theatre, but when you look, no one is there.
Haunted bridge
In the town of Avon, IndianaAvon, Indiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 6,248 people, 2,127 households, and 1,786 families residing in the town. The population density was 976.2 people per square mile . There were 2,240 housing units at an average density of 351.1 per square mile...
there is a bridge that is thought to be haunted. The railroad bridge was constructed across the White Lick Creek in the 1850s by immigrant Irish workers. Cement
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
was mixed in large narrow vats and hardened into the form of a pylon. One afternoon while working on the bridge, a platform collapsed and a worker fell into the cement vat. As he slowly sank down into the vat, his fellow workers could not reach him in time and they had no way to save him. They could hear him knocking from the inside of the vat. The company decided to continue building rather than tear down the pylon to extract his body.
While the men finished the work on the bridge, and for years afterward, many claimed to hear knocks and screams from inside the pylon. Decades later, when the bridge was torn down, there were a number of sightings of a man wandering along the tracks trying to flag down trains.
Diana of the Dunes
One of the most well known, and most celebrated ghost legends in Indiana is that of Diana of the Dunes. Near Chesterton, IndianaChesterton, Indiana
Chesterton is a town in Westchester, Jackson and Liberty townships, Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 13,068 at the 2010 census. The three towns of Chesterton, Burns Harbor, and Porter are known as the tri-towns or the Duneland area....
, in the Indiana Dunes
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is a U.S. National Lakeshore located in northwest Indiana and managed by the National Park Service. It was authorized by Congress in 1966. The national lakeshore runs for nearly along the southern shore of Lake Michigan, from Gary, Indiana, on the west to Michigan...
, there is a legend that fisherman around Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
would occasionally sight a naked woman swimming in the lake. The legend dates back to at least 1915, and goes on to say that a beautiful woman was living as a hermit
Hermit
A hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
near the lake. Because no one knew her name they began to refer to her as Dianne
Diana (mythology)
In Roman mythology, Diana was the goddess of the hunt and moon and birthing, being associated with wild animals and woodland, and having the power to talk to and control animals. She was equated with the Greek goddess Artemis, though she had an independent origin in Italy...
, because of her beauty. In actuality, she was Alice Mable Gray, the daughter of a wealthy Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
family, who had come to live on the dunes after she began to lose her eyesight. She had grown up near the dunes, and sought to enjoy the remainder of her life there. In 1920 a man named Paul Wilson moved into the cabin with her. He was an unemployed boat maker, and a suspected murderer. The two eventually married, but he began to treat her badly, and was abusive. She died shortly after the birth of their second child from being poisoned.
The local legend claims that Alice's ghost still returns to the beach at the dunes to relive her happier days. For decades there have been sightings of a naked ghostly looking woman running along the beach and disappearing into the lake. The legend is commonly referred to as Diana of the Dunes
Diana of the Dunes
Diana of the Dunes is a folklore legend about a woman who used to go skinny dipping at Dunes State Park in Indiana. She lived there in an abandoned cottage near the beach. She was nicknamed "Diana" after a Roman goddess. Her ghost is alleged to haunt the park's shores.Alice Mabel Gray was the...
. The story is commemorated in an annual Diana of the Dunes Festival and Pageant.
Culbertson Mansion
New Albany, Indiana
New Albany is a city in Floyd County, Indiana, United States, situated along the Ohio River opposite Louisville, Kentucky. In 1900, 20,628 people lived in New Albany; in 1910, 20,629; in 1920, 22,992; and in 1940, 25,414. The population was 36,372 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of...
there is a large mansion from the town's boom days as a ship building center. The Culbertson Mansion
Culbertson Mansion State Historic Site
Culbertson Mansion State Historic Site is located in New Albany, Indiana by the Ohio River. It was the home of William Culbertson, who was once the richest man in Indiana. Built in 1867 at a cost of $120,000, this French Second Empire-style mansion has 25-rooms within , and was completed in...
is open to public tours, and visitors and the curators have claimed to have seen a ghostly figure in the building. They believe her to be the ghost of the owner's second wife who returned to protect her children from her husband's third wife. The mansion's carriage barn is turned into a haunted house
Haunted house
A haunted house is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were familiar with the property...
during Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
, and many tour the building then in hopes of sighting the ghosts.
Nearby the mansion is the carriage house. The following is a storyline for the current "Literally, A Haunted House" fundraiser, which raises the majority of the funds for interior restoration of the mansion. In the 1933 it was sold to a Dr. Harold Webb who moved in with his family. He setup a practice in the home and began to gain a number of patients. Over time, several patients went missing and his family began to notice strange noises and smells coming from the basement. In 1934, after a patient found the home locked at the time of their appointment and called the police, an investigation took place. Upon entering the home, the police found the entire family dead, each by torturous means of death. After further searching the home, the basement was found to have secret passageways where the doctor had kept the missing patients and performed gruesome experiments on them. After the cleanup, the building was locked up, but finally sold to the American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
who restored the building. When it was finally reopened in the, visitors noted unusual electrical problem, missing items, and other unexplained occurrences. The carriage house now serves as a haunted house during Halloween and the proceeds benefit the restoration and maintenance of the mansion of the estate.
Whitcomb's library
Former Indiana GovernorGovernor of Indiana
The Governor of Indiana is the chief executive of the state of Indiana. The governor is elected to a four-year term, and responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the functions of many agencies of the Indiana state government. The governor also shares power with other statewide...
James Whitcomb
James Whitcomb
James Whitcomb was a Democratic United States Senator and the eighth Governor of Indiana. As governor during the Mexican-American War, he oversaw the formation and deployment of the state's levies...
donated his vast library to Ashubry University—now DePauw University
DePauw University
DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, USA, is a private, national liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the Great Lakes Colleges Association...
—in his will after his death in 1852. Whitcomb was an avid reader had amassed a large collection of books in his lifetime, and kept most every book he had ever read. During the years his library was in public use there were numerous sighting of Whitcomb's ghost trying to protect his books. In one notable incident, a boy had supposedly borrowed The Poems of Ossian from the library. That night, Whitcomb's ghost appeared in his room wailing, "'Ossian! Who stole the Ossian". The next day the boy immediately returned the book to the library and told about the experience. The collection of now rare books is now protected, but there are still occasional sightings of Whitcomb's ghost.