In a previous post, we discussed some of the creepiest, most haunted locations you can find in Indiana. Well, the chills and thrills in this state don’t stop there. The Hoosier State has so many spooky places that we couldn’t do them justice in just one post.
If you’re looking for a weekend get-a-way that you won’t easily forget, here are more eerie spots to visit (as long as you don’t scare easily).
A Place for Dinner and a Haunting
Located in Mishawaka, the Hacienda Restaurant operates out of a grand mansion that was once a private residence. Some say that the original residents are still around, in the form of a ghostly maid and the specter of the former owner. Local legend says that the maid may have hung herself and the owner may have shot himself after a disastrous love affair.
Whatever the truth of the matter, one thing is for certain: Staff members and guests alike agree that some strange occurrences keep happening inside the mansion. Lights, faucets and electrical appliances seem to be operated by unseen hands and apparitions regularly appear in the halls.
A Hotel Where Nobody Rests Easy
If you book a room in this hotel, you may want to bring a nightlight along with you! The spirits that are haunting the Roads Hotel in Atlanta, Indiana, may date back to the days when John Dillinger regularly patronized the place. Perhaps a product of those troubled times, this hotel seems to be filled with restless spirits.
Visitors and employees alike report that doors will open and close on their own, lights turn themselves on and off and the whispering voices of unseen figures are heard. Some guests have also reported seeing the shadows of men, women and children in the rooms and halls, making this a place only the bravest should visit.
A Walk Only for the Fearless
What kind of list of spooky spots would be complete without at least one haunted graveyard? The Boone-Hutcheson Cemetery has historic graves that predate the United States Civil War — a fact that makes it interesting to many historians and tourists.
However, walking around the cemetery on your own might not be the wisest course of action, especially after dark. One apparition, that of a police officer in antique clothing holding a blue light to guide visitors along in the dark, seems harmless enough. However, this may not be the case with some of the other spirits that roam in that location. Visitors have reported being chased from the grounds by phantom hounds and there’s a mysterious cave that may be haunted by the ghosts of escaped slaves who never made it to their destination on the Underground Railroad.
The Most Haunted House in Indianapolis
The James Allison Mansion has the dubious distinction of being known as Indianapolis’s most haunted home. Built by the founder of the Indianapolis Speedway between 1911 and 1914, the mansion is now part of Marian University and on the historic registry.
Unfortunately, James Allison died at a relatively young age. His spirit seems to have remained with his home, where he is frequently spotted rearranging items in the library. The ghost that gives most guest chills, however, is the spirit of a young girl who is believed to have drowned in a basement pool. Visitors report seeing the young spirit and hearing heart-rending screams and cries. Disembodied voices have been heard in the attic area, as well.
A Prison for Some for All Eternity
All manner of miseries and woes land people behind bars where they’re frequently subjected to violence and abuse. It’s hardly a surprise, then, that many jails and prisons end up gaining a reputation for being full of negative spectral energy. This is especially true of places like Lake County Jail, which was once home to the “worst of the worst” among felons.
Built in the early 1900s, Lake County Jail was considered “escape-proof” for a while in its heyday. Indeed, some of the prisoners once housed there may still be captive inside the halls in spirit form. Visitors who have toured the historical site say that they’ve seen ghosts inside the cells. Footsteps and voices belonging to no one visible can also be heard in the halls.
A Paranormal Investigator’s Top Destination
If you’re anywhere close to Mitchell, Indiana, the Whispers Estate is worth a detour for any true fans of paranormal encounters. Currently a bed and breakfast, the home was built by Dr. John Gibbons in 1899. Tragedy struck the Gibbons family when the doctor’s 10-year-old daughter was badly burned in a Christmas morning accident and died.
Guests claim that the spirits of John Gibbons and his wife Elizabeth both haunt the home, along with other entities that could be some of the doctor’s patients. The estate is so well-known to ghost hunters that it has been featured on the Syfy channel, the Travel Channel and other well-known shows. Guests can take a flashlight tour or, if they’re especially brave, rent the whole place overnight.
If you’re not spooked by all the talk of ghosts and mysterious happenings, grab a friend or two, hop in your car and make plans to visit some of these sites this October when the veil between the regular world and the spirit world is supposed to be thin. If you’re lucky, you’ll come away with a ghost story or two of your own!
[[featured photo from: https://www.bumpinthenight.net/night-at-the-old-lake-county-jail]]
