Indiana's Most Haunted: A Review

Not for the weak-willed. Read if you dare.

There's a rumor going around...

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...over the past few years that says Indiana is the fourth most haunted state in the country. However true or false that may be, Indiana has some of the best haunted and creepy lore I've read. Below, I've collected a number of scary instances and places from all around the Hoosier State:

Primrose Road -- South Bend

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There's a group online, "The Force," that investigates haunted places in Indiana. Here is their story about the infamous Primrose Rd:

"If you go down Primrose at a speed less than 20mph your tires of your car will get slashed. If you go over the speed of 30mph the car will just die. Either way if either things happen you will have to walk. They say if you have a cell phone there will be no signal. While you are walking down Primrose you will hear strange ghostly noises and see things. They say ghosts appear and talk to you, telling you to turn around and go back to the car because there is danger. They also say that the old farmhouse will appear and if you walk up to it an old lady will answer the door in a white night gown. She is claimed to be the lady of luck. They say if she invites you in that your luck will become better, but if she rejects you, when you go back to your car it won't be there."

There have been numerous investigations, including one by Sarz. Check out his video on what he found:

Hell's Gates -- Diamond

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The Force stopped by Hell's Gates just north of Brazil, Indiana in the small town of Diamond.

"Legend has it that a past tragedy involving a train derailment is what has brought all these spirits here. Stop your car at night and you can hear laughing, screaming, and then a crashing noise, as if the train is derailing over and over again, stuck in time. They say there are like 7 or so gates...and an underground cult in the area."

The Murat Theater -- Indianapolis

Jacoby, the infamous ghost at the Murat Theater, is one of the most popular ghosts in Indianapolis. WISH-TV did a thorough "Hoosier Haunts" segment on Jacoby; watch out, this investigation was done in 1995 and the poor video quality may be quite scary as well.

The Old Byron Health Care Center -- Ft. Wayne

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While the Old Byron Health Care Center has been since demolished, The Force reports:

"The old health care center was shut down and a new one was built next to it. You can still walk around in the old building, and you can feel a very ominous sense all around you. Keep walking around until you come to a staircase leading to the Basement. The word "Basement" has been covered and people have put up the phrase "The Stairway to Hell" in place. Shine your flashlight down the staircase and you can see the end, but when you start walking down, turn it out. It has to remain out. As you walk down the stairs, it gets colder and colder, and more unsettling, but you can NEVER reach the end. You can keep walking for a long time and never reach the basement at all. But no matter how long it takes you to walk as far as you dare, when you turn around to go back upstairs, it only takes a fraction of the time to get back to the staircase. One witness reports, ""We walked downstairs for 20 minutes once, and it only took us 3 minutes to get back to the top again. When we got back to the top, we shined our flashlights down the stairs, and once again, we could see the end. It is very very scary, and it makes no sense whatsoever.""

Edna Collins Bridge -- Clinton Falls

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"It is said that sometime in the early 1920's a little girl would swim in the stream, which the bridge crosses. At the end of the day her parent would drive into the covered bridge, turn off the motor, and honk three times telling the little girl it was time to leave. One day the something had happened to the little girl causing her to drown. They say that if at night you drive into the bridge, turn off the motor, and honk three times that the little girl will come and get in the car with you."

The Pest House -- Knightstown

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The Pest House has been fixed up and renovated, but it has a chilling history:

"This house was a quarantined place to put people during an outbreak of small pox in the early 1900's. The death rate there was extremely high, and many ghosts are said to still live there. A local historian reported visiting the house once and being greeted at the front door by a "strange-looking" woman. She told him, without being asked, that no one was home and closed the door. He knocked for several more minutes and was about to leave when the owners pulled in. Upon relating the story to the owner, they all checked the house thoroughly, and never found her. Several other incidents have also occurred there."

The current owners and renovators of the Pest House have found names carved into doors and walls.

The Barbee Hotel -- Barbee Lake

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"The Barbee Hotel was considered a very high-class resort during Al Capone's time. He stayed in the hotel frequently, often clearing out all the guests so he could stay in seclusion. He always stayed in room 301 at the back of the hotel. When cleaning the rooms employees have smelled cigar smoke and when investigated it is coming from room 301. The bartender who has worked there for years has seen an old man sitting at one of the booths on several occasions. When she goes to get someone, he is gone. People have reported hearing footsteps on the stairs, and in the halls above the dining area. Many parties when taking their picture will line up on the stairs. There are several pictures on the wall where you can see orbs of light in the background behind the group. Many other celebrities stayed there as well. Rita Hayworth was said to go and stay in her room for days at a time. When you drive by the area of the hotel she stayed in late at night sometimes you can see a faint light."

Portal To Hell -- Gary

i.dailymail.co.uk

In a fantastical event filled with exorcisms and satanic dealings, The Daily Mail reacts to findings at a house in Gary. From the article,

"Gary Indiana Police Captain Charles Austin, 62, was there the day the footage seen here was recorded. He entered a skeptic and left convinced that he had just witnessed a ‘portal to hell.’

Speaking to MailOnline he said: ‘Everyone of us who was there that day in the basement and who saw what we saw, went through what we went through after…we all think the same, we all call it the same. That bit of dirt is a portal to hell."

Read more and watch the video here.

Gypsies Cemetery -- Crown Point

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The Force goes on another roadtrip: this time, it's to the Gypsies' Cemetery. According to the group,

"A group of Gypsies were moving though the town of Crown Point 150 years ago, when they decided to stop for a couple of weeks. As the story goes they were kicked out of town after only a couple of days. The farmers believed that the Gypsies were stealing their livestock and the townspeople just didn't like having the Gypsies around. So the townspeople came to the Gypsies and told them that they must leave by the next day. The Gypsies told the townspeople that they couldn't leave because they were sick and dying, but the townspeople didn't care. So as the Gypsies were leaving they buried the other Gypsies that had died and cast a spell on the area. Supposedly today you can find blood on the bottom of your pants, balls of light that chase you, and many orbs can be seen."

You can look at their findings and read more here.