Published by Haunted America
A Division of The History Press
Charleston, SC
www.historypress.com
Copyright 2021 by Klara Lee Sweet
All rights reserved
First published 2021
E-Book edition 2021
ISBN 978.1.43967.362.1
Library of Congress Control Number: 2021941052
Print Edition ISBN 978.1.46714.996.9
Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
For my loving husband and best friend, for never giving up on me and believing in me. You have continuously supported me in everything I do. I love you.
Love is the one thing were capable of perceiving that transcends dimensions of time and space. Maybe we should trust that, even if we cant understand it.
For my dad and lifelong friend. I know youre with me and proud, as you were with anything I did. Im sure you wouldve loved this book and stuck it proudly in a frame. I miss you every day.
For my beloved best friend, Ginny. Ill never forget your unwavering, unconditional love and companionship over the last half of my life. Until we meet again.
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My love of the strange and unusual wouldnt exist had I not been introduced to the works of Alvin Schwartz, R.L. Stine, Stephen King and Tim Burton at a very young age. Its R.L. Stine I owe my love of reading to, as my first Goosebumps book, The Beast from the East, was thrown into my hand at the early age of five or six. I couldnt put it down, and I still own it proudly.
The inspiration for this book came from other Haunted America books by The History Press and from Alvin Schwartz, whose Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series was purchased for me by my parents. Those scary stories were the first horror works I read, and ever since, Im easily entertained by stories of this nature.
Im overwhelmingly grateful for my best friend, Lauren, for allowing me to send her running all over town to capture the photographs I needed for this book. Without her, I would have floundered, and finishing this book would not have been possible. Thank you for always participating in whatever shenanigans I cook up.
Without my loving and supportive husband, I may have given up on this idea when I hit a roadblock. Thank you for being so sure I could reach my requirements when I thought they were unreachable. You continue to act like its a no-brainer that Ill achieve my goals, and I appreciate that. You gave me the confidence I needed.
Thank you so much, Rodrick and Sydney from the Indiana Memorial Union. You were so gracious when I called you up at the last second, and I appreciate that.
Without the assistance of Dina Kellams of the Indiana University Archives, who volunteered her time to scan dozens of documents from the archives, this book would not have been possible. I would like to recognize Jennifer Wiggins of the Indiana Daily Student and Hilary Fleck at the Monroe County History Center for supplying the photographs that showcased the beauty of Bloomington.
Thank you, Matthew from Paraholics Indiana, for stepping in and capturing photographs of Rose Hill Cemetery when I had hit a wall.
Stephanie Huber of HUBERart has produced the stunning sketches of various buildings and monuments throughout Bloomington, which are appreciatively used throughout this publication. You can see all of her artwork on Etsy.
Many thanks to the following for your personal phone interviews, all of which I truly enjoyed. You are what made this book, and I cant thank you enough: Megan MacDonald of the Monroe County Historical Center; Royal Hair Salons Madison; Johnna Stepler and Seanin at the Irish Lion; Matthew of Paraholics, who was just as excited about this book as I was; and Kristina Downs of the Journal of Folklore Research at Indiana University. I enjoyed hearing all of your firsthand experiences and appreciated you sharing your knowledge of the locations noted in this book. Thank you all so very much!
INTRODUCTION
Monroe County is home to sprawling cemeteries, caves, old limestone quarries and dense forests, teeming with wildlife. The majority of the oldest buildings in town were constructed using the locally quarried limestone, which Bloomington is known for. In fact, limestone is such a critical part of Indianas history, success and growth that Indiana is known as the Limestone State. In past decades, limestone quarries were so successful and employed thousands of people, known as cutters. This is briefly touched on in the movie Breaking Away, which won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. Bloomington quarries were also used as a reference for the Netflix show Stranger Things.
Bloomington, which gets its name from the abundance of blooms the settlers were impressed with, was established in 1818. Just thirty families from Kentucky, Tennessee, the Carolinas and Virginia founded the city, and they relied heavily on each other for lumber, gristmills, wool, distilleries and tanneries. Between 1830 and 1840, the stagecoach was introduced, thus improving the transportation of goods from Ohio to Indianapolis. Highways and river canals were constructed to give traders access to the Ohio and the Mississippi River routes, allowing for the trading of goods from out of state. In the 1850s, a railroad brought and shipped produce from markets, and Bloomingtons businesses prospered. Saloons, pubs and hotels started sprouting up, along with commercial buildings around the downtown square.
Bloomington Railroad Tracks. Courtesy of FillyFoto.
At the very heart of the downtown square, where the stately courthouse stands, many of these old building have kept their two-hundred-year old appearances and are now occupied by local retail shops, restaurants, coffee shops and bakeries. The courthouse was established in the late 1800s and has a gleaming copper dome on top, with a weathervane in the shape of a fish, which symbolizes Christianity. Roughly 360 to 325 million years ago, Bloomington sat on the edge of a sea. The clay-abundant areas of the Hoosier National Forest reveal prehistoric fossils of fish and aquatic plants. These fossils, called crinoids, are discovered in copious amounts, as the sedimentary limestone found all over the state is perfect for the preservation of fossils.
Indiana is the birthplace of a good number of talented innovators, such as Mick Mars and Michael Jackson; however, Bloomington boasts natives including David Lee Roth, Joshua Bell, Mick Foley, Bobby Helms and Johnny Cougar Mellencamp. Indiana Universitys (IU) Nutcracker, which won an Emmy Award for its documentary,
