Published by Haunted America
A Division of The History Press
Charleston, SC 29403
www.historypress.net
Copyright 2012 by Virginia Dyer Jorgensen
All rights reserved
All photos taken by author.
First published 2012
e-book edition 2012
Manufactured in the United States
ISBN 978.1.61423.693.1
Library of Congress CIP data applied for.
print ISBN 978.1.60949.744.6
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.
Dedicated to those who keep an open mind about the other side.
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am fortunate to know so many wonderful people who have generously given their time and talents to help me with this endeavor. It has always been my pleasure to tell as many people as I can about the infinite assets of the beautiful city of Madison. It is a wondrous city, and I am happy to live here.
There are many who generously assisted me in Madison in various capacities: Janice Barnes, Mike Totten, Bill and Betty Murphy, Gerry Reilly, Nathaniel Montoya, Camille Fife, Jan Vethrus, Libby Mann, Vickie Young, Corinna Davis, Link Ludington, Ben and Laurle Clemens, Ellie Smith, Ron Grimes, Jacquie Grimes, Dirk Cheatham, Elizabeth Buchanan and Polly OConnor.
There are also many whom I would also like to thank who are not in Madison but whose abilities greatly assisted the creation of this book. I have gained two dear friends during this project: Barbie Guitard Canipe, whose artistic talents found numerous outlets, helped me navigate the publishing procedures, made graphic enhancements to some of the ghostly photographs along with the artist photo and gave advice born of a creative mind and a kind heart, and Mary Middleton Miller, who generously assisted with the formatting of the images. My commissioning editor Joe Gartrell and Jill Beitz of Indianapolis were also quite helpful. A long-awaited thank-you goes to Cindy Bobinac; Charmaine Gardner; my sister, Linda Dyer Smith; and my children, Brett, Lacy and Dustin, for their encouragement to write Ghosts of Madison, Indiana.
I must thank my mother, who inspired my love of reading, and my father, for his kind wisdom.
Mostly, I want to thank my husband, Dennis, who puts up with all my crazy schedules, meetings and career choices. He has encouraged me in every project that I have ever undertaken, no matter how impossible it seemed, and always said, You can do it. It was no different with this project.
And of course, I thank the heavenly spirit, who is ever present and helps to guide my hand.
INTRODUCTION
Now are thoughts thou shalt not banish,
Now are visions neer to vanish;
From thy spirit shall they pass
No more, like dew-drop from the grass.
Edgar Allan Poe
It is a little-known fact that Madison may well be one of the most haunted towns in America. It has the setting where you would expect to find spiritsa good long history and 133 blocks of original period buildings. Some who live here may not want that detail to be revealed. They want to move forward and leave the past behind. But there are some spirits who will not go along with being left behind.
Madison, Indiana, on the great bend of the Ohio River, claims the year 1809 as the date of its founding. At more than two hundred years old, it has enjoyed its share of history. Even before the town was settled, it had been a popular Indian camp and crossing for hundreds of years. A few hearty souls built rough cabins in the area before investors bought up large tracks for development. Madisons location on the river supported its prolific growth, and by 1850, it was the largest city in the state of Indiana. A booming economy encouraged the construction of beautiful homes by successful businessmen. Many of the wonderful buildings from Madisons early times are still standing and being used as homes, businesses and museums.
One hundred years ago, this area was the site of the Madison ferry landing, a scene of much shipping activity at the base of Ferry Street on the Ohio River.
The beauty of Madison draws many to visit and many to settle here until the inevitable rest that takes us all. Those who have lived and died here have formed an attachment to this area that rests between the Ohio River and the hills of North Madison. Tourists love to visit the charming Landmark Historic District; however, most dont realize that the past is much more alive than they would ever suspect. Places that have been settled for a long time, and where many lives have been lived, invariably have some spirits who for some reason do not move on. Instead they linger, pestering the living with their antics.
Perhaps you dont believe in ghosts. Lots of people who have come to Madison didnt believe before they came here, either. But read on about a few of the encounters of residents. There are many more stories not reported in these pages, but the residents will be glad to tell you themselves.
These spirits have been heard and seen in many of the old structures of Madison. Some of them seem to want for us to know that they are there. Others have stayed behind to repeat over and over some action that occurred during their living days. You may catch them going about their tasks, unaware that it was finished long ago. Whether they were taken too soon, had ends that were sudden or violent or passed quietly after long lives, for some reason the natural transition to rest in peace was not fulfilled. In those cases, the soul is caught between their time as living beings and their place in the next world.
Your paranormal experience may consist of hearing someone walking along a wooden floor, down a hallway or in a room above you; people talking or whispering in the corners; or traces of stale cigarette or cigar smoke or the scent of perfume lingering in the air. All of these tell you that you are not alone. Full-out encounters may encompass seeing red glowing eyes, a floating face or a full-body apparition. You may even feel a shove or have objects hurled at you. They may completely ignore youas if you are the one who is not thereor they may try to interact with you, a feeling that most of us find very unexpected and uncomfortable if not downright frightening.
The stories here are all true accounts of paranormal experiences. How you view spiritual matters will influence how you receive them. It may just be a book about the history of Madison, with events that are relatively unheard of. We can contemplate the spirits identities from their living days, as well as the possibilities for why they have not moved on. As for some, they are lost to history, and we may never know who they were.
Some of the spirits featured in the stories are located in private homes, so treat and respect them as such. Please do not knock on the door and ask for a tour of their home. Some are open to the public. You can visit or stay at several of the places described in these pages. When you are staying in the rooms where the spirits dwell, you may recall the stories of others experiences and look around wondering if you will see what they have seen. While walking down the streets, you may feel the hair on your arm raise or a tug on your sleeve or hear whispering behind you when no one is there. You are just enjoying some of the local essence that the residents of Madison experience quite frequently.
