There are a number of people who believe Indianapolis is the most haunted city in Indiana. Those people have never traveled to Fort Wayne.
Bostick Bridge in Fort Wayne is haunted by stories of satanic cults practicing on the bridge. The stories grew so wild that officials decided to tear down the old bridge and build a new one in its place. The bridge on Bruick Road was also supposedly haunted. People claimed to see psychedelic lights on the bridge.
On the Main Street Bridge you can see a woman in white walking across the bridge at night. Those who have tried to talk to her claim that she disappeared in front of their eyes.
Fort Wayne also has a few haunted schools like Carroll High School. Supposedly the school was cursed years ago and now a student attending classes there will die every year. The ghosts of those students are then cursed to remain at the school. Many people claim that these are just stories though, with no basis in fact.
North Side High School is also haunted. The school was supposedly built on an old Miami Indian burial ground and the local chief tried to stop construction. The man now haunts the building as does a teenage girl. She can be seen in the gym and on the running track, usually in the morning. There’s also the ghost of a former janitor who died there and the ghost of a construction worker who died during the building process.
Not to be outdone, Snider High School is haunted by a drowning victim. A girl was playing around with some friends and accidentally fell in the swimming pool and drowned. Though the school closed the pool and filled it with concrete, people still report hearing someone screaming.
You should also visit Whites Mansion, also known as the Cement House. Legend says that a man built the house for his paralyzed wife and spent no expense to make sure her wheelchair could move freely throughout the house. When the woman died, the man walked away from the house before it could be finished. Over the years the house was destroyed by the elements and the ruins are supposedly haunted by the ghost of his wife.
Chapman Road is a so-called gravity hill. There are two places along the road where you can park your car at the bottom of a hill and feel something push it back up the hill.
Fort Wayne even has a few haunted stores. The old Char’s House of Oak building is haunted by the ghost of a drifter or some type of transient who used to chase customers out of the store. The Wal-Mart on Cold Water Road is also haunted. Customers and employees report hearing bagpipe music in the middle of the night and seeing a man in a kilt walk by.
You can also visit the haunted jail in nearby Columbia City. People sometimes hear footsteps and something scratching the walls. There is also a door that refuses to stay open and claims of people being touched by something. People also claim to see a set of female footprints on a wall on the third floor.
There are also several haunted cemeteries in Fort Wayne. Crossroads Cemetery has stories of people feeling someone watching them, hearing people whispering, and seeing strange lights. At the Devils Hollow Cemetery, people claim that those who hear the area go deadly quiet will suddenly die there.
Nearby is the actual Devil’s Hollow. There are stories of satanic cults who practice there and a more involved story. The second story claims that a woman once lived there and became annoyed by the teens who kept trespassing on her property. She helped some friends spread a story that she practiced witchcraft to scare away the kids. Instead a group of teens set fire to herself and she died inside. The chimney of the house is all that’s left now and people claim to see an old woman running after them late at night. Even in death the poor woman can’t seem to get away from those pesky kids!
Then there are some who believe the entire town of Fort Wayne is haunted or cursed because rumor has it the town was built on an old Indian burial ground. Some people claim a large portion of the town was built on the sacred ground, while others think it was just parts of the downtown that were built there. People often feel chills or think someone is watching them when no one is there.
Similar stories plague the neighborhood known as Lakeside Park. This area was supposedly the spot where Native Americans took their older, sick, dying, or mentally ill tribesmen. People who live in the neighborhood claim to hear footsteps and people coughing in their house, or see dark shadows outside.
In the Embassy Theater you might come across an old janitor who still makes his nightly rounds. The story is so popular that it’s appeared in newspapers across the state.
If you’re looking for haunted cemeteries in Fort Wayne, head to Greenlawn Cemetery. Once the sun sets people claim to see mysterious lights and orbs there.
For haunted hospitals look to the old Byron Health Care Center. The old building where the health care center was housed has a dark and heavy feeling to it. The stairway leading into the basement is often called the stairway to hell because no light is able to penetrate the dark shaft. People claim that the stairs feel colder than other spots in the building and that no matter how long you walk down the stairs, you’ll never reach the basement. The old health center was one of the more popular stories told in the area, but the city has since demolished it.
Before the city tore down the Lutheran Hospital it was supposedly haunted. Patients and employees claimed to see a patient wandering the fourth floor, looking confused and tired. When they approached the man, he disappeared. Legend claimed that the man was a former patient who died at the hospital.
Swinger’s Grave is a story that sounds more like an urban legend than a ghost story. Supposedly a young girl was playing on the swings late at night when she was somehow strangled by the chain circling the swings. People who swing on the swings late at night claim to feel someone pushing them off the swings.
Lastly, visit the library at the University of Saint Francis. A former student killed himself in the building and can sometimes be spotted wandering through the stacks. There are also stories of things moving on their own and cold spots.
The next time someone tells you the most haunted city in Indiana is the state capital, tell them all about the ghosts and haunting in Fort Wayne!
Sources:
http://www.angelfire.com/theforce/haunted/hauntedplacesofindiana.htm
http://theshadowlands.net/places/indiana.htm
