Hauntings At The Hannah House

Haunted Houses

It’s October – my favorite time of year, and that means getting to investigate some haunted places around the Midwest. This year, A Grave Interest will take a stroll through some well-known (and not so well-known) haunted houses, trying to discover more about the spirits that keep these places "interesting" …

Hannah House

In Indianapolis, Indiana, "The Crossroads of America," there is a stately old Italianate-style mansion that is said to be haunted by the people who died there when the owner was trying to help them reach freedom.

Hannah House was built in1858 by 37-year-old Alexander Moore Hannah, a prominent Indiana businessman. The brick home is made up of 24 rooms, located on two floors with an attic and a cellar.

Hannah was an abolitionist who stood up against slavery and intensely debated his policies with all who would listen, including President James Buchanan. It is no wonder that he allowed his mansion to become a stop on the Underground Railroad. But this assistance ultimately led to tragedy.

Underground Railroad

One night, several runaway slaves were being hidden in the cellar, awaiting the next "conductor's" arrival, when someone knocked over an oil lantern. Fire ignited quickly in the cramped quarters and in no time the cellar filled with smoke. The blaze swept through the fugitives quickly. It's not known how many slaves were in the cellar at the time, but many died from the smoke; others from burns before the fire could be contained.

A Cellar Floor

Hannah feared punishment if it was learned that his home was being used as a stop on the Underground Railroad, so the truth of the fire and deaths of the escaped slaves had to be hidden. Those who died in the blaze were quickly buried under the cellar's dirt floor - their names and identities lost forever ...

Hannah continued to live in the house until his death in 1895. The home sold in 1899 and immediately, reports of shadows, screams and strange happenings began.

There were rumors that the stench of burning flesh would drift through the house from time to time, followed by the scent of gangrene, and there were also the shrill screams of a woman in agony.

Objects moved around of their own accord, especially in the basement, and items were thrown about by unseen hands throughout the house; whispering can still be heard but the words are unintelligible. Cold drafts will suddenly permeate a room when no door or window has been opened, and shadowy figures still  move about the mansion; some claim one of them is Mr. Hannah.

If you’d like to experience what the Hannah House has to offer, plan on taking a tour of the house and grounds on selected dates. The next event is scheduled for this Sunday, October 4^th from 1 to 4 p.m. eastern time. To check on other tour dates, email the Hannah House or call (317) 787-8486.

Happy Hauntings!

~ Joy

Public Enemy Number One – John Dillinger

John H. Dillinger

America’s number one gangster was killed on July 22, 1934 at the Biograph Theatre, betrayed by the infamous ‘Lady in Red.’  In the short period of time, from May 1933 to July 1934, Dillinger robbed over ten banks throughout the Midwest, killed 10 men, wounded seven and staged three jail breaks in which a sheriff was killed and two guards were injured.

He was born John Herbert Dillinger in the Oak Hill section of Indianapolis Indiana on June 22, 1903.  His parents were John Wilson Dillinger, a grocer, and Mollie Lancaster.  Dillinger’s mother died when he was three.  His father remarried when John was nine, but he bitterly resented his stepmother. 

Dillinger Farm - Mooresville, Indiana

At the age of sixteen, Dillinger dropped out of school and began working at a machine shop in Indianapolis. It was during this period that he fell in with the wrong crowd.  His father, worried that John was hanging with the wrong element, moved his family to a farm near Mooresville, Indiana.  The move did little to tame John’s nature and he was soon in trouble with the law.  He enlisted in the Navy, but ended up deserting.

Beryl Hovious

In 1924 he married 16-year-old Beryl Hovious.  They moved to Indianapolis where Dillinger searched but could not find work.  He again became involved with the criminal element.  He and another man were accused of robbing a grocer of $555.  Dillinger, following his father’s advice, pleaded guilty and was given the maximum sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison.  He was paroled almost nine years later, bearing a grudge against the law - and some in-prison training on the finer aspects of bank robbing from Walter Dietrich.

Indiana State Prison - 1927

Dillinger's Fingerprint Chart

Dillinger now had a score to settle with the cops.  He began robbing banks and taunting police.  He was arrested on September 22, 1933 in Dayton, Ohio and held in the county jail.  On October 12, four “guards” arrived at the jail in order to pick Dillinger up and return him to the Indiana State Prison.  When proof was requested, one of the “guards” pulled a gun, shot the sheriff, and locked the sheriff’s wife and deputy in a cell.  They then released Dillinger and all five made their getaway.

Dillinger and his gang began staging bank robberies throughout the Midwest.  The FBI became involved, due to the dangerous nature of Dillinger and his group.  Armed with machine guns, ammunition and bulletproof vests, Dillinger and his gang began knocking over banks in earnest.  They were apprehended on January 23, 1934, along with $25,000 in cash.

Dillinger with Gun

Dillinger was being held in the Crown Point, Indiana jail, awaiting trail, when he staged a notorious jailbreak, stole a sheriff’s car and drove to Chicago.  Once there, he hooked up with Homer Van Meter, Eddie Green, Tommy Carroll and Lester Gillis – better known as ‘Baby Face Nelson’   - the four comprising Dillinger’s gang.

The gang continued robbing banks, until FBI agents located where the Dillinger was staying.  When agents tried to arrest Dillinger, someone armed with a machine gun sprayed the hallway of the apartment building and Dillinger escaped, along with Van Meter. Green later died of his wounds.

Baby Face Nelson

Little Bohemia Lodge

Dillinger and Van Meter then robbed a police station in Warsaw, Indiana of guns and bulletproof vests.  They proceeded to a summer resort known as Little Bohemia Lodge, near Rhinelander, Wisconsin where they met up with Baby Face Nelson.  The FBI was in hot pursuit and cornered Nelson in a car where he was holding three local residents hostage at gunpoint.  When Nelson saw the police he opened fire on them, killing one and severely wounding two others.   Meanwhile, Dillinger had fled the lodge.

Melvin Purvis

J. Edgar Hoover

In Washington, FBI Director, J. Edgar Hoover became involved.  A special squad of agents, headed by Melvin Purvis, was set up, intent on the capture of John Dillinger, dead or alive. 

Wanted Poster

Dillinger was declared America’s first “Public Enemy Number One” and a reward of $10,000 dollars was offered for his capture.

Anna Sage

On July 21, 1934 Anna Sage (Ana Cumpanas) a Rumania immigrant and well-known brothel madam, contacted the police and offered to lead them to Dillinger in return for the prevention of her deportation and some cash.  Agents agreed.  She told them she would be wearing a red dress when she was with Dillinger. (It was actually an orange skirt and white blouse.)

Biography Theatre

On Sunday, July 22, at 8:30 P.M. Anna, Polly Hamilton and John Dillinger went to the Biograph Theatre in Chicago to see Manhattan Melodrama –a gangster film. 

Dillinger's Gun

At 10:30 P.M., Dillinger and his two companions exited the theatre.  Dillinger was able to pull his gun before being shot three times by FBI agents.  John Dillinger died at 10:50 p.m. at Alexin Brothers Hospital.

Crowd Viewing Body

Dillinger was taken to the funeral home in Mooresville, Indiana where close to 10,000 people viewed his body.  

Dillinger Family Stone

John Dillinger's Grave

He was then buried in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, next to his parents.  He was 31 years old.

~ Joy

Cemeteries Worth A Visit - Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis

At the beginning of each month we’ll take a look at one cemetery that is especially“Worth the Visit.”  This means that it offers something exceptional for the historian, genealogist and tombstone tourist.  It could be outstanding gravestones, interesting cemetery grounds, or just an exciting place to explore!  This month we will take a look at Crown Hill Cemetery, located in Indianapolis, Indiana.  This is a cemetery you could easily spend the day in.

On Top of the Crown

Lucy Ann Seaton

Crown Hill Cemetery was so named because of its location on the highest point in the city. Crown Hill was incorporated on September 25, 1863 and dedicated as a cemetery on June 1st, 1864.  The next day, June 2nd the first burial was held there for Lucy Ann Seaton, a 33 year-old mother who died of consumption - (tuberculosis.)  Her husband John, a Union Captain serving in the Civil War, had inscribed on her stone, “Lucy, God grant that I can meet you in heaven.”  Currently, over 190,000 people rest among its rolling 555 acres, the third largest non-government cemetery in the U.S.

Crown Hill National Cemetery

In the summer of 1866, the U.S. Government purchased 1.4 acres of land within Crown Hill for a National Cemetery.  Over 700 soldiers were interred there by November of that year.  In all, 2,135 soldiers are now buried there, representing every war in which the United States has taken part in up to and including the Viet Nam War.  The last burial was in 1969 for Air Force Major Robert W Hayes.

Confederate Mound

Another military burial ground, the Confederate Mound, is the final resting place of 1,616 Confederate Prisoners of the Civil War.  These southern soldiers died while being detained at Camp Morton from 1862 through 1865.  Most were originally buried at the City Cemetery, but were moved in 1931 by the War Department.

President Benjamin Harrison

Grave of President Harrison

Many notable and notorious people are buried at Crown Hill.  There is one U.S. President, Benjamin Harrison, three Vice Presidents and eleven Indiana Governors.

Grave of James Whitcomb Riley

James Whitcomb Riley

Hoosier Poet James Whitcomb Riley was the first person to be buried on top of the crown in 1917 – 18 months after his death.  From the top, or ‘crown’ of the hill you can see downtown Indianapolis, almost three miles away.

Mausoleum of Colonel Eli Lilly

Other well-known people interred here include Lyman Ayres, founder of L.S. Ayres Department stores.  Colonel Eli Lilly, Civil War Commander and pioneer pharmacist, who founded Eli Lilly Laboratory in Indianapolis.

Dr Richard Gatlin

John Dillinger

 Dr Richard Gatlin, inventor of the Gatlin gun is buried here, along with John Dillinger, the infamous 1930’s bank robber.

Grave of John Dillinger

Community Mausoleum

Gothic Chapel

Crown Hill also has thousands of statues, markers and stories.   There are twenty-five miles of paved road inside the cemetery gates, a community mausoleum, a funeral home and the Gothic Chapel, where weddings and events are held, year round.

The cemetery offers many resources for the family researcher, including an on-staff genealogist.  Information available may include burial permits, names of family members and funeral directors, along with burial plot and section numbers.  Requests may be made by email or phone.  A $5.00 research fee is required per name.

Gates to the Cemetery

Crown Hill Cemetery is located at 700 West 38th Street in Indianapolis, Indiana.  The phone number is (317) 925-8231 for general and genealogical information.  For more information, visit their web page at CrownHill.org. Or check out the Crown Hill Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/crownhill.org

A view of Indianapolis
from the "Crown"

If you plan to spend the weekend in Indianapolis, be sure to plan an afternoon, or better yet, a day at Crown Hill Cemetery.  It is a true Rural Cemetery that offers something for everyone, history, architecture, walking tours and genealogical research, all in a serene and beautiful setting.

~ James Whitcomb Riley

~ Joy

Going to the Chapel…Cemetery Weddings

It’s June, the season of weddings.  So I decided to see what people thought of the idea of  ‘tying the knot’ in a cemetery.  It turns out this may be a trend of the future!

According to The Mortician Journal http://www.morticianjournal.com/, out of a list of ‘25 Funeral Trends for 2011’, #8 is “More and more funeral facilities will be used for other services (like weddings and birthdays.)  Funeral homes and cemeteries are now starting to utilize their chapels and grounds for ‘celebration events.’

Community Life Center

In Indianapolis, Indiana, Flanner and Buchanan Funeral Centers http://www.flannerbuchanan.com/ built a ten-million dollar structure they call the ‘Community Life Center’ http://www.clcindy.com/  Opened in 2009, the Center was the site of ten weddings that year.  It now holds several events each month and has over 100 weddings booked for this year and into 2012.

Research indicates that more and more couples, within the past five-year, have entertained the idea of, if not actually been married in cemetery and funeral home chapels.  This interest has caught the attention of cemetery superintendents, sextons and funeral home directors, who are now viewing their sites as places to celebrate life as well as mourn the dead.

Wedding Carriage

Events being held in cemeteries have included birthday celebrations, anniversary parties, seasonal musical events, historic grounds tours, proms, holiday gatherings, banquets, family reunions, business conferences and weddings.  According to a survey conducted by the National Funeral Directors Association, http://www.nfda.org/, almost 10% of over 600 funeral homes in the U.S. have or are offering an event center for use by the community.  Some funeral homes also offer their expertise in planning a wedding.  And that does make sense.  What a funeral home director can accomplish in three days for a funeral, they can also achieve for a wedding, in record time.  In this new market, wedding planners are just beginning to take consider this a viable wedding option.

Norman Chapel

Inside of chapel

The appeal of a cemetery as a wedding location is easy to understand.   According to Leigh Hensley, Executive Assistant at Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretun http://www.springgrove.org/ in Cincinnati, Ohio, there are many reasons for couples to choose to be married in a cemetery.  For Spring Grove, it may be because of the historic nature and beauty of the grounds, or the gorgeous Norman Chapel, which is non-denominational.  And many times the location has to do with family members being interred there and the sentimental act of including those who have gone ahead.  Hensley said that Spring Grove hosts around 45 wedding per year in the Norman Chapel or their rose garden. http://www.springgrove.org/sg/weddings/sg_weddings.shtm

Cemeteries weddings are also considered to be more ‘green,’ or environmentally friendly, than most regular wedding and reception sites.    And, as an added bonus, the price is usually much less than traditional wedding venues. 

But we are not the first to be drawn to cemeteries to celebrate our life events.  In the mid-1800’s, people treated the cemetery as if it were a park, picnicking, enjoying boat rides on the lake, or taking a quiet carriage ride through the grounds.

During WW II, the Forest Lawn Cemeteries http://www.forestlawn.com/ in California buried during the day and married during the night.  Today the cemetery group has eight chapels that are used for funerals and weddings.

And the interest in cemetery weddings is not just occurring in the U.S.  Cemetery weddings have been reported this year in many parts of the world including Indonesia and China.  The main reasons given overseas for having a cemetery wedding are the same - the beauty of the location, the meaningfulness of being married near ancestors, and the lower cost.

I asked readers of A Grave Interest, friends on my personal page, and members of A Graveyard Rabbit and Cemetery Explorers, all on Facebook, if any of them had been married in a cemetery and how they felt about cemetery weddings.  The overwhelming response was very positive.  While it was a novel idea to some, almost all felt it would be a very peaceful and beautiful location for a wedding.  Here are some of the replies:

Katie Killian wrote: "I would do it in a heartbeat if there was one that I found pretty enough or interesting enough to do it in. There aren't any in Indy that I have any ties to, though."

Steve Kalland thought it was a “Great idea.”

Save A Grave stated:  “I think it’s a cool place to have a wedding.  You can find some great places that would be beautiful for a wedding.  I don’t know anyone who has done it.”

Stewart Dashwood replied: “Sounds interesting!  I like the idea but my fiancé (despite loving cemeteries) isn’t quite sold on it.”

Tricia Neal responded: “Had some pictures taken after the wedding with the old church cemetery in the background, but didn’t actually get married IN the cemetery!  (And the fact that the cemetery was in the background in the pictures was unintentional, although if I’d thought about it at the time, I would have made sure it happened that way!)

Cheryl Mason wrote: “A cemetery in Savannah…under oaks draped in Spanish moss….”

Only a few people were somewhat wary of the idea –

Allison Butt commented that she didn’t “know of anyone doing it.  I don’t think I like the idea, although the setting would be peaceful!”

Beverly Ross Nance replied: “Hmmm, no.  But my family used to picnic in them...”

Thanks to everyone who replied!  So what do you think?  Would you get married, or renew your vows in a cemetery?  I definitely would!  But then, how would you decide, between all of the beautiful cemeteries and chapel out there, which one?  Something to ponder during the next wedding you attend.

~ Joy