Most Haunted Places in Madison, Indiana (And Hanover) PART 2

This one’s for you, Madison/Hanover! If you missed Part 1, just click here.

—Comment below and tell me your own spooky tales—

Last time, we looked at some spooky stories, mainly from Madison. This post, we’ll move forward with an emphasis on Hanover, as well as some interesting Madison stories that I didn’t cover. (And yes, I will continue to cite Wikipedia. This ain’t no research paper, Jack.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madison,_Indiana

Springdale Cemetery, in downtown Madison, is one of the oldest graveyards around, founded in 1904. With over 100 years of history, it isn’t surprising that plenty of stories have originated from here.

This cemetery is one of the more interesting sites around town, and I actually heard about the history while watching a documentary on the Jefferson Proving Grounds. (Don’t judge me; I like documentaries.) Every time I drive downtown, I see it over to the side. Especially at night, when all the lights of the city shine brightly and there’s this frightening little scene to the left, it makes me shiver. Like something straight out of a horror movie, Springdale Cemetery is something you won’t forget anytime soon, and not just because of the spooky looks.

One of the specters, reported by multiple sources, is a ghost with a lantern that wanders up and down the tombstone rows at night. While the legs and light are always visible, anything above the waist is unseen. There are lights on some tombstones in the cemetery, but the fact that the light is moving lends some gravity to the supernatural theory, something ghostly.

Another strange story has to do with the statue shown above, called “Let There Be Light.” It’s said that every year, on Easter morning, she will cry tears of blood that run down her stony face. Also, if you kiss her feet, it’s rumored that she will jump down off her pedestal and chase after you for a moment. While these sounds like ridiculous works of fiction, try reading again while you stand there in the dead of night or on a foggy morning. Ghosts, suddenly, seem a lot more real.

There are tons of ghost stories to choose from in Madison, Indiana. Eggleston Elementary School is said to be the home of more than a few ghosts, with stories about the death of a principal and even a student who jumped out the second-floor window. And if you’re looking for tales about ghosts from a train wreck, look no further than Heritage Trail. 

But for now, onto Hanover, where the residents have plenty of stories of their own.

Hanover

Small and rural, the town is friendly and charming during the day. And while the people don’t change at night, it certainly seems like the scenery does.

Just take, for example, the Hanover Cemetery. Many people who have visited report a sense of anxiety, as soon as they step foot onto the property. When they leave, however, that feeling disappears entirely. Chills during the hot months, the urge to throw up… These might seem minor. What about a pinwheel that spins fast, at the same speed, no matter how much wind there is that day, and which might stop if you ask it to, nicely? All of these, and more, are supposedly the results of Benjamin Bennett, a boy who drowned in the Ohio River and whose body was never found. His grave there is the site of many peculiar events, and may be at the center of everything.

One of the most influential and interesting sites is Hanover College, the university founded nearly 200 years ago. One of the former presidents, named Parker, has been seen and even heard, walking around the auditorium named after him. Other, less noticeable pranks have been reported, such as items missing, doors being locked and unlocked, or a knock on the door with footsteps that seemed to go through walls. All of these could be chalked up to pranks by the students, except for the fact that often times nobody will claim them, and the items don’t always turn up.

The most chilling story, by far, has to do with the bell on top of the Parker Auditorium. One night, nobody knows exactly how long ago, there was a loud ringing sound across the campus, waking students. It seemed odd, since the bell was only rung on the hour marks, and the time was something in between. Another strange aspect was that the bell only rang one time, reverberating and then dying. There was no rhythm to it, no pattern, and no repeat. Just a single noise, then not heard for the rest of the night. It was later discovered that a student had hung himself from one side, causing it to sound loudly. That soul is blamed for many of the strange occurrences across campus. Variations of this tale have it taking place in a dorm room, but something definitely seems to have happened that causes quite a stir around town… and still does.

Click Here for more haunted locations in good old Indiana. See? We do have more than farms and basketball.

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