By Barbara E. Cohen
For Custom Publications
A cloud moves across the full moon, plunging into darkness the group assembled for a tour of haunted houses in Irvington. Everyone?s on alert, well aware that past tours have encountered spirits of departed residents on this particular route through the historic eastside neighborhood.
For ghost guide Al Hunter, a member of the Haunted/Historic Investigations and Tours, or H.I.T., team and full-time antique dealer, the thrill of the annual ?Ghosts and Infamous Places of Historic Irvington? tours is in recounting tales of tragedy and weaving historical facts into emotional stories from the past.
?There?s a vibe that runs though the crowd,? Hunter said, ?because Irvington is an active ghost area. We?ve had people catch auras in their photographs, and some even feel a presence brush past them at some of our stops.?
The popularity of the Irvington tour in past years led H.I.T. to launch a second tour this year. The first starts at the haunted Irving Theatre and focuses on spectral spots on the west side of the community, including the homes of D.C. Stephenson, a former Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan, and Dr. H.H. Holmes, America?s first serial killer. The second starts at the Masonic Lodge with stops at places in eastern Irvington and will include several new sites based on recent investigations.
?We get repeat people on our tours because they know there will be something different to see and hear every year,? said Hunter, who has conducted the tours for the last four years. ?Our tours are about 75 percent history and 25 percent ghost stories and folklore, but we do investigations throughout the year to explore new locations.?
For more information about Irvington tours, contact H.I.T. at www.indianaghosttours.com. The group also has scheduled fall ?haunts and history? tours in Cambridge City, Greenfield and at the Huddleston Farm House.
Investigate the paranormal
While the rest of us are snug in bed, members of the Indiana Ghost Trackers are out recording evidence of active apparitions. The group has 17 chapters around the state and in Chicago, and members investigate suspected hauntings and conduct hunts and tours at sites of confirmed paranormal activity.
?We operate more at night because there seems to be more activity at night,? explained John Halcomb, interim director of the Indianapolis chapter, a member of the group who has had an interest in the paranormal since childhood. ?Night also comes with a built-in expectation; it?s creepier.?
The group conducts monthly hunts to look for proof of the paranormal, setting up video and audio recording equipment to capture any events.
?We offer basic training for people who want to investigate suspected hauntings, but we don?t do cleansings,? Halcomb said. ?If you suspect a ghost or visiting spirit, keep a log to identify activity patterns. Learn to read the evidence to know what?s real and what isn?t. We generally try to explain what?s going on before we conclude something is paranormal activity.?
This year, IGT is working with the Hannah House at 3801 Madison Ave. to provide a tour and commercial haunted house on the third and fourth weekends in October. One ticket grants entrance to the historic and fun side of ghost tours.
For more information, visit Indiana Ghost Trackers at www.indianaghosts.org.
Have fun with ghosts
For more fun with less terror, consider one of the haunted houses that crop up every October.
Monster Manor Haunted House at the Children?s Museum of Indianapolis ? www.childrensmuseum.org, (317) 334-3322 ? runs Oct. 14 through 31.
Friendly hours are perfect for children who scare easily; frightening hours cater to ?children who care to be scared.? Boy and Girl Scouts can attend on special days and stay for overnight camp.
At the Trick or Treat Theater, Silly Safaris will entertain kids with a special Halloween live animal show. Check with the museum for hours and admission fees for each event.
In addition to an eight-acre corn maze with a historic Hoosier Gym theme, pumpkin patch and hayrides through the woods, Boondocks Farms in Knightstown ? www.boondocksfarms.com, (765) 345-2020 ? has Haunted Woods trails on Fridays and Saturdays through Halloween.
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