I have mentioned Alan E. Hunter here before, bringing up his thorough book "Indianapolis Haunts". Do yourself a favor and hunt that volume down... It is, in my opinion, one of the best ghost books ever written.
I finally got to meet Alan this past weekend, as we attended the "
Whispers From the Grave" event, and then just a few hours later, we went on his
Irvington Ghost Walk!
It is $20 a person to go on the walk, but that goes to local charities. AND, you get a pretty generous swag bag with your ticket purchase. We got a nice souvenir ticket, a flashlight, a button commemorating the walk, a glow stick, a ghost walk sticker, AND a very well done book by Alan Hunter that tells more about the haunted locations in Irvington!
Tickets were sold in front of the 10 Johnson Avenue Coffee shop. Many on the tour went inside for some coffee after buying their tickets and to wait around. A fellow was doing a presentation on Edgar Allan Poe inside. It was a VERY windy evening.... So, around 7, everyone was told to go to the Irving Theater for the start of the tour.
Alan started things off by talking about the theater and the Masonic Lodge next door (Lodge #666). From there, and after the wind died down, we went on to walking around the nice Irvington area.
We stopped by a library where Alan told us about a crime that had been committed at a strip mall that used to be at the spot where the library is now. He also told us about a famous local crime that involved John Dillinger.
Many of Alan's stories are very fact based- he will tell you about a documented historic event that happened on that spot. He will often then talk about some of the reported ghost activity that has occurred in the area.
One of the most disturbing crimes in town involved a Klan leader. Alan took us by the Klan leader's home (and, as a side note, ANOTHER crime would happen there several decades later) and he took us by the home of the victim.
I found it very strange that some of the most well known criminals you can think of (Jim Jones, HH Holmes, Charles Manson) spent time in this small Indianapolis suburb. They were all brought up on the walk. Alan even had a photo showing Jim Jones standing in the spot where the tour group was standing.
At the end of the tour, Alan talks about the famous Abraham Lincoln ghost train. Alan himself actually wears a ring that has a connection to the train that carried Lincoln's body through town after his death. He let members of the group try the ring on at the end of the evening!
At the end of our tour we checked our watches and we realized that we had been on a two and a half hour or so ghost tour. It was cold and windy, but the crowd of probably 200 people had loved every minute of it. I did not notice anyone drop out and leave early. The crowd had maintained a certain quietness all evening too, listening carefully to each word of Alan's stories.
This was a very safe and secure ghost walk too, as yellow shirted volunteers were stationed all along the walk, helping with crossing the street and traffic issues. Several were located at uneven sidewalk sites to warn those in the group about the hazard. One held a branch back on a tree as the group walked past.
Alan himself was hard to see at times, but he wore a headset mic, so you could hear him easily the entire time.
We have had some mixed experiences with ghost walks..... There are some really good ones out there if you do some research. This one has to be one of the best anywhere though. Alan and his crew do a great job and it gets my highest possible recommendation.
Everything was so good though. The staff at the Hyatt was all over everything. The chef came out to explain some of the options, and to talk about ingredients and prep. A friend with specific allergies is coming to the wedding, and he even talked about how they will be taking precautions to accommodate the friend.
