The Crump is now home only to its resident ghosts

The Crump Theatre on 3rd Street in Columbus, Indiana is home to several ghostly spirits and a rich and tumultuous history. It had been a while since I had been by the theatre so I decided to make a trip just to see how the old girl was doing.

I was disappointed to find that there was nothing on the marquee except a few wayward letters. No posters or show bills were posted and the street facing ticket room was empty. The Crump sure looked totally abandoned. Apparently local interest in the Crump's survival has waned. The website states that no bookings are being accepted and refers you to a local arts council.

That be as it may, the Crump is a truly haunted location. Check the Crump website references to previous paranormal investigations for some great details. I don't know if investigations are still allowed. I would love to be involved in one.  http://www.thecrumptheatre.com/paranormal.html

Bardstown Kentucky Jailer's Inn B&B is haunted

Bardstown Kentucky is found in the middle of bourbon country. Bardstown is also the home to what is now known as the Jailer's Inn Bed and Breakfast. This structure is one of the most haunted buildings in Kentucky, and perhaps the entire Midwest.

The jail housed prisoners starting in 1797 and was finally closed in 1987. Over the years the jail did see an addition to the original jail which allowed for quarters for the jailer in the building.

Courtyard where the gallows were located

This massive limestone jail has seen countless reports of Mrs McKay, who is the most famous ghost who is seen on the property. She was the wife of one of the jailers. Once a widow, she won the approval of the town to continue on filling her dead husband's shoes. Often visitors report waking in the middle of the night to find a woman dressed in flowing white standing there looking at the guest.

Many prisoners walked to the gallows that was erected in the back courtyard of the jail. The last prisoner so executed met his doom in 1903. The black hood and shackles used in that execution are framed on a wall next to one of the "cells" used in the B&B!The ghosts of several prisoners have been reported many times.

Tools of the hangman's trade

The Travel Channel has listed the Jailer's Inn as one of the top ten haunted locations in the country. Spend the night. The beds are comfy, the food is good and you just might have an unusual guest joining you in the middle of the night!

A vivid and real encounter with a ghost

I have experienced several paranormal encounters during my lifetime. However, the most vivid encounter came during a stay at an old frame farmhouse where a friend of mine lived for a time.

The house was built in 1865. My friend called it "War's End" referring to the last year of the Civil War. The structure was a typical story and a half frame farmhouse, with two bedrooms up with gabled ceilings and three rooms downstairs.

My buddy casually mentioned that he had heard a ghost late some nights. As it turned out, I heard a ghost a few nights later. About 2:30 or so in the morning I awoke from a deep sleep for no apparent reason, except for a feeling of fear and anticipation.

I heard a door open, followed by slow moving heavy footsteps that came through the kitchen, into the living room and then up the narrow stairway! I was in one of the upstairs bedrooms. The foot steps turned at the top of the stairs and into the second bedroom. I saw nothing.

The footsteps then went back down the stairs and out through the same door. Next morning I asked my friend if he heard anything during the night. He grinned and said "Oh, you heard him too, huh?"
I asked him to open the exterior doors of the house after I went back upstairs. He did, but neither of the two doors sounded like the ones I heard our ghost go through. We later figured out that there used to be another room on the house. This must have been the door I heard: it is no longer there!

This ghost is not malevolent. We think that he is just checking up on the house and someone who is in the bedroom upstairs.