House of Blue Lights - Indianapolis, Indiana (Blue Lights of Skiles Test Park)

For many years there has been a legend in the suburbs of northeastern Indianapolis.  A strange, eccentric man who lived on Fall Creek Boulevard is said to have adornded his home with blue lights, including the glass coffin of his wife whom he entombed in his house.  Many say, the blue lights can still be seen today.

The home of Skiles Test or the House of Blue Lights when it was still standing.

Skiles Test was known to be a very kind man, yet strange in a way.  He loved blue Christmas lights and covered his house with them...  all the time.  He was also notorious for having over 100 cats.  When one would die, he would bury it in a small casket on his property.  There was a wild rumor that the cats were not the only thing buried on his property.  It is said that when his wife died a a young age, not being able to stand losing her, he entombed her in a glass casket and put her on display in the middle of his house.

Skiles Test, owner of The House of Blue Lights in Indianapolis, Indiana

After Skiles Test passed away in 1964, it is said that even though he was long gone, strange blue lights could still be seen glowing on the property.  The home was destroyed in the 1980s, however the sightings of blue glowing lights hovering around the property continued on.

Even though the House of Blue Lights is long gone, many claim to see blue lights with in Skiles Test Park to this day.

The descendents of Skiles Test, donated the property for use as a school and public park which today is Today is Skiles Test Public Park located at 6700 Fall Creek Boulevard, Indianapolis, Indiana.  It just south of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Airport.

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The Grey Lady of Willard Library - Evansville, Indiana

In 1877 in Evansville, Indiana, construction began on the Willard Library, named after Willard Carpenter, a local well to do businessman who donated the land and financed the construction of the building.  After a stall in construction, the building was completed in 1882.  It is a Gothic style building reminiscent of a castle.  What makes this library different than most that one of the patrons of the 1800s still likes to use the facility.

The Willard Library in Evansville, Indiana circa late 1800s

In 1930, a janitor was working in the library late one night and went into the basement to put some coal in the furnace to keep the place warm for morning.  He was shocked when he encountered the apparition of a woman who appeared to be grey in color and fairly transparent.  He was too terrified to enter the basement anymore and  soon after too afraid to enter the Willard Library period because he quit his job.

The next janitor who worked the Willard Library also encountered the grey lady in the basement area and like the first, he became too terrified to work there and quit his job.  The grey lady seemed to like to hang out in the basement at first, however over the years there were sightings of her in various parts of the library, but mostly in the children's library which is in the basement.  The grey lady is said to be very mild mannered and friendly and she seemed to become particularly attached to a librarian who worked there for over 50 years, Margaret Maier.  Margaret reported seeing the ghost many times and claimed to have even seen the grey lady in her home.  It is said that her family members confirm this as they saw the grey lady as well.  During the 1990s, a child saw two ghostly women in the children’s library.  One was seated in a chair and the child identified her from a photo as Margaret Maier and The Grey Lady was standing near her.

A cam photo believed to be the ghost of The Grey Lady of Willard Library.  You can clearly see her hat and long grey dress as she is facing the book case on the left.

There have been hundreds of other sightings of the grey lady by many people including children.  There are also reports of a high amount of poltergeist activity in the Willard Library. Most notably, faucets have been found on or heard running by lone librarians in the building.  Lights have been known to turn themselves on overnight when the building is empty.  A strong aura of perfume has been smelled in the building when the Grey Lady made herself present.  This is one way the relatives of Margaret Mair also identified the apparition they had seen as The Grey Lady due to the overwhelming smell of perfume when the apparition they saw manifested itself.

Louise Carpenter, the daughter of Willard Carpenter is thought by some to be The Grey Lady of Willard Library

Many people believe that the Grey Lady of Willard Library is the ghost of Louise Carpenter, daughter of Willard Carpenter.  They say that she lingers around the place because she was upset when her father passed on, he left the bulk of his fortune to the Willard Library, leaving very little money to Louise.  Some say Louise Carpenter tended to wear a strong perfume!

The Headless Woman of Forest Hill Cemetery (Pearl Bryan) - Greencastle, Indiana

Pearl Bryan lived in the farm country of Greencastle, Indiana in the late 1800's.  Pearl was introduced to a dental student from Cincinnati named Scott Jackson by her cousin Will Woods.  Pearl and Scott would see each other when he visited Greencastle and soon a relationship ensued.  However, in mid 1895 Pearl learned that she was pregnant.  After writing to her love in Cincinnati informing him of the news, he wrote back and asked her to come to see him in January.  Pearls hopes was that he would ask her to marry him.  However, a few days later Pearl's headless body was found in an empty field in nearby Ft. Thomas, Kentucky.

Forest Hill Cemetery in Greencastle, Indiana

Pearl's remains were returned to Greencastle.  However, her parents did not want to bury her until her head was found.  Even though it was found that Scott Jackson did indeed murder Pearl along with an accomplice, her head was never found.  After her brother Fred went to Newport, Kentucky to retrieve her body from the morgue, he pleaded with Scott Jackson to tell him where his sister's head was located but he never gave in.  Even during the trial police and family members tried their best to extract the location of Pearl's head from her murderers, but the would not give in.

Pearl's snow white casket lay in state for months in a stone vault at the cemetery waiting for the head to be found.  However, after months went by the siblings of Pearl pleaded with her parents to bury her and they finally agreed and she was finally put to rest in the month of March. Hundreds of people from the surrounding area payed tribute on her funeral day. After relentless searching, her head never was found.

Forest Hill Cemetery in Greencastle, Indiana

Over the years many have visited Pearl's grave site having heard of the tragic story.  People have taken away small chips from her grave markers as mementos.  Today, there is nothing left of the marker but the base.  Some folks visiting have left pennies on her grave stone with the head face up so that Pearl will not be headless on Resurrection Day.  However, many say they have seen the ghostly apparition of a headless woman roaming the graveyard.  Others claim to have seen her with her head intact.  Whichever you choose to believe or see, rest assured that if you visit the Forest Hill Cemetery in Greencastle, Indiana and you see the ghostly image of a woman roaming the cemetery, you will know that it is Pearl Bryan.  She will certainly never be forgotten.