Hannah House, Indianapolis
History
Hannah house was built in 1858 by Alexander Hannah, aged 37 at the time. Hannah was a prominent figure in the Indianapolis community and was well known for his openly expressed disapproval of slavery, which was supported by President James Buchanan.
The house was sold to a German immigrant by the name of Roman Oehler in 1899 and remains in the ownership of his descendants to this day. In 1978 it was listed as a recognized historical landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior. The house is also open for bookings for events such as weddings and receptions.
Hauntings
The source of the haunting of this property remains unknown and it is generally believed that the building has seen little in the way of deaths.
However, one use of the house when it was in the possession of Mr Hannah, was as a station for the underground railway that ran northwards under the house. Being massively against slavery, it is said that Mr Hannah would bring slaves into the house at night, and load them onto the train which would transport them across the country to there freedom.
One night, a lantern was knocked over in the basement were the slaves were held until they boarded the train, killing several of them in the fire. This may well be the cause of the haunting but actual facts are difficult to find as no documents were kept of the stations operations, due to Mr Hannah doing this illegally.
As for reports of hauntings, the most commonly told are those of poltergeist activities. Objects being thrown and moved and windows and doors randomly opening and closing by themselves. Cold drafts are also a common experience when no doors or windows are open to cause them.
The other major paranormal tale from this building is the smell of death, especially from the upstairs rooms. Scents of gangrene and rotting flesh have been smelt by many visitors, and such smells could only be caused by the presence of a rotting body... but of course, there never is one around.
Back to top of Hannah House
Back to Haunted places in Indiana