Looking for a good scare? Local historian, attraction can do the trick
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Every October local historian Al Hunter takes people through the streets of Irvington for his ghost tours. They talk about the history and the haunting stories that come along with years of investigations.
Hunter is known for doing all his own research and finding out facts long lost to history. During his tours in Irvington, he talks about H.H. Holmes, D.C. Stevenson and other infamous Hoosiers. Hunter can’t do it all alone. He enlists an army of volunteers every year to help him guide the visitors of his tours.
Nearly two dozen people who either love history or are spiritually connected join forces to keep people safe through the streets of Irvington. The weather isn’t always the best, and it’s usually dark and can be dangerous, but his volunteers are out there no matter what.
Hunter says it’s his volunteers that make the wheels go round every year, and they deserve a lot of the credit. So, every year he rewards these people with a special trip. He never tells them where they are going. He just says meet me at the Irving Theater and then he reveals what location they are exploring that day. It’s a chance to learn about the forgotten history and maybe catch some real ghosts.
This year the group got the story behind one of Indianapolis’ oldest ghosts tales and possibly the first ever cold case in the city.
It was the story about Pogue’s Run, a small creek or stream that has run through and under the city for centuries. The story goes, before Indiana was a state, one of the first settlers ever in this area went missing. George Pouge and his dog went missing after they went for a walk with a local Native American. Many still believe his spirit haunts the tunnel that bears his name.
Today, Pogue’s Run is a waterway under the city. Others deaths have been attributed to Pouge’s Run, either nearby or inside the tunnel. It is still, to this day, a working waterway with some creepy history. If you’d like to learn more, head over to Irvington Ghost Tours Facebook and like their page.