Located in Cedar Lake, Indiana is an abandoned boys’ preparatory school named Salesians Prep School. It was back in the 1950s that the Catholic Salesian Order of New York purchased the property and turned it into a prep school. It operated as a boys’ junior and senior high school for roughly 20 years. It was in 1979 that the Order in New York decided to close the school.

courtesy of Melissa Monk

Over the years, there have been tons of attempts to make other uses of this property including a health care facility, youth center, religious institution, and, most recently, a haunted house and paintball range. Unfortunately, nothing ever really stuck.

courtesy of Melissa Monk

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courtesy of Melissa Monk

There are rumors to suggest you can hear the screams of the boys who went to this school as they were tortured by the deranged priest who headed the facility. There are even some people who say Salesians Prep was more of an insane asylum than an actual school. We haven't been able to verify these claims, but the suggestion alone is enough to send chills down your spine.

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courtesy of Melissa Monk

At first, it was just rambunctious teenagers daring each other to investigate the dilapidated school. Police officers would patrol the property on big nights like Halloween and could generally keep the grounds clear. But when paranormal investigators got wind of the ghost stories surrounding the property's history, things really blew up.

courtesy of Melissa Monk

For a time this abandoned school in Indiana was used as a haunted house and formal tours were given of it. Unfortunately, the haunting may have been a little too real. Many visitors asked who the actor playing the Priest in the basement was. And there was no one scheduled for that role.

All of these pictures were emailed to me by a woman named Melissa Monk.

Want to know more about the school?

This video (which is a little on the long side) is a pretty incredible walk-through of the school. The narrator does an awesome job going into detail about the history of this spooky school. This was a brave team that went into the school to make this film! Many people wouldn’t have wanted to risk running into that priest.

Time has certainly not been kind to this piece of property. The question is: would you be brave enough to step inside this abandoned and haunted preparatory school in Indiana?

I actually need to take a moment to thank Melissa, another brave soul, for sending these Salesians prep school photos and this story to me! Do you have a creepy, weird, or maybe even funny piece of Indiana history you think deserves to be in the limelight? Please feel free to email us at submit-in@onlyinyourstate.com. If you happen to have pictures to go with the story, we might be able to work out an article for it!

Don’t forget to share this piece with your friends and tell me what you think in the comments section! And if you want to discover more abandoned places, this creepy road trip through Indiana is perfect for you, just make sure you check our ultimate road trip packing list before you head out.