Who doesn’t love the idea of sitting around a campfire and enjoying a good scary story? In the state of Indiana, we have some local creepy ghost legends that will make your skin crawl. Here are five especially spooky IN urban legends that might just keep you up at night. Enjoy if you dare, and don’t forget to add some of the most haunted places in Indiana to your to-do list ASAP.

1.) 100 Steps Cemetery

This story differs depending on who you ask (or where you read it). But, basically, the legend goes like this: if you walk up and down a certain section of steps in this cemetery, you must count to 100 while going in each direction. If you don’t, you are going to die soon. Some people even believe that, when you get to the top of the stairs, the original caretaker of the grounds will appear and show you your death. Some people also believe that if you try to go up the hill without using the stairs, a phantom hand will push you down the hill. We’re not really sure it gets a whole lot creepier than that… especially considering you could be injured after being shoved down a hill by angry, unseen hands.

 

2.) Edna Collins/Collings Bridge

Also known as “Edna Collings Bridge,” this landmark is surrounded by the dark hand of death. Legend has it that a girl drowned near this bridge in the 1920s, and another person was mercilessly hanged here, as well. As a result of these violent deaths, there are evil spirits that still lurk here. There have been many people who have claimed to be grabbed or pushed when near this unsettling, creepy old bridge. It is a pretty creepy place to go at night! There are many covered bridges in Indiana, and lots of them have ghost stories attached – but this one is absolutely one of our all-time favorites.

 

3.) The Screaming Bridge

There are eerie whispers passed down from generation to generation that should you go fishing near this bridge, you will hear screams and knocking coming from inside its support pillars. Supposedly, while the bridge was being built, a worker perished there – never to be retrieved. Another legend claims that once upon a time, a woman was walking along the bridge en route to a doctor’s house with her sick baby one night when her foot got stuck in the track. A train rapidly approached, and she managed to get her foot free – but had no choice but to jump off the bridge into the water to avoid being struck by the train. The woman is believed to have survived while her baby did not. Some people believe you can hear her screaming for her lost child at the bottom of the bridge at night.

 

4.) Culbertson Mansion

You can find the Culbertson Mansion in New Albany, Indiana. This dark manor has a horrifying and gruesome history attached to it. It’s said that in the 1800s the mansion was struck by lightning, and everyone inside was killed in the resulting fire. They murmur that you can still hear the screams of the individuals inside the burning mansion from time to time. No thanks.

Then, in 1933, the mansion was sold to a Dr. Webb and his family. Just a year later, the entire family was found dead. Their bodies showed evidence of being tortured, having died an extremely unpleasant death. It was also discovered that the good doctor had been hiding missing patients in his basement and possibly experimenting on them, judging by the gruesome wounds on their bodies.

 

5.) Dogface Bridge

There are a few different versions of what happened at this bridge. In one of the most popular (and disconcerting) legends, a couple was driving over the bridge on the way to their honeymoon in the 1950s when a dog ran out into the road. Trying not to hit the pup caused them to swerve off the road and fatally crash. Legend has it that if you walk down the path, you will see the body of the woman with the dog’s head on top (as the dog’s head and woman’s body were never found after the accident). If you ever see the human body with the dog’s head you need to RUN. They say that if she catches you, she will kill you and eat you. Claims have been made that bodies have been found on the bridge and you can hear strange animal sounds, too.

So, there you have it: five unsettling ghost stories and urban legends about Indiana you may have never heard (and might now wish you still hadn’t).

Which one of these IN urban legends do you think is the creepiest? Have you ever been to any of these places or have any future plans to go? Maybe you know of another ghost story in Indiana you want to share with everyone?

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