The Old Mining Town In Indiana With A Sinister History That Will Terrify You
By Tori Jane|Published October 21, 2021
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Tori Jane
Author
Tori Jane is a storm chaser, writer, photographer, and the village idiot - in that order. When she's not out and about dancing with the meanest storms on planet Earth for funsies she can be found wandering, shooting landscapes, writing, editing photos, and otherwise up to no good. Legend has it that she can also be occasionally spotted typing up short bios in the third person, but those rumors are unsubstantiated.
There’s a little township in southwestern Indiana that, despite still having a few residents, is widely considered to be a ghost town. The reason for its abandonment came not from disease or lack of work, but instead a violent series of explosions that took place in October of 1907. Countless Hoosiers were killed, entire livelihoods were obliterated, and a very dark day went down in the annals of Indiana history. Fontanet is one of those ghost towns in Indiana with a history so dark that many Hoosiers simply don’t speak of it any louder than in a hushed whisper.
Fontanet was established in 1870 under its original name of Fountain Station.
On the morning of October 15, 1907, just after 9 a.m., a violent explosion rocked the powder mill in the center of town. This initial blast killed the superintendent and a visitor from Delaware he was hosting in the office. The explosion launched a large tree from the property, which landed on the superintendent's nearby home - killing his wife and niece as well.
This blast was triggered by, and significantly more violent than, the first; it was the terrifying result of 31,000 kegs of dynamite going off all at once. This explosion enveloped homes, offices, businesses, and churches. Soon, the entire town of Fontanet was engulfed in flames.
The explosion was so remarkably powerful that it was felt in nearby towns.
Bridgeton, Rockville, Brazil, Carbon, and Terre Haute all saw homes get windows blown out. Buildings in Bloomington were shifted on their foundations by the blast. Seismic instruments more than 200 miles away in Ohio registered the explosion. Overall, there were more than 1,000 injuries, and it's believed that anywhere from 30 to 80 people were lost.
Today, there are just a handful of full-time residents.
Much of the town was rebuilt, though survivors weren't exactly in a hurry to return to a place so filled with sadness and grief. The only thing keeping Fontanet with a trace of a heartbeat is the annual Fontanet Bean Dinner Festival, which has been a tradition since 1890. The picnic was moved from Fontanet to Holloway Grove, but in decades since, it has been brought back.
If you’re interested in visiting this delightful living ghost town in Indiana, you’ll definitely want to do so during the festival! It’s the best time of year in Fontanet. Get lots more information about the festival on its official website. Do you know of any other ghost towns in Indiana you’d like to see us dive into someday? Tell us about it using this form. We love hearing your ideas!
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