Fall is the season of spooky stories and eerie encounters. Every community has its “stories,” and Hamilton County is no different. With a long history and fascinating past, you can find a lot to explore on Hamilton County’s haunted side – if you dare.
Good Food to Set the Spooky Mood
Enjoy dinner at Field Brewing, specializing in local artisan foods. Swing over to Grand Junction Brewing Co. for local brews. Fun fact: Westfield was a crossroads for the Underground Railroad in the mid-19th century.
Sleep in and start the next day with a big brunch at Erika’s Place in Westfield, where some have claimed they’ve experienced cold breezes and workers have had their tools and equipment moved around.
Try something truly unique and enjoy Union Brewing Company's large outdoor patio that includes a fire pit, live music, and of course local brews.
Looking for something a little less casual but also intriguing? Check out Woodys Library Restaurant in Carmel – a former Carnegie Library – or Syd’s Bar & Grill in downtown Noblesville. Employees in both historic buildings often leave drinks for ghosts overnight and have seen and heard pots and pans clanging together in the kitchen while no one else is there.
Ghost Tours and Events
Start your trip off right and book a haunted ghost tour with Unseenpress.com. Adventure the haunted histories of Westfield through their underground railroad ghost walk or the union street. Also, check out a ghost tour of our Historic Noblesville Square.
Check out the Nickel Plate Express excursions, offered for families through the fall. Trains have a rich history of mystery and intrigue, and this magical ride is the perfect way to experience it with the whole family.
Here for Halloween? Stay and visit Nickel Plate Arts in Noblesville for the Day of the Dead event Nov. 1, where you can participate in this iconic Mexican celebration of ancestry and the past. Or, check the calendar for Headless Horseman at Conner Prairie.
Creepy Chronicles of Hamilton County
Take a self-guided tour and explore one of these legendary stories captured by Hamilton County’s adventurous Historian David Heighway.
- Benjamin Fisher Story – A Pioneer Murder Mystery | An 1821 encounter over watered-down liquor led to a murder (and escape) near Strawtown Koteewi Park, an early Native American settlement area in northeastern Hamilton County.
- Howe Davidson Story – Skeletons in the Closet | Two murders, lots of intrigue and a man who knew, based in downtown Noblesville.
- The Trittipo Bombings – Tempers and Temperance | Attempted bombings in the late 1800s in downtown Fishers.
- Etta Crusemire Story – The Phantom of Plum Street | A woman who lived on Plum Street in southwest Noblesville in 1893.
Learn more about Hamilton County's history at the Hamilton County Museum of History and Old Sheriff's Residence on the Historic Noblesville Square.
Spooky Nooks and Books
Want to be immersed back to the early days and truly experience the haunted stories of Hamilton County? Get ready for some chilling tales from these different books.
- Hidden History of Hamilton County, Indiana | Read more about the haunted stories of Hamilton County from Heighway’s book.
- Haunted Backroads: Ghosts of Westfield | For the first time in print, author Nicole Kobrowski reveals Westfield’s supernatural stories.
- Wicked Fishers | Explore alongside author Robert Bowling as he dissects a deathly two-day bar brawl, mass grave robberies, and a Christmas turkey shootout.
Haunted Hotels
Check into a hotel or book a paranormal overnight adventure at Roads Hotel.
Other Haunted Stories and Places
At the junction of Allisonville Road and 126th Street in Fishers is a dip in the road. Nearby is a private cemetery where the Heady family is buried and that little dip is known as "Heady Hollow." Stories of ghost sightings in Heady Hollow go way back.
