Haunted Gary

by Ursula Bielski

"Highlights the most infamous and spine-tingling haunted places scattered throughout Northwest Indiana" (The Times of Northwest Indiana).

In 2014, the story of Gary's "Demon House" shocked the world, drawing millions into the terrifying tale of a contemporary exorcism. For many residents, however, ghosts are just part of the community. From the haunting of the Jackson Five to the ghost ship Flying Cloud, local legends abound. Ghostly echoes may linger from a fiery 1918 train wreck that claimed the lives of eighty-six circus performers. A young murderess, said to have drowned her children in the Little Calumet River, reportedly haunts the Cline Avenue freeway. And the spirit of Alice Gray, the most famous of myriad recluses, is said to remain in Duneland. Meet these and other eternal inhabitants of "America's Ghost Town" with author Ursula Bielski.

Includes photos!

Genres: Nonfiction

115 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 30, 2014

Reviews

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the opening of the book, the author tries to convey the importance of the steel mills to NW Indiana. Yet she proceeds to misspell the largest steel maker in the Region, ArcelorMittal (all one word) as "Arcelor Mittel". This may seem like nitpicking, but it set the tone for the book. Traveling from Chicago to Gary between 2007 - 2020, ArcelorMittal could be found everywhere, on highway signs, billboards, and buildings. If she couldn't get this small piece of information correct, how much research into the area did she actually do? This thought kept cropping up as I read...some interesting history of the region, but how much was researched thoroughly and is correct, or simply told to the author as secondhand anecdotal stories.

The Demon House story is a Gary classic and is a touchstone of hauntings in the Region. Diana of the Dunes has strong, unique ties to the South Shore. But other stories throughout the book could have been (and probably were) told as stories from anywhere across the US. And if Michael Jackson wasn't born in Gary, this book would have been about 10% shorter.

[Jose J Cortez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A spooky good time!

As a lifelong resident (37yr old) of “The Region” I had heard a few of these stories but not many others included in this book. It was a great read with many interesting points. 10/10 would recommend.

[Heather Bohling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and excellent writing.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this author's books! They are a perfect combination of meticulous research and spooky ghost stories. Having grown up in the Region, most of the stories weren't new, but the history and the background information were. I definitely recommend this book for anyone who likes a good spooky legend or two.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed read this book!