Hoosier Folk Legends

by Ronald L. Baker

Spine-tingling and funny, Hoosier Folk Legends is a collection of over 300 legends gathered throughout tthe state of Indiana. Ronald L. Baker includes ghost stories, stories of the evil eye, and stories of bloodstopping. He relates legends of Jesse James, Al Capone, and John Dillinger and tells the sad story of the ghost of Diana of the Dunes. Hoosier Folk Legends explains the derivation of the names of Hobart, Jasper, Loogootee, and the Shake Rag School. Also included are a number of legends that did not originate in Indiana but are widely circulated in the Hoosier state, such as "The Baby-Sitter and the Phone Call," "Hook Man," and "The Vanishing Hitchhiker.''

Hoosier Folk Legends demonstrates the persistence and vitality of oral folk traditions. It is a book for students of folklore and anyone interested in old-time yarns

Genres: Folklore, Mythology, Fiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published September 5, 1982

Reviews

[٩(๑`^´๑)۶ · Rating 3 out of 5]

It would be nice if this book were actually better, but it did make me cry laughing. Indiana University Press, 1982. Good lord. Fried rats being found at various regional KFCs, John Dillinger’s pickled 26-inch penis, one account about casting the physical manifestation of the devil out of the house of a dying woman that begins with “Jim’s aunt lived right next door to an ol’ whore,” are among the highlights, but these are mostly poorly-told versions of the most typical and played out 20th century American urban myths and campfire slasher movie scenarios…Documenting how these were carried throughout the state in the early 80s isn’t wholly fruitless, but I was disappointed that tragically few of the legends here really carry the unique stench of hoosierdom rather than belonging to more diffuse provenance. I’m glad that my grandpa had this book and heard tell of John Dillinger’s 26-inch penis secretly pickled in a jar at the Smithsonian.

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used to check this book out from the library all the time when I was a kid since I loved to read anything strange or paranormal. Today, all the stories are quite silly and transparent, but it is a good collection of oral history (mostly collected by college kids from ISU in the late 60’s - early 70’s) and goes to show how people from all over manage to curate their own (often similar) myths and legends. Three stars mainly for the nostalgia.

[Naricat · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of folklore collected from around Indiana. It suffers only in repetition and familiar tropes permeating Hoosier culture but there remains a great amount of unique stories of varied topics. Worth a read for anyone interested in local folklore or Indiana folklore in particular.

[Tammy · Rating 2 out of 5]

it was an I'm read. I do wish it went more into certain legends but it was published in the 80s so I didn't expect too much...

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this fun read in a thrift store in Crawfordsville. Many of the folk legends are dumb, but definitely well known in parts of the state.