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Hannah House was built in 1858 by Alexander M. Hannah in Indianapolis, Indiana. Hannah was apparently a man of many talents, because in his lifetime he served as sheriff, circuit clerk and state legislator, as well as other positions, at various times. Both he and his wife were staunch abolitionists, and they had a secret room in their basement in which they hid slaves. Hannah died in 1895, and Hannah House was bought by a jeweler, but the strange events didn't start happening until 1967, after the house had been vacant (for reasons I could not find) for about 5 or 6 years.
One of the most prevalent characteristics of Hannah House is one of strong and disgusting odors. There is a strong stench of rotting flesh from a second floor bedroom, and there is the smell of burning flesh coming from the basement. Psychics have said that the smell in the upstairs bedroom is from a stillborn baby whose birth had to be induced when it started to putrefy in Elizabeth Hannah's womb (:::shudder:::). A couple that ran an antiques store out of Hannah House from 1968 to 1978 said they tried everything from scrubbing the floor with carbolic acid to repainting, but the rotten smell persisted.
The smell of burning flesh supposedly stems from something that has not been ascertained as fact, but hasn't been debunked, either. Reportedly a lantern tipped over in the basement where slaves were hiding, and many were killed in the fire that ensued. The slaves were buried in crude coffins in the basement's dirt floor.
Hannah House is also host to a number of "classic" haunts. There are cold spots that move. Apparitions of a man in a black coat have been reported, and the ghost of an unidentified woman has been seen by a second floor window. A TV crew visiting Hannah House experienced chandeliers and picture frames that moved unaccountably and sounds of unknown origin.
Hannah House
3801 Madison Avenue (corner of National and Madison)
Indianapolis, IN 46225
(317) 638-4264
(It's privately owned, so don't go bothering anyone, now.)
If you have had an experience with Hannah House, please E-MAIL me.
