It's that time of year. The temperature starts to cool down, the leaves begin to change, and people start purposely looking for things that will scare the bejesus out of them for some reason. Fortunately, there are plenty of options in the southern Indiana area that will do just that.

Personally, I'm not the horror, let's-get-scared-for-the-sake-of-getting-scared type, but for those that are, here are seven places within a reasonable driving distance from Evansville that will get your adrenaline-loving heart racing from Haunted Places.org.

Willard Library - 21 First Avenue, Evansville

(Google Maps)
(Google Maps)
loading...

Haunted Places.org says,

The Grey Lady is said to haunt this historic late-1800s library building, and she brings apparitions, the scent of perfume, cold spots, strange noises, and more. The water and electricity are also known to turn on and off, and furniture and objects move by themselves.

Capitalizing on the legend, Willard Library offers ghost tours for those hoping to see a glimpse of — something.

Rockport Inn - 130 S 3rd Street, Rockport

Google Maps
Google Maps
loading...

Haunted Places.org says,

This inn was built in the 1850s as a private home, and was one of the first buildings in the area to have glass windows. It is rumored to have been part of the Underground Railroad; it is also rumored to have a ghost. An apparition of the wife of an owner is said to walk the halls, seen (and heard) by both guests and employees for many years.

French Lick Springs Hotel - 8670 Indiana 56 French Lick

(Google Maps)
(Google Maps)
loading...

Haunted Places.org says,

This historic resort hotel complex is said to be haunted by former owner Thomas Taggart, who lingers around the service elevator as musts and phantom tobacco smells. He is said to expertly operate the elevator from beyond when the place gets busy. He also is said to appear riding a horse in the ballroom or down the halls, and holds ghostly parties that the staff have heard through closed doors when no one else is in the ballroom. In other stories here, a red stain appears in a guest room bathtub where a bride committed suicide, and the cleaning staff claim the whole sixth floor is haunted by shadows, breezes, and footsteps, disembodied laughter, and ghosts who call the front desk from unoccupied rooms. Also, a ghostly African-American bellhop has shown up in photos of the bellhop stand.

Bonds Chapel Cemetery - 8070 Co Rd 810 N West Baden Springs

(Google Maps)
(Google Maps)
loading...

Haunted Places.org says,

Bond’s Chapel Cemetery has a mysterious grave with a linked chain that grows longer every year. There are two legends about the chain. One legend has it that buried here is an Army man who left his girlfriend waiting back home. He was killed in battle, and his girlfriend stood across the road, watching his burial from afar. Some say her ghost to this day still awaits his return. The chain is said to groe (sic) one link longer every year, symbolizing her growing love for him, and it is said to glow at night. An apparition in a black dress can be seen standing on the other side of the road.

Another story about the chain says a slave owner once beat a slave to death with a chain, and the slave’s wife put a curse on him that the murder would be noted on his grave forever. The chain appeared on his tombstone, adding a link for every year.

Austin Arnold Road - Winslow

(Google Maps)
(Google Maps)
loading...

Haunted Places.org says,

The legend of the ghost on Austin Arnold Road starts is about a hermit who was unhappy that the coal mine was moving too close to his home. He destroyed his house and burned his crops, then laid down a tarp on which he shot his dog and himself. Unexplained fog and cold spots have been reported in the area and are attributed to the hermit’s ghost.

No one seems to know where exactly this road is supposed to be – “Austin Arnold Road” appears on no maps.

Cockrum Hall at Oakland City University - 615 West Oak Street Oakland City

(Google Maps)
(Google Maps)
loading...

Haunted Places.org says,

Cockrum Hall at Oakland City College was built 1876 and is haunted by namesake Colonel William Cockrum’s wife. Legend has it that she hanged herself in the tower. Those who peek into the windows in the night may see doors opening and closing by themselves and a bright orange glow that shines out the windows.

Blackfoot Cemetery - 300 E Co Rd 900 South, Oakland City

(Google Maps)
(Google Maps)
loading...

Haunted Places.org says,

Blackfoot Cemetery has graves that date as far back as the 1800s and is a hot spot for the ghostly folk, some say. Witnesses have described eerie lights, unexplained sounds, and one grave that appears to be separate from all the others. According to local legend, the grave belongs to a witch.

If you'd like to make a day of it and visit all seven locations, here's where to find them:

For more rumored haunts across not only the state of Indiana, but across every state, be sure to visit Haunted Places.org.

LOOK: How Halloween has changed in the past 100 years

 

SWEET: Here are the most popular Halloween candies

More From WKDQ-FM