Creepy Chronicles: Haunted Elkhart County

Ghost stories, folklore, superstitions. Mark Doddington believes these survive because of the primal fear of the unknown.

"What happens in the next life, if there is a next life," Doddington said. "I know that’s a big part of it for me, is trying to find the answers to the eternal question.”

Doddington has been trying to answer that question since he was 10 years old, when he read his first book on the supernatural.

"I was immediately hooked on the subject, it terrified me," Doddington said. "So, I decided that I had to confront it.”

Confronting it through studying, ghost hunting, even living in a home he claims is haunted.

Now, Doddington has authored "Haunted Elkhart County". The book details 25 supposedly haunted sites, the stories of the people who lived there, and the long-gone people who may still be there past their own deaths.

Featured sites include the Bristol Opera House, The Wilt House, and what Doddington says is the most active ghost site in Elkhart County, The Winchester Mansion.

"[Winchester Mansion is the] home of Nellie Knickerbocker. Who was known in life as a prankster, and even in death has continued to prank people over the years," Doddington said.

He’s the featured speaker at The History Museum’s Insights in History lecture series, this Wednesday.

After Doddington's presentation, anyone who isn’t too scared can tour The History Museum's interactive exhibit “Indiana Lore”.

"People approach history in a wide variety of ways," The History Museum Director of Marketing Marilyn Thompson said, explaining that staff at the museum get questions about local superstitions and folklore throughout the year, not just close to Halloween.

"I think we all like to learn about things that we don’t know very much about," Thompson said.

Indiana Lore explores the esoteric, from Hoosier horrors like the Hazel McNally case; a woman who was accused of killing her twin daughters until it was revealed the two girls people thought were her children, were only toy dolls. Or the Hagenbeck-Wallace circus crash, which killed a group of traveling performers who now rest in a mass grave.

"This exhibit really captures the essence of the idea that legends and lore can be found in almost every community," Thomspon said.

By showing between the stories of the supernatural, you can find the history in the horror.

"These are the stories of our past, of our culture, sometimes going hundreds of years back," Doddington said. "So much of that firsthand, personal experience is being lost. So, this is an important way of preserving our heritage.”

The History Museum’s Insights in History lecture is 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 4. Admission is $3/general and $1/members. Reservations are required. Availability can be checked by calling The History Museum during normal business hours at (574) 235-9664. 

The History Museum is open seven days a week, except for New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Museum hours are Monday – Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Noon to 5 p.m.

**This story is part of ABC57's Creepy Chronicles series, airing Mondays in October on ABC57 News NightTeam**