Chaos Haunted and Historical Tours

Do you believe in ghosts?  Have you ever heard or seen one?  I’m still not sure spectral spirits are real, but Mike at Chaos Haunted and Historical Tours had me nearly convinced during our tour last Tuesday night.

The tour, which my mom and I signed up for as a Halloween treat, visited three sites near Chesterton, IN during the tour called “Cemetery Ghost Hunt.”  This is just one of numerous tours around northwest Indiana offered by Chaos.

We began the night at Val’s Famous Pizza to visit the ghost of a former owner.  This ghost is prominently seen or heard in the basement of the local restaurant.  So there in the damp dark basement we huddled together with eight strangers around a voice recorder waiting for a sign.  After a few minutes of asking for a spirit to respond or show itself, we heard a brief answer through the EVP recording to the question, “What is your name?” “Bobby.” Creepy, but who is Bobby?  Mike’s best guess, a delivery driver who died on a run to the hardware store back in the 1970s.

Following our encounter at Val’s, the group headed over to the Furnessville Cemetery.  I had never been in a cemetery at night, and it was just as creepy as I thought it would be.  The Furnessville Cemetery dates back to the 1860s when the area was first settled.  It is in the middle of nowhere save the old school house across the street, which is also purportedly haunted.

Almost immediately after Mike began to ask for the ghosts to respond with their names using the “ghost box,” we heard someone say “I.M.”  Later, we found a headstone that matched this name, “Ida M. Dirks.”  I wonder if it was actually her speaking with us.

The final stop of the tour was the most historically interesting.  Near Meridian and 1100 in Chesterton, there lies a railroad crossing.  Just east of this crossing is the site of a 1906 train crash that killed over 50 immigrants and train personnel.  The ghosts of the dead still live among us today.

We definitely recorded the most activity at this site (on and around the railroad tracks) using our ghost tracking devices.  The first sign of an otherworldly presence was a 30 degree drop in temperature recorded by a tour participant.  When Mike started using an EVP recorder to speak with the ghosts, he heard someone say, “Wake up!” Immediately after this response, a train came barreling down the tracks we were standing next to.  Everyone scurried out of the way to safety.

After this train passed, we began to have a conversation with another passenger from the wreck.  He clearly stated that he had been a 19 year-old passenger on the train, and he was travelling from Connecticut.  This conversation almost convinced me to believe in ghosts.  Almost.

All-in-all the ghost tour was well worth the $15 we each spent.  We were instructed on and permitted to use Mike’s equipment.  We had some creepy encounters, and we discovered a few pieces of Chesterton history.  I would certainly recommend Chaos Haunted and Historical Tours to every local and visitor to the area.

You never know what encounters the next tour will have with the ghosts of northwest Indiana.

Chaos Haunted and Historical Tours

Website: http://www.chaostrips.com/

Phone: 219-714-3761

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chaos-Haunted-Historical-Tours/125699654355

Cost :$15-$40 per person

Reservations: Required