Photo illustration by Chris Meyer
Tuck Langland’s sculpture of IU’s Herman B Wells seems to watch the spectral lights dancing in the Old Crescent of the Bloomington campus, a photographic conceit by HP wizard Chris Meyer. But who’s to say what goes bump in the night, especially on a Midwestern campus where limestone creatures hover above the lamplights? The IUB Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology will host campus ghost walks Thursday, Oct. 21, and Friday, Oct. 22.
Photo courtesy of the Department of Folklore
Last year’s ghost walk volunteers conferred in front of IUB’s Indiana Memorial Union.
 “Most American places have ghost legends. In my opinion, Ellettsville is the most haunted city in Indiana.”
—John Johnson, associate professor, Folklore, IUB
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IU folklorist John Johnson isn’t immune to either a good story or a good scare. The combination can be delicious.
He is one of the faculty participants in what has become a Bloomington campus tradition: a “ghost walk” sponsored by the Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology. The event has grown so popular that this year walks will be held on two nights, Thursday, Oct. 21, and Friday, Oct. 22.
“The first night will be a Greek ghost walk through the area where a lot of the fraternities and sororities are. Many of those houses have legends,” said Ruth Aten, administrative service coordinator for the department and organizer of the ghost walk. “The next night, we’ll start at our building, which is completely decorated. We have a fog machine and candles, and everyone’s in costume. Then we split into two groups and head out and hit the various spots on campus, ending at the well house and the Wells’ statue.”
Last year, the event had six tour guides and costumed helpers stationed at the legendary spots. The storyteller’s garb reflects the tale he or she tells to maximize the spooky ambience. Aten, who admits to having had a theatrical streak since childhood, makes many of the costumes.
Those involved with the ghost walk say it was Aten’s brainchild. Aten said she was inspired by the ghost walks she and her husband have taken while traveling in places like New Orleans, Savannah and Gettysburg. “It’s a good way to learn the history of a place,” she said.
According to Johnson, telling ghost stories is a very American phenomenon. “The origin of ghost stories is British. They have been popular in England, Scotland and Ireland for centuries, but when you cross the (English) Channel, there really isn’t much of a tradition of telling them,” he said. “Most American places have ghost legends. In my opinion, Ellettsville is the most haunted city in Indiana. A ghost is a person who got killed before his or her time and stuck on a certain piece of real estate. They don’t know they are dead, and they are totally harmless.”
The life span of the average ghost story is approximately 50 years, said Johnson. “Ghost stories are an attempt to hang on to the past, or, specifically, hang onto a person who was very important in his or her lifetime. The story is passed on to the next generation, and when that generation dies out, the story often goes with it. This takes about a half century,” he explained.
One thing’s for sure—there’s no sign of IU’s ghostly legends fading.
“We had no idea this would turn out to be so popular. We’ve sold out every year. This year, we started getting calls about the ghost walk in early September. Since we’ve never really advertised, people must find out about this event by word-of-mouth,” said Aten.
Johnson has a theory about the event’s success and the popularity of ghost stories, in general. “There is an appeal in being required to suspend your disbelief,” he said. “You can’t prove something doesn’t exist. You can’t disprove a ghost.”
To make reservations, call 812-855-1027, or visit this creepy crawly Web site:
http://www.indiana.edu/~folklore/
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