5 Creepiest Ghost Towns in Indiana (2024)

There are quite a few ghost towns spread throughout the beautiful state of Indiana. These abandoned towns are harmless, but they are steeped in history that is fascinating for history buffs and draws visitors from far and away. Apart from being rich in history and giving a glimpse into the lives of people long gone, some of these ghost towns are also rumored to be haunted and make popular attractions for ghost hunters.

It is estimated that there are over 60 ghost towns throughout Indiana. Most of these ghost towns originated in the 19th century and eventually disappeared sometime in the 20th century.

5 Creepiest Ghost Towns in Indiana

Here are some of the creepiest ghost towns in Indiana.

1. Elizabethtown

It is likely for anyone to get confused seeing the name of Elizabethtown as there are two towns in Indiana with the same name, but unfortunately, with totally different fates. Elizabethtown, the ghost town, is known as one of the creepiest ghost towns in the state because of its disappearance. However, the town still has a very visible cemetery left.

When it was a thriving city, Elizabethtown was founded on the northern bank of the Mississinewa River. The town had a sawmill and a flour mill, but the village began to decline economically soon, eventually turning into a ghost town.

What is strange is that today, the only proof of the existence of Elizabethtown is its cemetery, which dates back to 1839. The cemetery can only be reached by looking up its coordinates as it is located literally in the middle of nowhere, and there is nothing else nearby.

2. Lick Creek African-American Settlement

Another creepy ghost town in the state of Indiana is the famous Lick Creek African-American Settlement. Indiana entered the United States in 1816 as a non-slaveholding state, and the state was home to many free slaves. By 1860, nearly 250 African American families had settled in Indiana in a small town in Orange County. The city began to be known as Little Africa. The town was home to an African Episcopal Church, a cemetery, and a Methodist Union Meeting House.

Just before the Civil Water by 1962, the population of Little Africa began to decline, and many residents started moving away to Canada. In 1903, the last burial took place in the cemetery here, and shortly thereafter, the town got abandoned completely. The land was eventually got acquired by the federal government and became the Hoosier National Forest.

The remnants of this important settlement of free slaves today lie hidden amongst the trees of the Hoosier National Forest.

3. City West

City West was once a dream city that got abandoned and turned into a ghost town over the years. There was a time when City West was almost equal to its neighboring city of Chicago, located just 60 miles away. The town was founded in hopes of becoming as successful as Michigan City, and it seemed like it would soon achieve success, what with its growth based on lumber ports and railroad towns. There were around 20 families and 200 people living in the city. There was even a big hotel with a huge tavern-like structure rarely seen at that time.

However, the downfall of City West came when the promoters left the project as panic set in 1819, causing multiple bank failures and foreclosures. Many of the houses in the city were demolished to be repurposed as lumber. However, the unique thing that happened with the remains was that a great part of the houses was drowned in the sand that belonged to the nearby dunes. This eventually turned the old City West into part of the Indiana Dunes State Park. Secondly, in 1853, the last remaining structure of City West that had survived the sand also ended up being destroyed in a forest fire that pretty much wiped out whatever was left of this former settlement.

4. Brisco

Once upon a time, Brisco was a small town located in the Warren County of, Indiana. This beautiful little town was home to a one-room school and general store. This tiny town was founded in the 1850s, and it never really grew to prominence as a major economic hub. Brisco ended up almost completely disappearing in the 20th century, and today it no longer shows up on any county maps. There is a cemetery located northeast of the town that still carries the name of the Brisco town.

5. Barbersville

Barbersville is one of the creepiest ghost towns in Indiana, owing to its reputation of being a haunted place. This ghost town was located in the Jefferson County, and settlers populated this town in the early 1800s. Today there is no sign of the town except for one sign and some remnants of the former buildings that remain scattered throughout the surrounding woods.

In the late 1800s, Barbersville had a population of 100 residents, its own post office, a general store, and also a schoolhouse. There are many stories that talk about how this city played a major role in the Underground Railroad, though the exact role is not clearly known.

It was in 1915 that the town was abandoned and simply left to decay. Visitors to this ghost town firmly believe that it is haunted, perhaps due to its role in the Underground Railroad. However, even though many ghost hunters have tried their luck to prove this, no one has so far been able to prove that Barbersville is haunted.

There are many other ghost towns in Indiana that have their fair share of creepy stories, including Chatterton, Corwin, Sloan, Mollie, Hindostan Falls, Baltimore (which has only one house that is still surviving), Elkinsville (which is also a part of the Hoosier National Forest today), Dunn, Granville, and many others. There are many other creepy places to explore in Indiana, such as the town of Gary, where there are over 10,000 abandoned buildings. There’s also Rose Island, where the remains of a once vibrant and alive amusement park can be found.