I N D I A N A S TAT E M U S E U M A N D H I S T O R I C S I T E S
CROSSROADS EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2021 Culbertson Mansion
FROM THE STATE HISTORIC SITES By Renee Bruck Sightings of ghosts, spirits and other beings become more commonplace as the calendar inches closer to Oct. 31, but Halloween isn’t the only time of year for spookier occurrences at a few of the state historic sites. Just ask the regional managers and staff. Culbertson Mansion State Historic Site It’s not unusual for visitors to question whether the mansion is truly haunted due to the annual haunted house created by the Friends group in the Carriage House, plus other lore and the age of the mansion. But it is a little more unusual when something unexplained happens while an event is taking place. During the Haunts and Happenings Tour on the autumn equinox – which was Sept. 22 – a visitor asked about Mr. Culbertson’s wife’s name, telling the tour guide that they ended up with goosebumps when the name was first mentioned.
The tour guide told the group that her name was Cornelia, and the goosebumps “meant she was probably in the room.” At that exact moment, the chandeliers in the formal parlor flickered off and on, Southeast Regional Director Devin Payne said. The entire group gasped in surprise. Some might attempt to explain away the loss of power, but others were left wondering if Cornelia was just letting the entire group know that she was, in fact, present. Corydon Capitol State Historic Site Dozens of people have lived in the Governor’s Headquarters in Corydon since it was constructed in 1817. It served as the home and office to William Hendricks, Indiana’s second elected governor, between 1822 and 1825, when the capital moved to Indianapolis. Afterward, the Porter family moved in – and tragedy struck. During an investigation with Friday Night Paranormal in August, a response through a spirit box – a scanner that transmits electronic voice phenomena,
or EVP – mentioned someone was sick. When asked who was ill, the reply was immediate: “All of them.” Corydon Capitol State Historic Site Program Developer Denver Bays noted that was an interesting comment because records indicate four of the Porters’ seven daughters died of tuberculosis in the house. The Governor’s Headquarters wasn’t the only location in Corydon where the Spirit Box captured EVPs. Another response in the First State Office Building mentioned “Patrick,” the name of Helen Porter Griffin’s husband, who had lived in the Governor’s Mansion. Helen’s older sister lived in the nearby structure that had served as the First State Office Building, and Patrick was known for helping the relatives with farming and other chores on the property, Bays said.
Vincennes State Historic Site Fort Knox II is best known as the mustering location of the army prior to the battle of Tippecanoe in November 1811, but the site was also a military base for almost a decade in the early 1800s. Some soldiers were even buried there over the years. During an investigation at Fort Knox II earlier this year, Friday Night Paranormal took a recording near the flagpole where continued on next page