There exists a place in southern Indiana that is enshrouded with mystery and the faint traces of forgotten history. Camp Atterbury has been the location for murder, suicide, the disappearance of entire societies, and the human misery that accompanies confinement in internment camps. Given this history, Camp Atterbury certainly has the reputation to be classified as a site with potential paranormal activity.

The Background:

The oldest evidence of unusual activity on the grounds of Camp Atterbury was uncovered from three men in 2004 who made a hobby out of looting archaeological sites. This is a crime in the state of Indiana and made local headlines. The men showed authorities numerous artifacts that they had obtained over the years, among them stone ax heads that suggest the presence of an ancient society on the grounds of Camp Atterbury. Of course, this begs the question, why were these artifacts left behind? Who could make an entire group of people leave their homes?

This phenomenon of mass disappearance is not unheard of. One only needs to consider such legends as the lost colony of Roanoke in New England or the disappearance of all the passengers aboard the Mary Celeste. However, this phenomenon is much more astonishing if it occurs in the same place over time. In the 19th century, a small town of several dozen people once resided in this area. One day, a stage coach that regularly came into town found the entire town deserted. It was as if the entire population had woken up in the middle of the night and left everything behind. Whatever the cause for this mass disappearance, it prompted the Federal army to establish a military outpost near the town. To this day, that base has remained and is known better as Camp Atterbury.

There are a number of other sites at Camp Atterbury that are of interest to paranormal investigators. One is a graveyard containing dates that date back into the mid 19th century. Another site of local importance is a local chapel which was built by German and Italian prisoners of war being held during World War II. Majestic religious icons adorn the walls of this chapel, painted by many prisoners who were skilled artisans. Camp Atterbury is also home to an abandoned railroad trestle, which spans a great distance across one of the local rivers. This site reportedly had two suicides that took place years ago.

Our Investigation:

Our investigation took place at the cemetery, the local chapel, and the railroad trestle. As we navigated the winding roads of Camp Atterbury, we finally arrived at our first site. Many of the gravestones are cracked and have been faded with time. At night the graveyard felt ancient and forgotten, a piece of land that wanted to be left to its own mournfulness. Temperature and ELF readings were made across the cemetery, but no unusual activity was discovered. Out of curiosity, we glanced at a few of the headstones to get an idea when these individuals lived. Many of the people buried in this location make that date approximately the mid-nineteenth century.

By appearance, the local chapel stands in stark contrast to the cemetery. The atmosphere of the chapel grounds is much more soothing, a serene blend of well-trimmed grass, polished iron fences, and a white-wash exterior on the walls. The inside of the chapel is painted with a beautiful display of angels, saints, the Sacred Heart wreathed in thorns, and a rather inviting portrait of Jesus Christ. Despite the tranquil feelings that may wash over you at this chapel, its history is an entirely different story. Italian and German prisoners of war, far from home and held in the sadness of confinement, built and painted the chapel.

Late into the night, we arrived at the railroad trestle. In order to start our investigation, we had to cross an abandoned railroad bridge that spanned several hundred feet across the river. Walking across this abandoned bridge at night, with only a flashlight to provide you with light, is spooky enough. We reasoned it would be best to walk in the center of the track, so as not to take a nasty plunge into the black water below. It was at the railroad trestle that I had one of the most amazing paranormal experiences in my life.

The Results:

Despite the fact that we investigated three separate sites, the amount of paranormal activity was at a minimum until we arrived at the railroad trestle.

1.) Instrument readings – Nothing major to report on the ghost meters. There were the occasional blips of the ELF meter, but nothing that could indicate unusual activity. Temperature readings registered expected levels of cool ground.

2.) Unexplained shadow movement – Korey reported at the POW chapel she saw trace movements of shadow beings.

3.) EVPs – After taking EVP recordings at all three sites, we later reviewed them in detail only to discover there was a minimal level of paranormal activity. A rather innovative idea Michelle came up with at the cemetery was to use the name of the deceased on the headstone to address a spirit. We may wish to use this strategy in the future. Despite the lack of hard EVPs at the graveyard and the chapel, we managed to obtain one of our most clear EVPs yet at the railroad site. I was conducting the interview approximately 60-70 feet away from the railroad trestle in the woods. Toward the end of the conversation, I asked if the entity would try as hard as it possibly could to manifest a sign that it was present. If you listen carefully to this EVP, you can hear a voice saying “Fire in the hole” followed by my girlish scream.

This phrase is quite astounding to hear, and I feel that it gives us a better idea about the history of the entity that may have been present. Fire in the hole is a phrase that some speculate to have come from miners or the United States Army. The term originated many years ago and was called out to indicate the imminent detonation of explosives.

4.) Phantom sounds – During my investigation that lead to the capture of this amazing EVP recording, I heard a very distinct noise in the bushes that caused me to break and run. I would consider this incident to be my first definitive paranormal experience on the NIGHT team. As I was interviewing the entity, I started to ask more personal questions: home town, childhood, family structure, and the like. The more personal the questions became, the more I felt almost an ominous energy coming from the forest. When I finally asked it to give a physical sign that it may be present, a very strange sound started to come from the bushes. It would harsh, low, and raspy, almost like a growl that then started to pick up into a menacing, prolonged whisper. Needless to say, this being my first paranormal experience, I decided to run back to my group.

When we played the EVP back right up to the part before my rather embarrassing scream, we heard the phrase “Fire in the hole”.

Korey also reported some unusual noises at the cemetery. When Korey asked for a sign that could indicate a presence, she heard the snapping of twigs. Two birds with their necks broken were found at this location shortly thereafter.

5.) Sensations - Michelle developed the sense that any entities at the chapel had died under negative conditions. She reported that the chapel had an atmosphere of depression and longing. Any sensations our team members experienced were strongest at the railroad trestle. Peggy and Michelle indicated at the railroad trestle they felt the presence of something lost and confused.

6.) Phantom Lights - Sean and Terra decided to walk about 4 miles down the railroad track west of the river. Aside from the occasional deer and opossum sighting there wasn't much to report at first. At approximately the third mile of their trek they both spotted what looked to be two very distinctive, circular lights moving in a straight line from the north to the south side of the track. The lights disappeared about halfway across. Sean and Terra were standing about 250 feet away when they spotted the lights and hurried down the track to see if they could catch any residual energy or EVP evidence.

While nothing showed up on the meters nor a EVP recording they noted that there was no possible way it could have been any kind of light reflection from a car as there are seven foot dirt mounds that run along both sides of the track in that area. They continued walking another mile just to ensure there weren't any criss-crossing roadways. After they got back to the control area they described the lights to be similar to the glow a gas lantern would emit.

The Conclusion:

While we did encounter some very intriguing evidence that points a degree paranormal activity, we cannot definitively say that Camp Atterbury is haunted. EVP activity, phantom noises, and intense feelings of a presence certainly suggest something interesting is going on. However, we would need to mount another investigation in order to obtain harder evidence. Camp Atterbury is a very large location with numerous sites for future research, and further investigation will be necessary to determine the strong possibility of any haunting.

You can view all of the photos and EVP's for this investigation in our Camp Atterbury Gallery

If you just wish to hear the EVP's feel free to utilize the media clips below:

     

I have to note on this EVP that nearly our entire team was feet away from Sean Cary when this EVP was recorded, and no one heard a thing when this was recorded. Sean heard a very distinctive, metallic noise in his ear at the same time this was recorded and actually walked briskly over to us. James hit rewind and play on the recorder and that's when they heard the "Fire In The Hole" for the first time.