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Author Biography
Al Hunter writes a front page story about historical figures and happenings with a ghostly twist...
Alan E. Hunter has researched, scripted and lead the Irvington Ghost Walks for the past 20 years. The tours are roughly 75 percent history and 25 percent ghost stories and folklore. These non-profit tours raise funds for the Eastside Irvington community and related charities.
Al Hunter is the author of the “Haunted Indianapolis” and co-author of the “Haunted Irvington” and “Indiana National Road” book series. His newest books are “Bumps in the Night. Stories from the Weekly View,” “Irvington Haunts. The Tour Guide,” and “The Mystery of the H.H. Holmes Collection.” Contact Al directly at Huntvault@aol.com or become a friend on Facebook.
Al Hunter’s Story Archive
The Sylvia Likens Family Saga, Part 3
The sad saga of the October 26, 1965 Sylvia Likens torture murder passed its 50th anniversary recently. Over the past two columns we’ve revisited the crime, its impact on the Likens family, and the astonishing postscript that seems to defy reality. On Mother’s Day, May 10th, Sylvia Likens’ older sister … Read More
The Sylvia Likens Family Saga, Part 2
The Likens family must have thought they were revisiting a nightmare. On Mother’s Day, May 10th, the older sister of Sylvia Likens went missing. It had been 50 years since the brutal torture slaying of 16-year-old Sylvia had lit up the headlines of newspapers all over the country. By today’s … Read More
The Sylvia Likens Family Saga, Part 1
We passed another sad milestone last week. Fifty years ago, October 26, 1965, Sylvia Likens died. Her death at the age of 16 was due to massive brain swelling and hemorrhaging in what authorities called “the most terrible crime ever committed in the state of Indiana.” Sylvia and her younger … Read More
Pat Quinlan and the Ghost of H.H. Holmes, Part 2
H.H. Holmes paid for his misdeeds with death by hanging on May 7, 1896. But his former “Murder Castle” caretaker/janitor Patrick “Pat” Quinlan would never escape his own self-made prison. When the Murder Castle caught fire in September of 1893, he was arrested with Holmes but eventually freed. Quinlan was … Read More
Pat Quinlan and the Ghost of H.H. Holmes, Part 1
As a lover of all things historical, the stories I find myself most drawn to often include the aftermath of a historical event. One such story involves an incident and personality from the pages of Irvington history. In October of 1894, America’s first serial killer, Dr. H.H. Holmes committed one … Read More