When you write about history (like me) it is not often that you get the chance to make an impactful announcement (or “scoop”) about an event that took place over a 125 years ago. If you’ve ever had a desire to take a walk on the darker side of Irvington history, than this article is for you. Read on . . . should you dare.
You now have the chance to spend the night in the home where America’s first serial killer, H.H. Holmes, breezed through Irvington back in October of 1894. Holmes (real name Herman Webster Mudgett) was alleged to have killed over 200 people inside his Chicago Murder Castle during the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. He committed one of his last murders inside a home now available for a sleepover. Irvingtonians Randy and Terri Patee, longtime friends of mine and dedicated supporters of the Irvington Ghost Tours, have purchased the original Holmes Cottage, located at 114 South Good Avenue, and are renting it out on airbnb for around the same price as a typical hotel room rental in Indianapolis. When checking the airbnb site, type in “Historic Irvington Home” and you can book a night or two on your own.
The three bedroom, 1674 square foot house is certain to become a “hot” property in Irvington, especially during the month of October. In October of 2017, I wrote an in-depth article on the house, which I will reprise next week for Part 2 of this series. The revelation that the Holmes Cottage was still standing came as a shock to historians, crime buffs and tour guests alike. Former Irvington Historic Society President Don Flick made the discovery and shared the details with me a few years back. Ironically, Don informed me last Thanksgiving that Randy and Terri had asked him to design a two car garage on the property, unaware of the connection.
I visited the couple at their infamous home last Friday when my wife Rhonda and I were invited over for a chat on the front porch. Randy and Terri gave us a tour of the house, now set up and ready for guests. Not only have the new owners been friends of ours for years, we were also well acquainted with the previous owners, Laurie MacGregor (who passed in March of 2018) and her daughter Sammie. As well as the owner before them, Pastor Kasey Newbold of Mosaic church, a subject of a past column. Newbold’s handiwork (he now runs his own home improvement business known as Newbold Renovations) can be seen in the home’s modernized kitchen and downstairs, which are sure to be appreciated by overnight guests in the years to come.
“We bought the house from Sammie in October of 2020 and took possession in November” said Randy. “Terri collects cars and our house (right across the street) has no garage, so we were looking for a place to store her vehicles. We can use the storage and thought it would be a nice place for parties with friends and family.” The couple have received so much interest in the home that they decided to rent it out to overnight guests. “It’s not a bed-and-breakfast,” notes Terri. “There is no food involved unless you bring your own. We have a full kitchen available for guests. But it is not a party house. It is a nice quiet house on a quiet street. This is our neighborhood too. We live here”
I visited the house in 2018 when the great-grandson of H.H. Holmes, Jeff Mudgett, flew in from Las Vegas to serve as the Grand Marshal of that year’s Halloween Festival parade. I met Jeff the year before while working on the History Channel miniseries “American Ripper,” which spotlighted the Irvington community. Jeff and I first visited the home of Steven Lacey, who owns the house around the corner where Randy and Terri’s home once stood. Mr. Lacey’s home rests on the spot of the original Holmes cottage and at the time, I was there to meet Indiana Senator Joe Donnelly and share the Holmes story with the gathering of supporters. Lacey’s home was also highlighted in the History Channel “American Ripper” series.
When Jeff came to Irvington, I offered to take him and his brother, who was also in town at the time, over to the Good Avenue house to meet Sammie and see the scene of their ancestor’s crime. After touring Mudgett around the house, we ventured upstairs to see the only remainder of that horrible episode in Irvington history: the flue pipe cover. The riveted metal plate remains firmly attached to the floor in what was at the time Sammie’s second floor bedroom. It covers the spot where the circular flue pipe once traveled from the stove in the basement, past the first floor and through the second floor before exiting out of the house via a vent jutting out of the roof.
It was in that stove where Holmes burnt the body of 10-year-old Howard Pitezel before dispersing and burying the body on the property around the house. And it was through that flue pipe that Howard’s life essence wafted up to the heavens. It was Irvington’s first murder and, because the boy’s body was never completely recovered, it remains the only active crime scene on the trail of America’s first serial killer that can still be visited today. The crime took place on the night of October 10, 1894. For you budding numerologists out there, that means the 10-year-old-boy was killed at 10 p.m. on the 10th day of the 10th month, oh and incidentally, the crime was, in part, discovered by a trio of 10-year-old Irvington boys.
During that visit, Jeff Mudgett experienced a powerful moment while in that upstairs bedroom — an intensely private moment witnessed by the few on hand that evening, including myself. Shortly after that visit, I was contacted by the producers of the “Ghost Adventures” TV show on the Travel Channel inquiring about an episode that they wanted to film inside the 114 S. Good Avenue house. I acted as the go-between and historical consultant for that episode and suggested that they bring Jeff Mudgett in for the shoot. On that episode filmed inside the home, Jeff relived his experiences and I related the history of the home to show host Zac Bagans both in the front room of the house and in the backyard. The episode, titled the H.H. Holmes Murder House, was part of their “Serial Killer Spirits” series which aired on October 5, 2019.
Last November, Randy and Terri invited me and several of our ghost tour volunteers to come out to the house for its very first investigation/exploration. Among the group were psychic medium Cindy Adkins, who also appeared in the Ghost Adventures segment, Empath Tim Poynter and intuitive Natasha Haddix. The specific details of that investigation will be revealed later by this author. Needless to say, the trio experienced many interesting events in the house, most centered around the upstairs room where the flue vent plate rests and in the basement. It remains an active house.
I have been talking about the Holmes crime for almost 20 years now on the Historic Irvington Ghost Tours. Beginning this year, every Friday and Saturday night in October at 7:00 p.m., Randy and Terri’s house will be highlighted on the tour route. It is a location worth investigating. But don’t take my word for it, see for yourself. Go to the airbnb site and book an overnight stay. October is wide open now, but won’t be for long. Whether you are a history lover, an amateur crime sleuth or just plain love a good old fashioned ghost story, you can be among the first to spend the night in this infamous Irvington house. Psst . . . feel free to sleep with the light on.
Next Week: Part 2
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.
