Article Archives: Bumps in the Night

The Day Babe Ruth Came to Indianapolis

September 3, 2015 | by Al Hunter

All through the summer of 1946, the mighty Babe Ruth had a severe pain over his left eye that would not go away. At first he thought it was a sinus infection, then a toothache. Whatever it was, it wasn’t getting any better. It eventually caused so much pain that … Read More

Merrill’s Hi-Decker

August 27, 2015 | by Al Hunter

Summertime is closing fast and the Indiana State Fair has come and gone for another year. So I figured I’d break out one last gasp of summertime from 38th and Fall Creek that might jog a memory or two for you. Back when Elvis was blonde, the Tee Pee stood … Read More

The Angel of Oak Ridge Cemetery, Part 4

August 20, 2015 | by Al Hunter

Abraham Lincoln tomb custodian Herbert Wells Fay’s grand vision for the 1931 reconstruction of the tomb from an anecdotal historical footnote into a state-of-the-art museum was dashed by state officials. He suggested that the state did not “appreciate its Lincoln advantage.” Contrarily, the rededicated tomb turned out to be even … Read More

The Angel of Oak Ridge Cemetery, Part 3

August 13, 2015 | by Al Hunter

By the late 1920s, the Lincoln Tomb in Springfield, Illinois was literally crumbling away, threatening the largest collection of Lincolniana in the world contained within. As the reconstruction was getting underway in May 1930, the body of the President’s grandson Abraham “Jack” Lincoln II was removed from the tomb and … Read More

The Angel of Oak Ridge Cemetery, Part 1

July 30, 2015 | by Al Hunter

Sometimes things happen for a reason. I can’t explain it. Call it fate, kismet, karma, serendipity, whatever. I can’t explain it but I know enough by now not to question it. Last weekend my obliging, dutiful wife took me back to Springfield, Illinois for my birthday. Our plan was to … Read More