The Indiana Ghost Town That's Perfect For An Autumn Day Trip
By Tori Jane|Published September 12, 2021
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Tori Jane
Author
Tori Jane is a storm chaser, writer, photographer, and the village idiot - in that order. When she's not out and about dancing with the meanest storms on planet Earth for funsies she can be found wandering, shooting landscapes, writing, editing photos, and otherwise up to no good. Legend has it that she can also be occasionally spotted typing up short bios in the third person, but those rumors are unsubstantiated.
There’s just something about the autumn months that brings about an urge to explore the dark, spooky, or otherwise offbeat, and oftentimes we indulge in that need by going on ghost hunts or, in this case, awesome day trips to Indiana’s ghost towns and abandoned places. One ghost town in Indiana, in particular, is what you could consider a “living” ghost town, in the sense that there are still some folks living there and it’s incorporated into the Van Buren Township. Elkinsville is known to locals and media as “The Town That Was,” and it’s the perfect little spot to drive out to for an autumn day trip if you ask us.
Elkinsville, Indiana, was established in the mid-1800s.
The vibrant color adds to the overall experience that is a visit to old Elkinsville during this time of year. The post office - generally a good indication of whether a town is "alive" or not - operated until 1941.
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The town struggled to remain afloat for a couple of decades after that, until it was eventually evacuated using Eminent Domain to create Lake Monroe in 1964.
Today, what remains is the hollowed-out shell of a once-vibrant little place that is now at the mercy of time and the elements. Though most of the town was submerged during the creation of the lake, there are a few bits and pieces here and there that linger.
The town cemetery is still there as well, and it's a fascinating place to explore. There's a certain whimsy to reading headstones, though doing so tends to result in a piqued curiosity about the people who lived and died here once upon a time.
It's the perfect place to celebrate the arrival of sweater weather.
In some areas, you'll find old houses that are still standing, though they're not structurally sound and should not be entered for any reason. It's best to admire and/or photograph them from the outside. Besides, with the beauty of Brown County as the backdrop to this spooky old place, your photos can't go wrong!
At first glance, signs around town like this one seem to imply a much darker end to the town of Elkinsville, but ultimately, it's simply the remains of a town that used to be.
