In Madison, Indiana, Doretta Johnson and her family moved into a 4,100-square-foot dwelling in 1987. There was a large main house along with a motel wing on two acres of land. The asking price was $59,900. For the late 1980s, that was unbelievably cheap. Soon after moving in, they discovered the reason: the property was haunted by something paranormal--and terrifying.
At first, there were just a series
of strange events. Fresh paint bubbled and ran down walls. New
wallpaper would not stick. A fireplace stain returned shortly after it
had been sandblasted clean. These incidents could have been ordinarily explained readily enough.
Then much more bizarre and threatening things happened. Objects levitated. Shadowy apparitions abounded. Writing mysteriously appeared on walls. Horrifying noises clamored about. Spontaneous fires erupted. Family members were violently attacked, both physically and psychologically. It must have been unimaginably scary.
Along with Jim Henderson, Doretta Johnson published a book in 1995 describing her family's suffering from malicious unseen forces. Our book trailer below elaborates.
MPL Book Trailer #691
The People in the Attic, by Doretta Johnson with Jim Henderson
Full-blown haunted house tales like this are unusual but not altogether rare. Since the mid-1960s, paranormal investigation has been popularized (and sensationalized) by nonfiction accounts, novels, movies, and television programs (especially since 1987, when the Johnson haunting started). People are becoming less reticent in sharing their ghostly encounters. What was once relegated to folklore has become somewhat respectable in certain parapsychological circles. Academics as well as ordinary folks seriously examine such cases. Spiritualists have been experts in the field for over 150 years.
Assuming the authors to be trustworthy--I have no reason to think otherwise--this haunted house tale is truly chilling. You may not believe that it happened--in which case, consider it a striking work of horror fiction--but for those more open-minded, there is at least something going on here that invites careful study. Of course, more than 30 years have passed since these events purportedly transpired, so perhaps it is too late for further investigation. Such cases are not uncommon, however, and opportunities for "ghost hunters" to examine the paranormal close-up will doubtlessly present themselves now and in the future. For myself, I would not have wanted to have experienced what Doretta Johnson's family lived through, whatever the cause. But, from the safety of my armchair, it makes a marvelously spooky read.
Gene Hayes received his pharmacist degree from Butler University in 1938. Mr. Hayes served as a pharmacy officer at the Eighth General Hospital, New Caledonia, in the South Pacific theater during World War II, where he met his wife, who was a nurse in the same unit. After the war, he returned to his pharmacist position in a Martinsville, Indiana drugstore.
Gene Hayes in his pharmacy
Mooresville Times
Thursday, May 20, 1965
(click images to enlarge)
In 1947 Mr. Hayes opened Hayes Pharmacy at 6 West Main Street in downtown Mooresville. He had purchased Cooper Drugstore at that location. A. R. Cooper, Jr. (Al) and Fred Cooper, along with their father, A. R. Cooper, Sr., had constructed the L-shaped building at 6 West Main Street (circa 1906) and operated their pharmacy there until selling out to Mr. Hayes. (The Cooper brothers had taken over the business from their father, who retired in 1916.)
Al & Fred Cooper Take Over the Firm
Mooresville Monitor, February 10, 1916
Advertisement from The 'Levenite,
Mooresville High School Yearbook (1911)
Like the Coopers before him, Mr. Hayes originally kept most merchandise behind the counter to be retrieved by sales staff upon customer request. By the late 1950s, most items were displayed "self-service, on the floor" for customers to pickup while browsing, and then they would pay at the cashier. Pharmaceuticals, of course, were always kept behind the counter in a secure area at the rear of the store.
During the 1950s, Hayes Pharmacy featured a soda fountain, which quickly became a popular teen hangout.
Advertisement from 1959 Wagon Trails
(Mooresville High School Yearbook)
Advertisement from 1958 Wagon Trails
(Mooresville High School Yearbook)
In the 1950s, downtown Mooresville sported three full-service soda fountains, as the video (below) explains.
Grandpa Billy Bob's Mooresville History
Super Fun Quiz #7,
by Mooresville Public Library
Hayes' Mooresville store was remodelled in 1956 (see below).
Staff at Hayes Pharmacy
(Advertisement from the Mooresville Times,
Thursday, November 15, 1956, page 8)
Hayes Drugstore's New Look
Mooresville Times
Thursday, November 15, 1956
Martha & Ray outside 6 West Main Street in Downtown Mooresville (formerly Hayes Pharmacy [1947-1965], now Ralph & Ava's Restaurant), holding a gatefold advertisement of Hayes Pharmacy from the 1959 Wagon Trails (Mooresville High School Yearbook) (Photos September 2, 2021 by William R. Buckley)
The Hayes' children, Martha and Ray, both worked in the family business while growing up in Mooresville (their home was located on Carter Street). While in high school, Martha was paid $1 per hour, which was a decent wage for part-time student employees in the early 1960s. Ray and Martha fondly remembered the soda fountain, as well as the nickel Coca-Cola bottles dispensed from a vending machine after the soda fountain had been removed. They also recalled the large clock with a marble face, which was situated at the back of the store, and which is now housed in the Academy School building on the Newby Campus in Mooresville.
Mr. & Mrs. Hayes Outside the Pharmacy
(Undated Photo from Ray Hayes)
Ray recounted a couple of humorous incidents that occurred while he worked at the store. There was a huge safe kept in the rear area, which was equipped with a tear gas canister that would discharge if anyone attempted to break into the safe. One day the canister fell to the floor and ruptured, filling the building with tear gas. Everyone had to be immediately evacuated until the gas was cleared.
Mortar & Pestle from Hayes Pharmacy
(2021 Photo by Ray Hayes)
Medicine Bottles from Hayes Pharmacy
(2021 Photo by Ray Hayes)
During the mid-1960s, Ray was working the counter when an extremely inebriated customer entered, demanding to purchase liquor. Ray patiently explained that the store did not stock alcoholic beverages, but the customer was insistent. Finally, the aggravated customer blurted out, "What the [expletive] kind of store is this?" Unperturbed, Ray replied, "This is a pharmacy, sir. We sell prescription medicines." The intoxicated customer reflected upon this for a moment, then stated, "Well, gimme some rubbing alcohol, then." Ray looked over to the pharmacist on duty, who had been laughing quietly but was now waving his hands wildly. (Rubbing alcohol can be fatal if ingested.) Ray explained that he didn't have any bottles of rubbing alcohol available, and the customer stumbled away into the night.
Barometer from Hayes Pharmacy
(2021 Photo by Ray Hayes)
Pharmaceutical Scales from Hayes Pharmacy
(2021 Photo by Ray Hayes)
Martha cherished her working experience at the store. "We learned the value of a dollar by working there, and we knew how to make change, something many young people today don't seem to be able to do," she quipped.
Hayes Drugstore featured in the
advertisement section of the
1959 Wagon Trails
(Mooresville High School Yearbook)
Hayes Drugs as shown in the
1964 Wagon Trails
(Mooresville High School Yearbook)
By 1965, competition from large pharmacy chain stores impinged upon the Hayes customer base. As fewer prescriptions were being filled, Mr. Hayes made the difficult decision to close the Mooresville location and concentrate upon his Martinsville store. The new owners, Norman Richhart, Jr., Gerald Richhart, and Chester Freeland, moved the business to the shopping center (built in 1965) at Monroe and Carlisle Streets on the northwest side of Mooresville, across from the Dog-N-Suds drive-in restaurant.
Hayes Pharmacy Sold
Mooresville Times,
August 12, 1965
Hayes Pharmacy in Martinsville
Martinsville Daily Reporter,
Thursday, April 8, 1965
Martha reflected upon her family's business in the bygone days of local "mom-and-pop" establishments. "You could find everything you needed in Mooresville at the many friendly businesses here," she explained. "It was a great little town to grow up in. People were very supportive of local business. Your customers were your neighbors--people you knew well and liked." It was an idyllic time for many "baby-boomers," and we salute the Hayes family and their entrepreneurial skill and commitment to making their community a better place.
