A Southern Indiana Haunting That Will Chill You

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.

A Century of Shoe Repair in Mooresville

For nearly a century, downtown Mooresville had a shoe repair shop at 13 North Indiana Street (then, later, at 25 West Main Street), beginning in the early 1900s.  In 1941, Ernie Marsh sold the business to John and Jennie Moore, who operated until 1948, when they sold to Leland and Orda Connell.  In 1972, the Connells sold to Ralph Reed, which opened as Dickey’s Shoe Repair (Joseph Dickey, manager) in January 1973.  In January, 1979, former Mooresville Times co-publisher John Anderson bought the shop from Dickey.  John and Shirley Anderson operated as S & J Boot Shop, moving to 25 West Main Street in 1982.  The Andersons (along with daughter Carol) retired in December 1998, closing a century of local shoe repair.

 

The photo above (ca. 1910) shows the I.O.O.F. (Odd Fellows) Building on the northeast corner of Main and Indiana Streets in downtown Mooresville.  Pleas (Pleasant) Mills operated his dry good store on the first floor, but if you went to the left (out of shot) beyond the "selz shoes" sign, you would have seen the shoe repair shop at 13 North Indiana Street.

The following newspaper clippings were used to compile the brief history (above).  Click on the images to enlarge them.

 

 

 

SOURCES:

Hillenburg, Amy, “S&J Boot Has Retirement Sale,” Mooresville-Decatur Times, December 2, 1998

Undated Photo (probably circa 1985), S & J Boot Shop at 25 West Main Street.

“Getting the Boot,” Indianapolis News, November 18, 1985.

“S & J Boot Shop Doing Shoe Prescriptions From Doctors,” Mooresville Times, April 4, 1984.

“Boot Shop To Move Soon,” Mooresville Times, 1982.

“Johnie Anderson Retires From Times, Purchases Shoe Shop,” Mooresville Times, February 22, 1979.

“Dickey’s Shoe Repair Advertisement,” Mooresville Times, January 4, 1973.

“Appreciation Advertisement,” Mooresville Times, April 13, 1972.

“Shoe Repair Shop Here Over 50 Years,” Mooresville Times, April 8, 1965.

 

A 130-Year-Old Landmark in Downtown Mooresville

One of the many tragedies of the tornado that devastated downtown Mooresville, Indiana on April 8, 2020, was the second-story collapse of the Bass Building, constructed circa 1890 on the southeast corner of the intersection of Main and Indiana Streets. (Click images to enlarge.)

The Bass Building at 3 East Main Street
after the 4/8/2020 tornado
(photograph © 2020 by Andy Hendricks)

Structural Support to the Bass Building (July 2020)

(photograph & video by William R. Buckley)

George W. Bass (1842-1924) was a Civil War veteran who moved to Mooresville in 1878. Around 1880 Bass built a single-story, wood-frame building to house his drugstore. We have a photo from about the time Bass opened for business. which shows the original structure, which was "a one-story, Greek Revival, gable-front frame building with Doric columns supporting a portico over the sidewalk," according to architectural historian Joanne Raetz Stuttgen.

(Circa 1880 photograph by J. P. Calvert,
donated to Mooresville Public Library
by Bonita Marley, October 23, 1968)

  (Circa 1885 photograph by J. P. Calvert showing East Main Street--Bass Drugstore is on the right)

 

 George W. Bass' house in Mooresville

(circa 1880 photograph by J. P. Calvert)

Around 1890, George Bass decided to upgrade his wooden structure, replacing it with a two-story brick building that has served the community for 130 years.  It was one of the oldest structures in downtown Mooresville.

The South side of East Main Street in downtown Mooresville

(Bass Drugstore is on the corner) 
(circa 1910 postcard photograph by J. P. Calvert)

1931 Photograph shows the Bass Building (far right)

when it housed Citizens Bank

(courtesy of Citizens Bank)

The Bass Building as it appeared in October 2007

(Photograph by William R. Buckley)

Compare the 1885 picture (below) with the 1920 picture (further below) to see the difference between the single-story and two-story buildings.  Both photos were taken from atop the Methodist Episcopal (M.E.) Church steeple, facing north.  Local photographers J. P. Calvert and Manley Brown took the 1885 and 1920 photos, respectively.

(1885 J. P. Calvert photograph courtesy of the
 Mooresville Times, August 8, 1974)

(Photograph by Manly Brown, 1920)

Let's add a couple of arrows to make the comparison easier.

The second floor consisted of a stage and large meeting room, which was used for town hall meetings, plays and musicals.  It was commonly called the "Mooresville opera house" around the turn of the 20th century.

The basement was the location for many businesses, including a barbershop (1890s-1920), and, most recently, a video store (2000s).

The first floor of the building was divided into two halves, which housed:

• West half:
• Bass Drugstore (1890-1920)
• First National Bank (1920-1927)
• Mooresville State Bank (1927-1930)
•  East half:
• Burch Grocery (1890s-1920)
• George Allison's Grocery (1920-1927)

 

Burch Grocery occupied the east half of

the Bass Building.  Burch used horse-drawn wagons

to delivery groceries
(circa 1908 photograph by J. P. Calvert)

Burch sold out to George Allison in 1920.

Allison operated his grocery there until 1927,

when he moved to South Indiana Street

(circa 1920 photography by Manley Brown)

Interior of George Allison's grocery

(George is standing on the right)

in the east half of the Bass Building

(early 1920s photograph)
 

In 1931, the separating wall was removed, allowing the entire first floor to be used by Citizens Bank, which operated in the Bass Building until 1966, when it was replaced by a clothing store (into the 1970s).

1931 Photograph shows the Bass Building (far right)

when it housed Citizens Bank

(courtesy of Citizens Bank)

(Below) Advertisements from the 1955-1968

Wagon Trails, Mooresville High School's yearbook

Those last three advertisements show Citizens Bank at its current location on the east side of North Indiana Street downtown.

The Bass Building has been an important part of Mooresville history for well over a century.  Restoration was not possible, but at least we can honor its place in our hometown community story.

UPDATE FALL 2022:  The Bass Building was demolished in September and October, 2022.  Learn more from this blog post.