These Indiana Woods Are Home to an Abandoned River Boat Captain’s Tomb
Indiana Woods is Home to an Abandoned Tomb
Located in the woods of southern Indiana is the abandoned tomb of a riverboat captain. Captain Francis McHarry was born in 1805 and passed away in 1857. During his life, he built a vault along a hillside overlooking the Ohio River so that one day when he was laid to rest he'd still be near the river. The vault has a small window in it looking out over the river. It's said that Captain McHarry was buried standing up so he could look out the window and keep an eye on the boats on the Ohio. Hitoricphotos.wixsite.com had this to say about the vault along the river:
Before his death in 1857, the captain built a burial vault on the river. This is also when McHarry’s "anger" achieved legendary status. The tomb in which he was laid to rest was to be vertical. Some say it was so that McHarry could look out over his beloved Ohio River. Others say is was done so the captain could curse the passing riverboats as well as the bridges crossing the river.
The Vault Now Sits Empty
The vault that once housed Captain McHarry's body, is actually empty now. After being placed in the vault for some time, his remains were later moved to Cave Hill Cemetery to be interred with his wife. FindAGrave.com says:
Notorious Ohio Riverboat Captain. He had a mutual dislike for his competitors. He built a large family Vault along the steep banks of the River across from Louisville, and was interred there standing up, so he could look out the porthole of the vault and curse his river rivals.
It's said that boats passing by will sound their horn as a way to pay tribute to Captain McHarry, or as a way to ward off his curse, I guess that's for you to decide.
You can check out this great YouTube video and see what the vault looks like below.
When doing some research I believe, this vault is now on private property, so I do not recommend going out to explore this vault yourself.