Current Weather in Indianapolis: Thunderstorms Temp: 86 F (30 C)
My Current Mood: HappyWell, I guess I try this again. After typing my entry last night, I was rudely disconnected from the Internet just as I was about to click the "post" button. So, I'm typing this offline. If it happens again, at least I will have a backup copy I can use.
It is now October, and I have been thinking of unpacking my Halloween decorations. A good friend of mine from London, England is coming to Indianapolis for a visit, and he will be here for Halloween. While I was contemplating the autumn season and Halloween yesterday and today, I started thinking once again of my childhood, of Halloween, friends, and of course our frequent childhood adventures at "The House of Blue Lights".
The house I grew up in sat up on Old Avalon Hill (the subdivision is called Avalon Hills). Avalon Hill and the area surrounding it was once owned by a business tycoon named Skiles Test. Back in the 1920's, he sold some of his land to be developed into a country club. After the club was completed it was named Hillcrest Country Club and at that time, it was one of the few country clubs on the northeast side of town. Mr.Test continued to sell small parcels of land to private individuals wishing to build homes near the country club. The house I grew up in was one of the very first homes to be built in Avalon Hills. Of course when we moved into the neighborhood in 1973, the entire area was fully developed, and even stretched north of 71st street.
Skiles Test died in 1964 but his house remained standing many years after his death. The old abandoned mansion stood deep in the woods just off Johnson Road. The building was not visible from the road and the only way to see it was to venture up the dirt path which wound far into the woods and eventually over a small creek. On the other side of the creek the path continued through yet more woods and then up a small hill. Finally, at the top of the hill the mansion became visible, looming over the landscape like something out of a Stephen King novel. Except for the narrow black trim around the windows and the green shingled roof, the house was totally white and completely encased in shiny ceramic tiles. Few people dared to venture up to the house; even fewer actually considered going inside. Only after several excusions to the property did we work up the nerve to open the front door and cautiously enter the structure.
You see, The House of Blue Lights was haunted.
The House of Blue Lights.I suppose every neighborhood in the world has a haunted house, and The House of Blue Lights was ours. Many rumors and stories surrounded the house, and since I was a typical teenager, I believed every one of them.
Supposedly, Skiles Test buried his wife in a glass coffin, surrounded her in blue lights and kept her laying in state within a secret room. We were told if we could find the secret room (hidden just off the living room or dining room) we would find the wife still laying in her coffin surrounded with the blue lights.
Another popular story was about the solar heated swimming pool. It's true. Skiles Test did have an olympic size swimming pool in the back yard. The story told of Mr. Test burying his wife under the swimming pool. (It's funny when I think about it now. Only years later did I realize the two stories about the wife actually cancel each other out. How could she be laying in state in a secret room and buried under the swimming pool at the same time?) The innocence of youth!
Other stories included Mr. Test's ghost wandering the wooded property at night to guard it from trespassers; the spirits of Mr.Test and his wife appearing in the living room mirror at midnight, especially on their wedding anniversary; blue lights mysteriously appearing in all the windows of the abandoned house late at night; the tortured screams of the undead from deep inside the cellar and underground tunnels; and unseen attacks from the "ghost cats" that reportedly wandered the cemetery in the woods.
The truth is, Mr. Test was a strange man. He was also a very kind man and gave generously to many local charities. Mr.Test was also very fond of the color blue. One year he hung blue Christmas lights all around the outside of the house. After receiving many compliments from his neighbors and friends, he decided to keep the lights up year round, and he turned them on almost every night. After his death in 1964, he was buried in Crown Hill Cemetery and his legendary house was finally torn down in the mid 1970's.
Skiles Test (1889 - 1964)Other buildings and amenities located on the Test property included a small farmhouse which served as servant's quarters (the mansion and servant's quarters were connected by an underground tunnel), a three floor cabana connected to a multi level diving board (the cabana was complete with a kitchen, bathroom and several bedrooms), an olympic size swimming pool, a cemetery (including a cemetery for his many cats), a water tower and a barn.
Today, the house and buldings are gone. Private homes now stand on part of the Test property and a local park (Skiles Test Nature Park) is also located there. Dozens of coyotes now call the park home, and their lonely howls can frequently be heard coming from the old Test property early in the evening.
On many weekends my ex-lover and I would go and hike the trails at the park, and we often referred to the area as our "Brokeback Mountain".