HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
A vintage Porter County roadhouse-turned-bar-and-grill on historic Baum's Bridge Road, where a 1912 newspaper account documented an apparition of Pete Simpson — a young man who died in Montana decades before — appearing to a stranded couple at the old Simpson homestead nearby.
1092 S Baums Bridge Rd, Kouts, IN 46347
Research updated May 2026
Age
21+
Cost
$
Bar and grill pricing. No admission charge beyond food and drink. AYCE fish and prime rib every Friday.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Flat rural roadside location; paved parking.
Equipment
Photos OK
1912 encounter documented in 'The Stroller' column of the Vidette-Messenger of Porter County by William Ormond Wallace (Porter County Historian) · Verified by Kankakee Valley Historical Society (John P. Hodson) · Pete Simpson story features a rare physical trace claim (Montana green gumbo clay on lap robes)
Baums Bridge Inn occupies a roadside building on S Baums Bridge Road in Kouts, in Porter County's Pleasant Township. The Baum's Bridge Road corridor runs through the remnant Mayville area, a rural crossroads community that appears in nineteenth-century Porter County records.
The ghost story most associated with this location was preserved by William Ormond Wallace in his 'The Stroller' column published in the Vidette-Messenger of Porter County. Wallace, who served as Porter County Historian and wrote more than 700 historical columns for the paper in the 1950s and early 1960s, documented the story of a 1912 encounter near the Simpson homestead. According to his account, a couple stranded during a heavy rainstorm sought overnight shelter in the run-down Simpson place near the junction of 1050 S. and Baum's Bridge Road in the Mayville area. During the night, the apparition of a young man in 'a sort of cowboy outfit, with a broad hat' appeared between them and the fireplace, then vanished when acknowledged.
The identity of the apparition was theorized to be Pete Simpson, who had lived in the homestead with his father before the elder Simpson died in 1893. After his father's death, Pete disappeared from the area. He was later found to have died in Montana, killed along with his horse after both were washed off a mountain pass called 'Green Gumbo Hill' during a rainstorm. A notable detail: soft green clay — matching the 'green gumbo' soil type specific to that Montana terrain — was reportedly found on the stranded couple's lap robes after their encounter, suggesting the apparition left a physical trace.
The account was verified through John P. Hodson of the Kankakee Valley Historical Society, who confirmed the locations and period residents mentioned by Wallace. Baums Bridge Inn today operates as a popular local bar and grill, carrying the area's historical and folkloric identity.
Sources
William Ormond Wallace documented the encounter in 'The Stroller,' his column in the Vidette-Messenger of Porter County. The incident itself occurred in 1912: a couple caught in a heavy rainstorm sought shelter overnight in the run-down Simpson homestead near the junction of 1050 S. and Baum's Bridge Road in the Mayville area. During the night, a figure appeared between them and the fireplace, described as wearing 'a sort of cowboy outfit, with a broad hat.' When spoken to or acknowledged, the figure vanished.
Local knowledge identified the apparition as Pete Simpson. Pete had lived at the homestead with his father until 1893, when his father died. Shortly after, Pete left Indiana and eventually made his way west. He was later found to have died in Montana — both he and his horse washed off a mountain pass known locally as 'Green Gumbo Hill' during a heavy rainstorm.
The detail that gave the story its lasting credibility: the morning after the encounter, the stranded couple's lap robes were found covered in a distinctive soft green clay. Wallace and Hodson of the Kankakee Valley Historical Society confirmed that this 'green gumbo' clay is a specific soil type native to the Montana pass where Pete and his horse died — not found in Indiana. The inference drawn by contemporary readers was that Pete's ghost had left a trace of the place he died.
The legend has circulated in the Kouts and Porter County area since the early twentieth century. Baums Bridge Inn's location in the same road corridor has made it the focal point for visitors seeking the area's paranormal heritage.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Have a meal or drinks at this Porter County institution, whose surroundings are tied to a ghost story documented in a 1912 newspaper column. The original Simpson homestead was in the Mayville area nearby; the inn itself carries the local reputation of the apparition legend.
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