HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
A 135-acre county infirmary site where a 1916 attic fire killed at least five residents and an estimated 300+ people lie in an unmarked potter's field — now a documented paranormal investigation site.
Old Vincennes Rd, New Albany, IN 47150
Research updated June 2026
Age
18+
Cost
Free
Site access arrangements vary; contact local paranormal groups for organized investigations
Access
Limited Access
Rural property; uneven ground and overgrown areas
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1838 · Floyd County Infirmary 1838–20th Century · 1916 Attic Fire — Five Deaths · Potter's Field — 300+ Unmarked Burials · County Institution for Destitute and Mentally Ill
Floyd County established its poor farm in 1838 on 135 acres outside New Albany, following the pattern of county-run institutions that provided food, shelter, and labor to residents deemed unable to care for themselves. The farm housed an evolving population over its decades of operation: the destitute poor, people with mental illness, Civil War veterans who had no other support, and unwed mothers whose families had rejected them.
In 1890, the Indiana State Board of Charities inspected the facility and characterized it in language that reflected the era's limited vocabulary for institutional failure — a 'depressing necessity.' Overcrowding was documented; residents lived and worked in close quarters under county oversight that varied with the political fortunes of whoever held the county infirmary superintendent's position.
In 1916, fire broke out in the wooden attic dormitory section of the main structure. At least five residents died in the blaze. The fire accelerated whatever decline the institution was already experiencing. The burial ground on the property — a potter's field — holds an estimated 300 or more individuals, most of whom have no permanent marker. Three stones mark identified graves; the rest of the field is unmarked. Paranormal investigators conducted documented sessions at the site between 2012 and 2016, recording EVPs, spirit box responses, and physical anomalies.
Sources
Investigators who worked the Floyd County Poor Farm site between 2012 and 2016 produced documented records of EVPs — electronic voice phenomena captured on audio — as well as spirit box responses and physical anomalies they attributed to the site's death history. The 1916 fire, which trapped and killed at least five residents in the attic dormitory, and the presence of an estimated 300-person unmarked potter's field provide the factual foundation for the site's paranormal reputation.
The scale and condition of the burial ground — three marked stones for potentially hundreds of burials — is itself the most significant aspect of the site for visitors. Poor farm cemeteries of this era were often minimally maintained and have in many cases been built over or lost entirely. The Floyd County field remains identifiable, which distinguishes this site from similar institutions whose burial grounds are now completely unmarked.
Media Appearances
The Floyd County Poor Farm site encompasses 135 acres including the remains of the former county infirmary, a potter's field estimated to contain 300+ unmarked burials, and structures documented by paranormal investigators between 2012 and 2016.
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