An Indy Kid’s Rite of Passage…. Visiting “Podunk”

In every city within every state, there are teenage rites of passage. In central Indiana or “Indy” as we Hoosiers call it; there are things most of us did that catapulted us from kids into full-fledged, hormone infested teenagers. One of those activities was, and still is, taking a drive through “Podunk”.

There is folklore and crazy stories galore about this place and I’d like to begin by dispelling many of those myths and old wives tales. First of all, “Podunk” is not actually a real place in Indiana. You’ll not find it on any map, though just about any person from their teens through their fifties could tell you where this place is and warn you of the dangers involved in venturing there.

“Podunk” is actually near Brown County, Indiana, though many actually visit a small town near Bargersville with old dirt roads, dilapidated homes and spray-painted barns warning that “trespassers will be shot.” The “Podunk” near Brown County lies in the far northern part of the Morgan Monroe state forest. The folklore behind this area of land goes back to the early Colonial settlers who were rumored to have avoided settling in this area for superstitious reasons which to this day, remain unknown.

The stories surrounding “Podunk” are enough to bring teens around in droves…. Satanism, animal sacrifices, a haunted mansion…