A family of paranormal investigators will visit Crawfordsville on Friday for a meet-and-greet at the Rotary Jail Museum.
The Fourman Brothers — Josh, Rocky and Shaun — travel the country investigating and documenting the paranormal for their Paranormal Nightmare show. Episodes documenting their investigations can be viewed on their YouTube channel as well as Amazon Prime Video.
The trio will be available to meet with fans from 8-11 p.m. Friday at the Tannebaum Center, located behind the museum at 107 Spring St. The brothers will pose for photos, sign autographs, and talk with fans. During this free event, the Fourman Brothers will have some of their ghost hunting tools on display. Fourman Brothers merchandise also will be available for purchase.
Brittany Turpin, executive director for the Rotary Jail Museum, said the Fourman Brothers have a large following on social media, including Facebook and TikTok. Turpin and her staff have been fielding several calls from fans who plan to travel from neighboring states Friday to attend the event.
The paranormal investigators previously visited the museum twice to investigate and gather content for their show. The episode featuring the Rotary Jail Museum is available for viewing on the Fourman Brothers YouTube channel.
Turpin is featured in that episode discussing how the jail, which was built in 1881, was the first of 18 rotary jails to be built. It was used for 91 years before it was closed in 1973. Two years later it reopened as a museum. Today it is one of three rotary jails still in existence and the only one that is still operational.
In addition to its use as a jail, the sheriff and his family would live on site, which means many people of all ages and afflictions came through the building over the course of nine decades.
In the episode, Turpin talks about some of the losses at the jail, including the two men who were executed there in 1885 and 1886 as well as an inmate who set a fire in his cell in 1918 and caused his death from smoke inhalation. There were two other inmates who died in the drunk tank, one in the 1920s and one in the 1940s. Another inmate died in the infirmary.
Turpin said the entities that haunt the museum have caused some employees to quit.
No reservations are required for Friday’s meet-and-greet, and fans of all ages are welcome.
On Friday, the museum also will offer night tours from 8 p.m. to midnight. Cost for the tours is $10 per person.
Turpin encourages the public to attend both events Friday. She also recommends those interested in participating in separate ghost tours should visit the museum’s website at www.rotaryjailmuseum.org to find the next available tour and pricing information.
