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24 m) swimming pool with a three-story diving tower and motorized surfboard pulley system, and alongside of the pool, an ornate brick "pool house" with guest quarters. The solar-heated pool circulated its water through aboveground pipes that were heated in the sun and recirculated in the pool to keep the water warm.
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three women survived him. The public sale at auction of the possessions from the property did enhance the rumors of his eccentric later life. Nevertheless, the house was widely regarded as a "haunted" site well past Skiles' death in 1964 and is still recognized in the folklore and culture of
Indianapolis.
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The house itself was originally of wood-frame construction, with a full exterior façade of white opaque glass brick. Many additions to the original farm house included glass solarium/greenhouses, and numerous lightning rods on the roof. A unique feature of the Test estate was an 40-by-80-foot (12 by
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Test himself encouraged the rumors when he began burying the remains of some of his 109 pet cats in carpeted caskets under brass nameplates. After Test's death, no evidence was discovered that indicated his wife had been buried on the property, for, in fact, he had been married three times and all
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Following the death of Skiles, his heirs bequeathed the property to the City of
Indianapolis in 1974. Most of the structures remained standing but in ill repair until the Parks Department decided to demolish them all in 1978, despite public protest and interest by the
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According to local folklore, Skiles' deceased wife was embalmed in a glass coffin inside the house, surrounded by the eerie blue lights. In reality Test's wife and two ex-wives outlived him.
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In 1979 a local author named Kay Miclot selfpublished “Skiles Test and the House of Blue Lights” which was seen as "a flattering but somewhat inaccurate depiction" of Test by his nephew.
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West, Vickie J. (March 2021). Bodenhamen, David J.; Barrows, Robert Graham; Vanderstel, David Gordon (eds.).
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https://www.testfamilygenealogy.net/Narratives/Indiana/Part_1.htm
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was the name given to a house on the far northeast side of
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This article is about the house. For the 1946 song, see
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Memories of Skiles Test and the House of Blue Lights
319:Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1998.
265:Legend and Belief: Dialectics of a Folklore Genre
224:Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis
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267:. Indiana University Press: 15 November 2001.
38:, Indiana, US. Decorated year round with blue
312:. Publisher: Miclot, 1975. ASIN: B0006X4IZ4.
222:Center for Earth and Environmental Science,
310:Skiles Test and the House of Blue Lights
71:Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana
384:Reportedly haunted locations in Indiana
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399:Residential buildings in Indianapolis
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280:Indianapolis: Hoosiers' Circle City
16:House in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
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249:Indiana University Press. 1982.
25:The House of Blue Lights (album)
295:Encyclopedia of Haunted Indiana
23:. For the Don Covay album, see
21:The House of Blue Lights (song)
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317:In the House of Blue Lights.
105:Encyclopedia of Indianapolis
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174:www.testfamilygenealogy.net
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154:ancestors.familysearch.org
101:"The House Of Blue Lights"
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332:by Skiles Test's daughter
218:"Skiles Test Nature Park"
130:The House of Blue Lights
75:Skiles Test Nature Park
394:Houses in Indianapolis
360:39.86944°N 86.05000°W
247:Hoosier Folk Legends.
330:House of Blue Lights
32:House Of Blue Lights
365:39.86944; -86.05000
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293:Kobrowski, Nicole
231:on March 14, 2009.
150:"FamilySearch.org"
338:by Patricia Hicks
308:Miclot, Kay Joy.
303:978-0-9774130-2-7
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198:Missing or empty
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261:Degh, Linda
110:February 6,
378:Categories
351:86°03′00″W
348:39°52′10″N
182:2024-01-26
159:2024-01-26
135:2024-01-26
81:References
50:Background
191:cite web
44:folklore
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