New Albany shop owner accuses national ghost tour company of using story without permission

NEW ALBANY, Ind. (WDRB+WAVE) — Controversy surrounds ghost tours in southern Indiana as business owners express concerns over a national ghost tour company coming to town.

The New Albany Sugar Shoppe is one of the many places in New Albany that has reports of paranormal activity. The owner, Stevie Carper, said the shop ghost’s name is Frederick.

“Basically, Frederick was the first person to be murdered in our town. I don’t really see him so much, I feel him,” said Carper.

His story is told every year on the New Albany Wicked Walk, a locally-run ghost tour around the city.

This year, Carper said a new ghost tour has entered the picture, U.S. Ghost Adventures, a national company with tours in more than 250 cities around the country.

Carper said that company is using Frederick and the Sugar Shoppe’s story without her permission.

She said they have pictures of the shop and the shop’s logo on the company’s website promoting its ghost tours in New Albany.

“They’re making money off of me and I’m like ‘OK well why didn’t you come and talk to me about this first?’” she said.

Tim Romig runs the New Albany Wicked Walk and said he’s heard of this happening to other small towns.

“I’m friends with lots of other ghost tour people all across the country they’ve been kind of warning about this and been already having issues with this,” Romig said.

He said the company made a website called New Albany Ghost Tours about a year ago.

“When you are already filthy rich, and then this is just another one of your businesses and you’re trying to dominate it, I take issue with that, because I question your motivation,” said Romig.

On Google, it shows New Albany Ghost Tours is located at 222 State St. Carper said she went to that building and no one was there, so she reached out to the company.

“I left them a message asking them to remove my information, they got back with me they said yes we’ll get that removed’ and they have not,” she said.

The Sugar Shoppe is listed along with other famous haunted attractions in New Albany like the Culbertson Mansion.

A request for comment from U.S. Ghost Adventures has not yet been returned.

Now, Carper and Romig just want to make sure the word gets out to support local.

“Just make sure you look up who your local tour guides are,” said Carper.

If you want to find local ghost tours, you can go to the website link here.