User:Primus Factum/sandbox

Frog City was a heavily guarded complex of farmhouses, outbuildings, and frog-filled ponds and swamps that became a fad for joyriding teenagers in Indianapolis between the years of 1965 and 1985. Located just beyond the northwest corner of Indianapolis, Indiana and straddling two counties, Frog City remains an obscure memory for the many teenagers who drove around its perimeter searching to get a glimpse at its unusual features. Exactly why the complex was so heavily guarded was never discovered or revealed publicly, though that didn’t deter teenagers from trying to solve the mystery.

Some of the unusual features included an Indiana State Police car with a dummy in it, always parked beside a covered bridge visible to the south of 86th Street, coils of barbed wire meant to keep people out, along with dense overgrowth meant to obstruct any view into the sprawling 100-200 acre complex, whose actual borders were impossible to tell. Some eyewitnesses remember a stuffed goat that always stood near the barn just north of 86th Street. Others recall a complicated mass of antennae on one of the buildings, giving some teenagers the impression that the farm was a cover for a much more serious operation.

Adding to the thrill were the security guards who would closely tail any group of teenagers passing through the area. Occasionally a group of teens would drive up the driveway to the main house just to trip the automatic alarm, which was sure to bring out the guards, who drove Cameros and Mustangs and were not dressed as guards but rather wore t-shirts and jeans. Next to the driveway was a large black mailbox marked “Farmer Brown Security Enterprises.”

While some teens were just happy to be out cruising (this was a time when gasoline was $0.75-$1.50/gallon), others were genuinely interested in the mysterious aspects of Frog City, such as why it was never mentioned in the newspapers, or the fact that no adult seemed to be aware of it. Even local residents, when asked, would pretend to know nothing about it.

Signs did not merely warn you to “keep out,” but bore bizarre messages such as: "CAUTION, MINEFIELD--SURVIVORS WILL BE PROSECUTED.” A group of Pike High School students were rumored to have wandered inside the perimeter and been beaten up by the guards.  Yet for the most part it remained innocent fun.  The overall strangeness never failed to fascinate, especially at night.

Rumors of the exact nature of Frog City ran the gamut, including:

•	Home of an oil company executive or another wealthy individual. •	Training facility for government security such as the FBI. •	Listening or relay post for the NORAD missile air defense. •	Hideout for organized criminals, particularly since it was not far from Lafayette Road, one of the primary older routes from Indy to Chicago.

It must be emphasized that none of the above rumors have any basis in evidence or credible testimony. Googling for clues yields only a few tantalizing bits from some people who had witnessed Frog City as teenagers.

Frog City has received some discussion on the Facebook group, Old Time Indy's Long Missed Businesses and Forgotten History, proving that Frog City was fairly well known throughout the city, somewhat similar to the House of Blue Lights, a legendary abandoned house that drew large numbers of teens.

Today the land is developed into a upscale single-family housing and can be viewed using Google Maps. The ponds and covered bridge are still visible.