BATTLEFIELDS, CEMETERIES, AND CHURCHES
Along the nation’s highways and byways are places where the dead are more likely to roam. No matter what state, there are historical places that speak of the past as a time where hundreds, thousands of soldiers perished during the many big and small battles fought or of a graveyard or cemetery where the bodies of the dead lay for all eternity. Even those places of worship where people celebrated life, and mourned death, hold ghosts that will not rest.
Historical places carry with them the spirits of those who lost their lives, whether in accidents, wars, or natural causes, but are said to be especially haunted because often, the deaths were tragic and in larger numbers. Yet, isn’t all death tragic, not just to the victim but to those who loved him or her? Even one death can bring with it a ghostly presence that lives on.
Some of the most haunted locations in existence are reminders of those who lived and died in the past, whether two hundred years ago or ten years ago, and how they continue to affect the present and the future.
HAUNTED BATTLEFIELDS
Battlefields bring to mind a vision of brave soldiers fighting for a mighty cause, even freedom or to vanquish a powerful enemy. Because they are places where so many die, it is only natural that those who live near them, or like to visit them, report ghosts of dead soldiers, often dressed in the proper uniform. Some are even said to be going through the motions as if the war they once fought continues on in another dimension of reality. Perhaps these are places where time is caught in a loop and history is doomed to repeat itself over and over for anyone lucky, or unlucky, enough to witness it.
On September 17, 1862, the Civil War came to Antietam Creek in western Maryland. Even though this particular battle lasted about four hours, the loss of life was astronomical, with twenty-three thousand men killed or missing in action. In fact, the small road where the battle took place was later called Bloody Lane to commemorate the massive number of dead. Some of the worst bloodshed occurred on a 1.6-mile (2.6-kilometer) stretch called the Cornfield Trail, were as many as eight thousand soldiers where killed or wounded during a barrage of artillery fire, attacks, and counterattacks. In fact, it was at the Cornfield Trail that the Confederate Army had its biggest number of dead and wounded for any of the Civil War battles.
The entire battlefield is said to be haunted by spectral soldiers and the sounds of gunfire, but one of the most haunted areas is the Burnside Bridge, where Union soldiers under the guidance of Ambrose Burnside pushed the Confederate Army back. It was also the unfortunate burial place for the bodies of the dead, left in shallow, unmarked graves. Nearby, the St. Paul Episcopal Church was used as the Confederates’ makeshift hospital and is now said to be haunted by those who perished there. A local legend claims the church floors were so stained in blood, not even sandpaper can remove it. An 8-mile (13-kilometer) tour of the area is available to tourists, and a visitor center offers a background to the history of this famous field.
The name of the battle depends on which side you were on. In the Union north, the battle was Antietam, named after the creek. In the Confederate south, it was called Sharpsburg, which was the nearest town. The nearby Antietam National Cemetery is home to over 4,700 Union soldiers who were buried elsewhere initially, then reinterred here, and the entire battlefield became part of the National Park Service in 1933.
CHICKAMAUGA
The Chickamauga Battlefield in northern Georgia was home to a bloody Civil War victory for the Confederate Army, but the losses totaled more than thirty thousand soldiers. The word Chickamauga is Cherokee for “river of death,” and Native Americans in the area believed it to be cursed.
During the Civil War, the battlefield saw action on September 19–20, 1863, that resulted in the second-highest body count of the war (second only to Gettysburg Battlefield). The Confederate Army would be victorious but not before over thirty-four thousand soldiers on both sides lost their lives either from the battle itself or from sickness.
Yet, this area’s history continued with the Spanish–American War of 1898. The battlefield area was home to over seventy thousand soldiers, and many of them eventually became sick and died from typhoid fever and malaria, according to some reports. Yet, some claim the men died from unsanitary conditions and food or from their battle wounds.
Civil War-era cannons stand like silent sentinels among tombstones and memorials scattered across the Chicamauga Battlefield, where about four thousand Union and Confederate soldiers lost their lives and over twenty thousand were wounded.
Regardless of how they died, the high body count would no doubt spawn many stories of paranormal phenomena in the area. The local Cherokee believed a Sasquatch roamed the area and may have been the foundation for a popular urban legend: Old Green Eyes. After the end of the battles in September 1863, two women walking the battlefield claimed to have been approached by a tall humanoid creature with fangs, light hair, a protruding jaw, and two green, glowing eyes. As the legend grew, Old Green Eyes became a shape-shifter, as influenced by Native American lore.
Another popular ghost is the Lady in White, who wanders around in her wedding gown searching for her beloved. Add to this the ongoing reports of phantom battle sounds, sights, and even the haunting music of the fife and drum bands that once played their victory songs, and this battlefield is as active today with the spirits of the dead as it was in the past with the armies of the living.
COLD HARBOR BATTLEFIELD
The spirits of dead soldiers roam this battlefield in Mechanicsville, Virginia. This battlefield is the home of one of the country’s bloodiest battles, the Overland Campaign of Union Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant. The entire strategic battle included a number of raids and grisly skirmishes and lasted from May 31 to June 12, 1864. Though Grant’s army totaled over 109,000 soldiers to Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s fifty-nine thousand, there was massive bloodshed on both sides thanks to clever defensive and offensive moves.
One of the bloodiest days occurred on June 3, when Grant got a little too eager and sent his men into battle unprepared. Seven thousand soldiers died. Eventually, the Confederate Army under Lee was victorious here but not without first losing five thousand men. Grant’s losses were close to thirteen thousand. Today, the ghosts of the dead haunt the battlefield, often appearing in a dense mist that comes out of nowhere and is accompanied by the sounds of phantom cannon fire. Local newspapers often report ghostly sights and sounds from the battlefield, such as men screaming, gunfire, and the distinct scent of gunpowder.
The Garthright House, a family home, was used as a makeshift hospital on the grounds, and the young daughter is said to haunt the building along with some of the ninety-seven soldiers who died there and were buried under the front lawn.
GETTYSBURG—THE MOST HAUNTED BATTLEFIELD IN AMERICA
It is known as the most famous battle of the Civil War and certainly one of the bloodiest. From July 1–3, in 1863, the small town in southeastern Pennsylvania was home to the one battle most considered the vital turning point for the Union soldiers during the Civil War. But the price paid in suffering was tremendous for the approximately 163,000 Union and Confederate soldiers. The Battle of Gettysburg took the lives of tens of thousands of men and injured thousands more, so it only makes sense that this location is considered one of the most haunted historical places in the United States. Nothing compares to over 140 years’ worth of reports of ghost soldiers moving about on the battlefield that continue even to this day, making Gettysburg one of the hottest paranormal hot spots in the country and favorite tourist destinations for those who love history.
Other witnesses report seeing flags waving across the battlefield at the National Military Park and headless horsemen that ride out from the shadows. In fact, there is even a ghostly legend involving just how the Union succeeded in battle … involving the ghost of a very famous historical figure himself. Legend has it that members of the 20th Maine Division were guided up the Little Round Top by a uniformed man riding a white horse. The man’s uniform looked old-fashioned, and he was believed to have been the ghost of George Washington helping the Union soldiers to flank the Confederate Army and thus win the battle. The strange man was given the nickname the “Phantom on Horseback,” and the men who saw him said he emitted an otherworldly “glow.”
Other hot spots are the Devil’s Den and Plum Run, where ghostly figures interact with witnesses as if the war were still raging. Devil’s Den was the spot where Confederate sharpshooters hid behind an outcropping of rock, and visitors today often report seeing the “Phantom of Devil’s Den,” a rag-clothed man who appears out of thin air and says “What you’re looking for is over there” before vanishing again.
A memorial stands on the spot dedicated to the address President Lincoln gave at the Gettysburg battlefield, one of the most costly and horrific battles ever fought in history. Today, it is said to be one of the most haunted places in the United States.
The sounds of soldiers talking quietly, and even yelling the word “Charge!”, have been reported on electronic voice phenomena (EVP) recordings used by paranormal enthusiasts who have visited the site.
It isn’t just the battlefield that is filled with ghostly activity but buildings nearby, including the Daniel Lady Farm that once served as the makeshift Confederate hospital. This hospital was where severely injured soldiers came to recover, and many died of their wounds. The suffering here alone was immense, and some witnesses claim the area is haunted by General Isaac Ewell and his corps of ten thousand soldiers.
Stories abound of the hauntings associated with Gettysburg, including ghostly apparitions, objects that move on their own, and strange sounds and lights at the nearby Gettysburg Hotel and the Baladerry Inn. The ghost of a dancing woman haunts the Gettysburg Hotel ballroom, dancing to music only she can hear. Baladerry Inn boasts amazing views of the countryside and also once served as a Union field hospital. The owner and visitors claim to have experienced encounters with the spirits of Confederate soldiers buried beneath a tennis court as well as soldiers who died at the hospital.
One story involves a shop in the historic George House, where the body of Union Major General John F. Reynolds was said to lay in state after he was killed on July 1 during the battle. Two women window shopping late one evening stopped to peer through the window of a craft shop and saw a woman in mourning black keeping vigil over a man on a cot. The room itself was empty except for the cot and the rocking chair the woman sat in. When the two women returned the next day, the shop was back to normal, filled with crafts. There was no woman in black or man on a cot, not even mannequins or statues. But the shopkeeper did confirm that a door they saw in the empty room existed, now covered by a large pegboard.
The Cashtown Inn, eight miles west of Gettysburg, is said to be the spot where the first soldier died during the battle, and the owners claim to have experienced a host of bizarre activity, including knocking on doors, lights going on and off, orbs and skeletons appearing and vanishing, doors opening and closing, and spirits walking the premises, some of which they claim were caught on camera.
There are numerous tours of the entire area, including the Ghost Train, which takes visitors on a ninety-minute ride across the actual Gettysburg Battlefield. Often tourists experience a variety of sights, sounds, and even smells, such as cigar smoke, that can only be attributed to those who came before us, the ghosts of the past who continue to remind us of the costs of war.
MANASSAS NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD
Manassas National Battlefield Park is a popular hiking spot in Prince William County, Virginia. Just forty-five minutes from Washington, D.C., this battlefield was the home of two major Civil War battles between 1861 and 1862: the First Battle of Bull Run in July 1861 and the Second Battle of Bull Run in August 1862.
Today, park rangers and visitors alike report seeing the lights of houses where there aren’t any and smelling black powder. Cold spots are common around the battlefield. But the spookiest activity is the appearance around dusk of soldiers wearing red pantaloons, white leggings, and sleeping caps. The phantom men move near the woods on the park’s western end and are attributed by locals as the 5th New York Zouave regiment that fought in the Second Battle of Bull Run.
STONY POINT BATTLEFIELD
In Rockland County, New York, about forty-five minutes north of Manhattan, the Stony Point Battlefield is the location of a surprise attack during the Revolutionary War that was incredibly successful for our side. In July 1770, General Anthony Wayne, also known as General “Mad Anthony” Wayne, led the American Corps of Light Infantry into a surprise, thirty-three-minute, midnight attack that had the British forces so unprepared, they couldn’t get their cannons loaded in time to fire them. The British were captured on-site, and the Continental Army was later able to cross the Hudson River without resistance to achieve victory over the British.
Despite there never being any cannon fire in this battle, those who visit the historic location today report hearing the sound of cannon fire! Nearby is another haunted location—the Stony Point Lighthouse, which is the oldest extant lighthouse on the Hudson River. It was built in 1926 and continued to operate for ninety-nine years before the light was replaced by an automated beacon. To this day, people roaming around by the lighthouse report hearing the moans of someone in pain nearby as well as the echo of gunfire and the boom of a cannon.
INTERNATIONAL BATTLEFIELDS
War happens all over the world. Here are some of the notorious haunted battlefields in other countries.
CULLODEN MOOR
The Battle of Culloden in Scotland was fought on April 16, 1746. The bloody rebellion of Jacobite soldiers was motivated by the desire to return the Stuarts to the throne, but they were vastly outnumbered. Within forty minutes, the entire Bonnie Prince Charlie’s army was dead, either exhausted from the long days of marching back to England or by the government forces that charged them at their weakest.
Those lucky enough to escape the initial artillery fire from government forces fell on the enemy frontlines, especially when the government army utilized a new type of attack called the “highland charge.” Enemy soldiers stabbed the Highlanders with swords and bayonets in a manner that pierced the Scottish Army’s sword arms, which were unprotected. Anyone who survived that was subsequently slaughtered. Bonnie Prince Charlie was able to evade death and escape to Italy, never to return to his homeland.
Those who visit the site hear the cries of the wounded, the clank and crash of steel weapons, and visually witness the ghosts of the dead soldiers rise and fight, then vanish. Locals say birds living in trees near the battlefield refuse to sing during the times the soldiers appear.
PASSCHENDAELE
The Battle of Passchendaele in Belgium was fought during World War I. Through heavy rains and thick mud, the Germans fought the British and their allies from Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and Australia. The Germans were hit from all sides with thousands of guns and shells, and a one-mile area was riddled with a million shell holes. Approximately four hundred thousand soldiers died on both sides during the difficult and physically brutal battle. To get over the mud, wooden slats were placed on the ground, but they often became death traps themselves due to the slippery wood. Many soldiers fell to their deaths through the slats.
Carnations lay at a memorial dedicated to the Battle of Stalingrad in what is now the city of Volgograd, Russia. The successful resistance against the Nazis by the Russians turned the tide of World War II, though at a huge cost of human life.
Those who visit the battlefield claim to hear the sounds of gunfire and men shouting and screaming.
THE BATTLE OF STALINGRAD
The city once known as Stalingrad is now Volgograd in Russia. Those who live there understand the magnitude of what happened on the battlefield there during World War II and, in fact, refer to it as the “mother of all battles.” From August 1942 to February 1943, battle raged on and resulted in the deaths of one million Soviet soldiers, eight hundred thousand German, Romanian, and Italian Axis troops, and over five hundred thousand civilians. This battle was considered a watershed event in the war because it was the final major defeat of Nazi Germany. Many of the dead still rest on the same ground where they were slain, and bodies are still being dug up to this day.
The entire city is a memorial to the past and the massive numbers of dead, many of whom roam the city as ghostly figures. In fact, locals say some entire neighborhoods are considered haunted by the soldiers and civilians who laid down their lives there so long ago.
STONEY CREEK
During the War of 1812, Ontario, Canada, was home to the Battle of Stoney Creek and a woman by the name of Mary Jones Gage, who lived with her family in town. Her husband died during the American Revolution. In 1813, an invading American army invaded her town, and troops entered her home to demand it as their new headquarters. The family hid in their basement as the Battle of Stoney Creek broke out the very next day. Though Mary died later in 1841, her ghost is said to haunt Stoney Creek even today along with the spirits of dead soldiers.
Known as the “Wars of the Roses,” the battlefield at Towton in 1461 resulted in over thirty thousand dead, perhaps because of a massive snowstorm that made it even more difficult to survive and hide from enemy fire. Every seven years, Towton experiences a similar blizzard, and those who dare to walk onto the battlefield during the storm can witness the two sides in battle for several hours. Then, for the next seven years, there is no activity, as if the soldiers who died are caught in a loop doomed to repeat history for eternity.
FORTS AND BARRACKS
Forts were used during wartime as outposts, observation points, and to secure an area from outside invaders or at least deter them. Just as many battlefields are said to be haunted by the suffering and death of the past, there are forts that make the same claims.
FORT MEIGS
During the War of 1812, General William Henry Harrison established this fort south of Toledo, Ohio, to defend against British attack. The fort provided secure protection for about a year before it was eventually burned down. Harrison would go on to be president of the United States (though only briefly because he died of pneumonia), and the ghosts of the dead would live on in the sound of cannon and musket fire, fife and drums, and mysterious footsteps, sometimes accompanied by apparitions. Perhaps the ghosts of the over five hundred soldiers buried nearby and beneath the fort now roam around the grounds, trying to find their way to the light. The fort was rebuilt and opened to the public for tours in 1974.
FORT WARREN
Located on George’s Island outside of Boston, Massachusetts, this massive fort was built to withstand just about any force of man or nature. It has a long history and was once used to imprison Confederate soldiers in the Civil War. It is most known for the ghost of Melanie Lanier, known as the “Lady in Black,” who was captured and denounced as a spy after she accidentally killed her husband, a Confederate soldier imprisoned there during a rescue attempt. She was hanged within the fortress, and her ghost is seen to this day dressed in a black mourning cloak, roaming the grounds or leaving footsteps in the snow outside the fort. Sometimes, her sad cries are heard echoing through the hallways.
FORT FISHER
By December 1864, the Civil War had raged on for three years, and thousands of soldiers died or were wounded in battle. Fort Fisher was just south of Wilmington, North Carolina, and was considered the only remaining stronghold keeping the Confederate Army equipped by protecting the only open port allowing seafaring trade from Britain and Europe. Eventually, the fort would fall to the U.S. Navy under Admiral David Porter, who led a twenty-day bombardment of the fort, resulting in two thousand men dead inside trying to defend themselves. Today, there is little left of the fort, but you can walk through the remains, and some say if you stand on the parapets, you can see the skeletons of the dead blockade runners under the surface of the ocean. Visitors also report the ghost of a Confederate officer looking out to sea and hear footsteps along the wooden walkway when no one is around.
Confederate soldiers stand guard at a damaged gun. The Civil War was almost over when this photo was taken in 1865.
FORT CONCHO
This San Angelo, Texas, outpost was built in 1867 to protect early settlers. For over twenty years, it was served by historical names such as Pecos Bill and William Shafter and is now a historical landmark as both a location for a number of important battles and as the place where soldiers stopped the illegal profiteering between Mexican and American traders known as the Comanchero Movement.
Among the ghosts said to haunt this fort are James Cunningham, George Dunbar, and Ranald MacKenzie, who was considered the fort’s most well-known commander. His ghost is said to haunt the fort’s Officers Row, where he lived. Other spirits include a twelve-year-old girl named Edith Grierson.
FORT WILLIAM HENRY
New York’s Lake George area was home to Fort William Henry, used during the French and Indian War. It was here that a massacre occurred between Indian and British soldiers, and the grounds are now said to be haunted by their restless spirits. Visitors to the site also report the sound of footsteps, and wind chimes, even when the air is still.
DRUM BARRACKS
Many people have no idea that the state of California was involved in the Civil War. The Drum Barracks, a five-company post established in 1862 at Wilmington and originally called Camp San Pedro, was later named Camp Drum in honor of Lieutenant Colonel Richard Drum, an adjutant general of the Department of California. The barracks were situated on 60 acres (24 hectares) of land, with another 37 acres (15 hectares) near the harbor, and was built to house over five hundred soldiers and three hundred horses. It became the main post for staging, supplies, and training for the Southwest’s military operations, and over seventeen thousand soldiers came through the barracks on their way to fight in the Civil War for the Union.
The actual post was decommissioned in 1871, but the hospital on-site stayed open another two years to tend to the wounded soldiers. After it closed, the land was auctioned off, and only a few of the original buildings remained. The post was open to the public in 1987 as the Drum Barracks Civil War Museum, and many visitors report paranormal activity in the old building, such as the sound of chains being dragged, phantom noises, and footsteps when no one is there. Some visitors and staff claim to have seen the ghost of a woman known as “Maria” who wears a hoop skirt and smells strongly of lavender and violet perfume. Others report the apparition of a man in an 1800s soldier’s uniform smoking a pipe, the smell of which fills the museum.
CEMETERIES
The sheer number of cemeteries reported to be haunted in this country alone could fill several books. The places we bury our dead are no doubt ripe with spirits who refuse to stay buried, at least in nonphysical form. While some people wonder why a ghost would want to haunt the place its body is buried and not somewhere fun and happy, others suggest that a graveyard is the natural portal between the dead and the living because it is the final resting place form that spirit took in life. If you want your spirit to stay settled, you might consider cremation.
California’s Anaheim Cemetery boasts being the oldest public cemetery in Orange County, located between San Diego County to the south and Los Angeles County to the north. Established in 1866 and called “God’s Acre,” the original settlers to the area are buried there along with their many descendants. In 2002, the Orange County Historical Commission officially recognized the cemetery as a historical site. The first mausoleum in the state was erected here in 1914. Today, the cemetery is said to be haunted by its own “Lady in White” and other ghostly apparitions that appear at night and vanish at the first sign of dawn.
Not too far away, the Yorba Cemetery in Yorba Linda, California, is home to a ghost called the “Pink Lady,” described as a seventeen-year-old girl dressed in a pretty, pink gown. She is usually crying and may be the ghost of a girl who died in 1910 in a horse and buggy accident. Other locals believe she is the ghost of Alvina de Los Reyes, who died of pneumonia. The cemetery was opened back in 1834 and boasts other ghosts thanks to its long history. The gates were officially closed in 1939, but today, there are public tours available through the grounds.
BACHELOR’S GROVE
In Midlothian, Illinois, there is a small, abandoned, and desolate cemetery that is strangely named for the number of single men in the Chicago suburb. Though no one has been buried there since the early 1960s, the site now serves as a meeting place for people practicing voodoo and Satanism. But nothing rivals the ghosts, including those of murder victims dumped by gangsters on-site in the 1920s. Other ghostly presences include a farmer with his horse and plow; a White Lady, who may have been buried at the gravesite; and even a phantom farmhouse that appears out of nowhere with swinging lights on the front porch. The farmhouse disappears if anyone approaches it. Phantom cars can be seen and heard on the roads around the cemetery, and the ghost of a woman is often reported sitting on the tombstones.
BONAVENTURE CEMETERY
Savannah, Georgia, is a city with a reputation for being haunted, so it’s only natural they have a cemetery of their own with the strange and eerie ghost of a little girl named Gracie Watson, who died of pneumonia and was buried on the grounds. Not only is little Gracie’s ghost seen walking among the tombstones, but a statue by her own grave is said to cry tears of blood. The lush cemetery is filled with eye-catching monuments, and Gracie’s statue sits behind an iron fence. She is carved beautifully, with her right hand placed upon a tree stump marker.
With its dense tree and ground cover, historic Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia, conveys the perfect spooky atmosphere for ghosts.
Gracie’s story is a creepy one indeed. She was the daughter of Wales and Margaret Frances Watson, who managed the lavish Pulaski Hotel in the 1880s. They threw huge parties for society folks, and Gracie would charm the guests with her presence, acting as a little hostess. She would often steal away from the parties to play beneath a back stairwell, and guests would delight in asking “Where’s Gracie?” when the hour was getting late.
Just before Easter of 1889, little Gracie died of pneumonia. Her distraught parents claimed they could still hear her playing behind the stairwell. The couple eventually moved to another hotel to manage and to escape their sorrowful memories, but those working at the Pulaski Hotel continued to hear Gracie playing, and some reported the sounds of moaning and metal clanging in the basement. To honor his daughter, Wales hired a sculptor named John Walz to carve out her likeness, which became her grave marker. Her ghost not only haunts her gravesite and the Pulaski Hotel but also the new building where the hotel was before being demolished in 1957. Gracie is seen peering out the windows and even playing in the nearby public Johnson Square.
Known as “America’s Finest City,” San Diego is home to many haunted locations, including the El Campo Santo Cemetery in the famed Old Town historical district. Built in 1849, it was in use until 1880 and was originally a Catholic cemetery. As the city grew, the living decided the graves could be moved or built over to make room for progress, and a horse-drawn streetcar later drove right over eighteen graves. Today, only a little over four hundred of the original graves that were not moved or paved over remain, and the cemetery is a quick few blocks’ walk away from another major San Diego haunted locale—The Whaley House.
Those who walk near the old cemetery report cold spots and cars refusing to start from the adjoining parking lot. The ghosts of a former gravedigger and a young boy who appears to be confused show up to some lucky—or unlucky—witnesses.
HOWARD STREET CEMETERY
Located in the spooky, historical city of Salem, Massachusetts, this cemetery is the oldest in the area and home to the famous ghost of Giles Corey, a victim of the Salem Witch Trials, who was tortured and killed in the late 1600s, when he refused to admit guilt or innocence when asked if he was a warlock. The method of death, called “pressing,” was especially gruesome. Corey was forced to lie in a hole with a board across his chest. Stones were placed upon the board, crushing Corey to death over the course of two days. Now his ghost is said to seek vengeance and appears right before something terrible is to occur, like an omen or portent of doom.
Many of the early Puritan settlers were buried at King’s Chapel Burying Ground in Boston, Massachusetts.
KING’S CHAPEL BURYING GROUND
Boston, Massachusetts’s King’s Chapel Burying Ground dates back to 1610. This is the final resting place of many of the nation’s Puritan settlers, including Governor John Winthrop and Reverend John Cotton. Because of its rich history, the cemetery is said to be haunted by a host of ghostly types, including the pirate Captain Kidd, whose voice can be heard spooking people. Strange lights appear and disappear, and the restless spirits of the dead whose graves were later moved by the city roam the grounds, including a woman decapitated by a carpenter, who holds her head in her hands. Visitors report that pictures and video vanish from their cameras the moment they leave the graveyard.
MAPLE HILLS CEMETERY
In this cemetery, located in Huntsville, Alabama, there is an adjacent playground, Maple Hills Park, where the spirits of dead children buried in the cemetery are reported to play. The area has been given the appropriate name “Dead Children’s Playground” by locals who can hear the sounds of laughter and giggling late at night when no one is around.
RESURRECTION CEMETERY
A young girl named Mary died after a hit-and-run in the 1930s and has become something of a local urban legend at this Justice, Illinois, cemetery. Known as “Resurrection Mary,” she is said to stand roadside and hitch rides from young men, only to vanish from their car as they approach the cemetery gates.
SILVER CLIFF CEMETERY
Located in the town of Silver Cliff, Colorado, this cemetery is not known for ghostly apparitions. At Silver Cliff Cemetery, it’s phantom blue lantern lights and bright, white orbs that roam the grounds, appearing at night and bouncing over tombstones. This cemetery is still in use today, and no one has come forth with a natural explanation for the phenomenon, so the locals consider the Silver Cliff Lights paranormal activity.
ST. LOUIS CEMETERY
Not located in Missouri but in the haunted city of New Orleans, Louisiana, this graveyard is the alleged home of the Voodoo Queen herself, Marie Laveau. People come to her grave and mark it with an X, believing she will grant them a wish from beyond the grave. Visitors who dare walk among the graves report hearing crying beneath the ground, moans and groans of suffering and pain, and a ghostly face of a man that appears on one tomb. Other ghosts include a man who delivers flowers to his wife’s grave marker, then vanishes into thin air. However, it may be the living who are more dangerous in this cemetery, as it has been the location of robberies and acts of violence, encouraging tourists to go on a tour and not walk the grounds alone.
STULL CEMETERY
One of the most notorious haunted cemeteries also happens to serve as a gate to hell itself. That’s right. A gate to hell. Located in the tiny, rural town of Stull, Kansas, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) to the west of Lawrence, the Stull Cemetery grounds contain the rubble of an old church. Rumor has it that if you knock on one of the rocks in the rubble, the Devil will answer. Legends abound at this overgrown place atop Emmanuel Hill, including ghostly activity, the presence of witches, and even strange winds that whip up out of nowhere.
But the most fascinating aspect of Stull is its longtime association with the Devil dating back to the 1850s, when locals claim the town was named “Skull” because of the rampant black magic that went on there. Though rumors abound as to why Stull’s little cemetery and abandoned church became known as one of the “seven gates to hell” and a beloved stomping ground of the Devil himself, those very rumors continued to spread and morph well into the 1980s and beyond, including one that stated the Pope refused to allow his plane to fly over the cemetery!
The old, stone church was torn down in March 2002, and the three property owners came forth to state they did not authorize the destruction. There was even a spooky “hanging tree” on the site with a horrible reputation of its own, cut down in 1998 by locals who hoped to deter tourists and looky-loos. Even today, there are those that claim a stairway to hell exists on the property, used by the Devil to come and go amid the world of the living at will. This stone staircase appears on Halloween night and on the night of the spring equinox at the stroke of midnight and leads into the dark underworld.
Visitors claim that during rainstorms, rain never falls within the grounds, so should you go visit in the rain, don’t be surprised if you stay bone dry during a downpour.
WESTMINSTER HALL AND BURYING GROUNDS
Home to the ghost of Edgar Allan Poe, who makes an appearance on occasion, this cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland, next to the Westminster Presbyterian Church is also where visitors might hear the muffled cries of the Cambridge Skull, which is the ghost of a minister murdered nearby. Once dead, he never stopped screaming, so the killers dug up his body, stuffed his skull, and buried it inside a concrete slab that now serves as the gravestone. Not that cement can ever stop a ghost, as he is still active, and those who hear him long enough are said to be driven insane.
The Mystery of the Black Angels
When the topic turns to strange cemetery markers and haunted artwork, nothing rivals the story of the mysterious Black Angels, cursed graveyard statues that have shown up at two different cemeteries in two different cities.
In Iowa City, Iowa, the Oakland Cemetery is home to one of the Black Angel statues. This one is over eight feet tall and is a burial monument for the Feldevert family. It was erected in 1912, rested upon a granite pedestal, and has become the source of many legends of haunted activity, including the claim that it turned from its original golden bronze to the black, stone look it has today. After several of the family members were buried here or their ashes buried beneath the angel, it changed color. Some locals claim it happened after a freak storm the night of one family member’s funeral, when the statue was struck by lightning. Others say it is nothing more than the effects of oxidation. But all point to the strange angel and its association with one family member, Teresa Feldevert, said to be an evil woman or possibly a witch. She and her husband Nicholas are buried beneath the looming statue, and one legend states it was upon her death that the statue went from bronze to black. The Black Angel, unlike other angel statues found in cemeteries as grave markers, is looking downward as if sorrowful or sad, and the arms are outstretched with the right wing pointing upward and the left one slanted downward. Is this a sign of the presence of evil that lurks underneath in the spirit of Teresa Feldevert?
The Black Angel statue at Oakland Cemetery in Iowa City is one of two such cursed statues in Iowa. The other one is in Council Bluffs.
Another Black Angel statue is found in Council Bluffs, all the way across Iowa, at the Fairview Cemetery. This particular angel stands as part of the Ruth Ann Dodge Memorial and marks the burial site of the famous wife of General Grenville M. Dodge, a Civil War veteran. This Black Angel is beautiful compared to its sister statue, holding a vessel of water that formed a lovely fountain in working order until 1960. It was then restored in 1985 and is still operational today.
Visitors to both cemeteries report spectral visions, balls of light near the statues, and a feeling of foreboding if they get too close. The legend of the Black Angel in Iowa City has even made it into motion picture history, where it was part of the Iowa City folklore incorporated in the movie Field of Dreams. But don’t kiss a woman in front of the statue, for legend has it she will be dead within seven years (unless she is a virgin).
This Easton, Connecticut, cemetery is quite old, dating back to the 1600s. Locals call it the “White Lady Cemetery” in honor of the lady in white who roams the graves at night. Sometimes, she appears on the adjacent road, and drivers claim to have hit her with their cars! She vanishes at the moment of impact, thankfully. Other reports mention glowing, red eyes that peer from the dark shadows of the cemetery at night.
CHURCHES
Haunted cemeteries and churches often go hand in hand since many churches have their own burial grounds on the same property. All over the country, there are churches big and small that host their own ghosts. While we think of these places as sacred and holy, they are also places where the spirits of the dead might seek solace and peace, especially if in life they were the victims of trauma, suffering, and a tragic death.
NEW YORK’S HAUNTED CHURCHES
The state of New York is rich with history, and no doubt its many churches reflect that. One of the most famous churches in the world is located in New York City and has an adjoining cemetery. St. Paul’s Chapel is said to be haunted by a headless man who roams the cemetery at night looking for his head.
In Tuxedo, New York, the St. Mary’s-in-Tuxedo church is home to ghostly activity dating back to the 1940s, one of which may be a former member of the clergy.
The Most Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn, New York City, was built back in the 1880s. The school building was built upon cemetery grounds and is said to be one of the most haunted locations in the Big Apple. Spirits abound, including the benevolent ghost of a pastor who built the rectory in 1872. Visitors report ghostly bells ringing, lights switching on and off, voices in the empty hallways, disembodied feet, and the bloody handprints of a bell ringer named George Stelz, who was butchered in the church by burglars!
On the borough of Staten Island in New York City, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church is a common destination for ghost hunters, who claim it is filled with spirits, disembodied voices, chimes, strange noises, and even organ music that comes from nowhere. This Anglican/Episcopalian church was built in the eighteenth century and has its own spooky cemetery on the grounds.
OTHER GHOSTLY CHURCHES
Washington, D.C.’s National Cathedral is a huge, spooky building said to be haunted by the ghost of former president Woodrow Wilson, who is the only president interred in the cathedral. He walks the halls at night, along with the ghost of a church employee. The cathedral sports a creepy crypt and numerous gargoyles, enough to terrify visitors who don’t believe in ghosts. Some visitors to the cathedral report feeling as if they were being watched by unseen eyes coming from the shadowy basement. Another Washington, D.C., church is St. John’s Lafayette Square, known as the “Church of the Presidents.” Visitors report hearing bells toll when someone famous dies, and six ghosts appear in the president’s pew every night at midnight before disappearing.
Grace Episcopal Church in Alexandria, Virginia, has its resident ghost of a man who appears in the church library. Loud footsteps can be heard on the third-floor hallway at night, well after the building is closed for the day.
The Civil War church, Aquia Episcopal, in Stafford, Virginia, is home to a ghost of a former soldier who was killed near the church as well as a young woman who was murdered in the church tower. Visitors claim to hear her cries and see strange lights throughout the building. Another Civil War church is St. George’s Episcopal in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where a ghostly lady in white roams the building.
Washington, D.C.’s National Cathedral is said to host the ghost of President Woodrow Wilson.
Egg Hill Church in Potter Township, Pennsylvania has its own horrifying legend of a minister who killed his entire congregation during a Halloween service in the late nineteenth century. The minister passed around poisoned bread and wine, and while the congregation began choking to death, their children ran up from the rooms below to watch their parents die before their eyes. The minister hanged himself at the altar, and his ghost is said to haunt the abandoned church, although others have claimed the ghosts of his innocent victims walk the grounds as well. Though there is no historical or factual basis for this legend, it persists to this day.
In Mississippi, the Chapel of the Cross sits close to a cemetery. This stone church lies on the grounds of the estate of a wealthy family, the Johnstones, who also owned the church grounds in the 1850s. One of the Johnstones, Helen, was going to marry a young man who later died in a duel before the wedding. His body was buried in the cemetery and Helen visited his grave every day until she died in 1916. The ghost of Helen Johnstone haunts the cemetery, at night, and visitors hear church bells and strange noises during the early morning. The ghosts of children are said to pass through the iron gates and vanish outside the church grounds.
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Key West, Florida, was built in 1828 but was later destroyed during a hurricane. The church would be rebuilt, only to be destroyed again and again from the forces of Mother Nature well into the 1900s. The adjoining St. Paul’s Cemetery is where the ghosts are most active, including that of the church’s benefactor, John Fleming, which is often seen in a thin, white vapor. Other ghosts that haunt the cemetery may be those whose bodies were buried there until a massive hurricane in 1928 devastated the area and sent bones flying into the nearby trees. Legend also has it the church was built on an old Seminole burial ground, too, and the ghosts of the Native Americans joined up with the ghosts of those buried there afterward to now haunt the church, cemetery, and surrounding grounds.
CALIFORNIA’S HAUNTED MISSIONS
Like churches, missions are rich with history and often have cemeteries or small burial grounds on-site. California is known for its uniquely beautiful missions with their lovely gardens, which are always popular tourist spots for those traveling throughout the state. Few people, though, realize the darker side of these missions, for many of them represent a much deadlier past to the Native Americans who once lived on the lands. Some are even said to be visited by the Devil himself, who rebelled against their holy presence.
MISSION SAN DIEGO DE ALCALA
During the Spanish Mission Period of 1769 to 1833, twenty-one missions and mission/forts were established up and down the coast of California. The first of these was Mission San Diego de Alcala, founded by Father Junipero Serra in 1769. The San Diego area was full of Native Indians, and the mission served to Christianize them. All along the El Camino Real, starting in San Diego, these missions continued to thrive until they were secularized in 1836. But the lives of Native Indians were changed forever with the arrival of Spanish settlers seeking to spread the Catholic religion into the region and influence the Natives, often by force. The Spanish also brought with them diseases and violence against the Indians, and death reigned.
This San Diego mission was moved inland and located closer to the Indian villages near the San Diego River. It would later serve as a school for Indian children and eventually was abandoned. In 1931, the mission was rebuilt and is now an active church with a museum. Those who visit it and work there claim it is haunted, including the parkland trails on the grounds. Strange lights are often reported, and some claim the ghosts of Indians used as labor for a nearby mine also haunt the area.
MISSION SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO
Up the coast a bit from San Diego is a beautiful mission located on 10 acres (4 hectares), home to the famous swallows that return annually to San Juan Capistrano. A popular tourist spot, this mission was founded in 1775 at the encouragement of Father Junipero Serra. The mission was under attack, partially destroyed by Indians, and was refounded in 1776. Local Indians were friendly and helped build the new mission and church in 1777. A bell tower was added later, and the mission grew so fast, a larger church was later built to accommodate it. Today, tourists talk of the ghost of a faceless monk who roams the back halls at night, and a headless soldier standing guard at the garrison. People also hear bells ring at night hear the crack of a whip that may have belonged to a malicious flagellant, and see the spirit of a young girl named Magdalena who died on the grounds during a huge earthquake in 1812.
MISSION SAN MIGUEL
Located in central California’s coastal community of San Luis Obispo, this mission was set up at one point as a bed-and-breakfast, where visitors could only pay in gold. The owner, William Reed, became rich over the deal and buried over $200,000 in gold somewhere on the mission grounds. After boasting about it, Reed was killed along with many other mission occupants by British pirates who sought the gold but never found it. To this day, the mission is open, and there are regular services there. The bell tower, rose garden, and fountains are all favorite spots for tourists as well as a vinery and cemetery on the grounds. Ghosts include Mr. Reed, who can be heard whispering his name. There is a resident Lady in White, too, who will threaten you with damnation if you aren’t a true believer. Other people report seeing a red-horned demon that appears now and then, perhaps the Devil himself.
MISSION SAN GABRIEL
The mission at San Gabriel boasts well-kept gardens and landscaped lawns, a gift shop, a lovely fountain, and a baptistry. This favorite tourist spot is devoted to the worship of Mary and has a shrine and statues in her honor. The spirit of this mission is more benevolent and peaceful than some of the others, and the ghosts that haunt it are far less frightening. Visitors report the scent of roses where there are none, the sound of a woman weeping in the shrine (perhaps Mary herself weeping over the tragic fate of her son Jesus?), and statues that cry tears of blood when someone evil comes close to them.
MISSION SAN BUENAVENTURA
Ventura is a beautiful coastal city in central California and the location of a mission that once survived a devastating fire, which may explain the specific types of ghosts that haunt the grounds. Among the peaceful gardens are statues of saints and historical artifacts tourists can enjoy on self-guided tours. But there are ghosts lurking, from a young boy to a man with a disfigured face to a red-haired prostitute, all of whom are said to have perished in the fire. Visitors to the mission report the peaceful tranquility is shattered now and then by phantom screams and the distinct smell of burning flesh. Some of the statues have faces that change and distort when stared at, as if reacting to the pain and suffering of being burned, and crosses that fall off the walls for no apparent reason. Not too far from here is a huge cemetery that became a controversial battle between locals and historians and the city council, who were accused of digging up graves and tossing headstones into the ocean so they could build a more modern dog park. Many of the graves belonged to the very founders of the city of Buenaventura, and the residents were barely warned that their loved ones and descendants would be covered over with a blacktop parking lot and greenbelt.
Mission San Buenaventura was once nearly destroyed by fire. Several victims of the conflagration still visit the grounds.
