Cemetery Spooks
written by Matthew Gorman

I always used to find it a bit odd that the spirits of the dead so frequently seem to haunt cemeteries and other burial grounds. I mean I can certainly understand why a ghost would remain in a home or perhaps an ancient castle, some place where the person who has become a ghost might have spent a great deal of time during their lifetime, a place with some sense of connection to this earthly plane. But why a cemetery? After all, it’s not like most people spend a whole lot of time traipsing about graveyards during their days here on Earth (well, I do, but that’s a different story…). But then I came across a theory, or rather a slew of similar theories, being bandied about in certain metaphysical and paranormal circles.

The general theory contends that the ego and the soul of a person are separate and that only the immortal soul ascends (or descends?) at death. The ego, however, if not overcome in a positive fashion, remains behind in the form of a psychic residue, thus creating a ghost. And as the unconquered ego may very well remain attached in some sense to the physical remains of the deceased (i.e. what it deemed to be itself in life), this may go a long way towards explaining the existence of so many graveyard dwelling ghosties. Truly, it’s an interesting notion, though I’m not suggesting it’s one that I believe in wholeheartedly.

Another theory is that the ghosts residing in cemeteries are those who were buried improperly or whose graves have been desecrated or even those who were never buried at all! Whatever the case may be, however, countless graveyards the world over seem to be ripe with the undaunted presence of the paranormal, and the following are several chilling examples of these cemetery spooks.

Our first stop on our graveyard tour is the Old Western Burial Ground in Baltimore. Part of the burial ground is actually an old church cemetery by which still stands the former Presbyterian Church, Westminster Hall. Erected in 1852, Westminster Hall itself was built upon an even older graveyard (at least a century older than the church), much of which is now only accessible via the catacombs beneath the Gothic edifice. These catacombs are said to be haunted by the restless ghosts of yesteryear who dwell in the darkness, and it is one of the eeriest places in toto that one could possibly venture. People who visit the catacombs often feel themselves touched by unseen hands or hear disembodied voices whispering their names. And for some strange reason, a large number of people chose to commit suicide in this subterranean cemetery between the years of 1890 and 1920.

The graveyard as a whole is filled with the earthly remains of many American historical figures, including the son of Francis Scott Key and the grandfather of President James Buchanan. But undoubtedly the boneyard’s most famous “resident” is American author, Edgar Allen Poe. Poe had been passing through Baltimore (though he had actually lived in the city for several years during his life) on his way to New York at the time of his mysterious death in October of 1849. Theories ranging from alcoholism to contracting rabies to even murder by poison subsist surrounding the demise of the literary master of the macabre, but no one was ever completely sure of just exactly how he died. Perhaps this is why his ghost has been seen still lingering by his grave site, also within the haunted catacombs.

And although not a ghostly mystery, I would be remiss when talking about the grave of Edgar Allen Poe if I did not mention the mysterious man in black who has been showing up at Poe’s grave on the late author’s birthday (January 19th) for over 50 years. Each year, he leaves a bottle of Cognac and three red roses, and he once left an unsigned note that read, “Edgar, I have not forgotten you.” Some believe that it might now be a younger man carrying on the tradition, perhaps continuing his father‘s role as the original “Poe Toaster”, as the darkly clad man is likely deceased after so many years.

Our next stop, New Orleans; a city long associated with the dark mysteries of voodoo and the irrepressible influence of the supernatural. It is also a city chock-full of cemeteries, all of which I believe to have at least some history of haunting. Unquestionably the most famous (and likely most haunted) of the Big Easy’s graveyards, however, is St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. This sprawling city of the dead, replete with a labyrinth of above ground crypts and mausoleums, is the oldest cemetery in the city. And is also said to be home to several ghosts.

One of the ghosts is that of a woman in a white dress that is of the classic ‘vanishing hitchhiker’ variety (a topic I’ve covered in this column before). She flags down motorists outside the cemetery and then asks them for a ride. If they agree, she gets in and rides with them for a while before suddenly disappearing into thin air. It became a common enough occurrence that taxi drivers in the city still refuse to pick up women in white dresses outside of St. Louis Cemetery No.1 for fear of giving a ride to a ghost (and likely not getting paid the proper fare!).

The most well known spirit haunting St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, however, is that of famed New Orleans voodoo queen, Marie Laveau. In life, she was greatly feared and respected for her powers, and death has not diminished her import to the people of New Orleans. To this day, believers still leave offerings at her grave in the hopes that she may bless them with her powerful magic. Her ghost is seen both in the cemetery itself and sometimes walking down the nearby streets.

Moving on to the metropolitan area of Chicago, we make our next ghoulish departure at Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery, a place psychics have deemed to be one of the most haunted cemeteries on Earth. Located near the suburb of Midlothian, Illinois, at the edge of the Rubio Woods Forest Preserve, Bachelor’s Grove is a small, abandoned cemetery strewn with trash and crumbling headstones. In many respects it looks more like a dumping ground than a foreboding, old graveyard. But this fact belies the eerie nature of this land that has instigated over one hundred reports of ghostly activity over the years.

The plot of land that is now known as Bachelor’s Grove was first inaugurated as a burial ground in 1844, and has maintained a spooky history ever since. It is said that Chicago gangsters in the 1920s used to dump their murder victims in the woods surrounding the cemetery. It is also reported that satanic cults use this area for their unholy rites as well, sometimes leaving behind their animal sacrifices. Both factors that only serve to proliferate the unsettling air that hangs heavy over this parcel of earth. And then, of course, there are the ghosts.

Two distinct apparitions have been witnessed by the pond to the north of the cemetery grounds, including the ghost of a farmer with a plow (said to have drowned when his horse bolted and dragged him into the pond), and one unsettling specter who appears to be a man with two heads! Another ghost here is that of a man in a yellow suit, once observed by the skeptical friend of psychic, Norman Basile. The two had been camping out in Bachelor’s Grove at night when Basile’s friend saw the apparition approaching. As quickly as it had appeared, however, the specter vanished. The ghost’s appearance was soon followed by red flashes of light that darted throughout the tombstones and by the violent shaking of a nearby graveyard tree. Ghost lights and orbs are also a frequent occurrence in the graveyard at night and have been reported by many curious visitors to Bachelor’s Grove.

But the most well known phantom to roam amidst the scores of toppled headstones is the spirit of the ‘White Lady’. Some say that her name is Mrs. Rogers, although the origin of this appellation is unknown. Many believe her to be searching for her long lost child; though from whence this information was gleamed, too, remains a mystery. The ‘White Lady’ was actually captured on film by a ghost hunter in the 1980s, resulting in what is now considered a very famous ghost photograph.

Phantom cars are sometimes spotted along the road leading into Bachelor’s Grove as well. One terrified couple recounted an incident where they were involved in a head on collision with one of these ghostly carriages, complete with sounds of crunching metal and breaking glass, only to have it vanish into thin air before their startled eyes and undamaged car.

Our final destination (yes, that’s a pun) on our graveyard tour takes us to Stull Cemetery in Kansas. And while you won’t find Dorthy or Toto here, you may well find the Devil, himself.

Stull Cemetery and its abandoned church sit atop Emmanuel Hill overlooking the tiny town of Stull, Kansas. The town of Stull has grown smaller and smaller over the years, and now only about twenty residents remain. Legends of witchcraft and the supernatural abound concerning the cemetery up on the hill, and true believers claim these tales date back over 100 years. One legend claims that Stull is one of two places on Earth (the other is said to be a desolate, barren plain somewhere in India) where the Devil appears twice a year, once at midnight on Halloween and once on the Spring Equinox. The ghosts of those who have died violent deaths are said to rise from the grave on these two nights as well to dance with the Devil on Earth.

Locals say that students from the University of Kansas likely started the legends in the 1970s. Furthermore, the lifelong residents claim to have heard neither hide nor hair of such yarns before that time. And indeed, many of the urban myths that surround Stull Cemetery have been easily disproved with a bit of historical research.

Still, there are reports of people being grabbed by unseen forces in the graveyard, of strange gusts of wind inside the old church (where the weathered crucifix still hanging high upon the wall is said to sometimes turn itself upside down at midnight when people set foot in the church), and of people experiencing memory loss while visiting the cemetery. Of course, these “reports” may just be more of the fraudulent ghostly narrative that has been built up around Stull Cemetery.

Well, that concludes our little trip to some of the scariest little burial grounds around, but there’s still a whole bunch more of ‘em, and that’s not even leaving the U.S.! It seems that so many graveyards are haunted, in fact, that I’m starting to wonder if there are any that aren’t! I’ve even had a couple of strange experiences myself, in or around the well-groomed Calvary Catholic Cemetery here in Seattle (I just so happen to live right next to it). The first involved an eerie voice, almost like a booming whisper calling out my name. It seemed to come from all around me at once as I walked by the graveyard one misty morning, but I definitely felt that it’s source was from somewhere inside the graveyard.

So, think twice, my friends, before you go gallivanting through the graves at night, for you are almost certainly being watched.