Spookiest Cemeteries: America’s Most Haunted Cemeteries

By Terrance Zepke

The Sexton’s musings (spoilers are likely):

Well little Ghoulies here were have our forth of several non-fiction books. These are going to be a smidge different from our fiction friends in that there are no fictional characters or situations to rant and rave about. With this my approach will be more of a reflection on the locations and histories surrounding the alleged hauntings. I’ll throw in some interesting pictures and links (just click on the pictures) to keep ones appetite whet.

I think it should be an interesting departure and prove to be very interesting. Don’t worry though I’m sure it will not be anger free, as that’s just not who I am after all. Set up like the other three previous books this one has a brief history for the locations but it also seems to have more information about specific investigations and incidents of the other worldly kind as well. It seems our author is still a travel writer first and fore most but her interest in the paranormal peaks through more in this one. Zepke is in our territory now little Ghoulies.

Resurrection Cemetery

An interesting name for a cemetery, Resurrection. In some ways though it is true that those who have moved on are forever resurrected and remembered through their final bodily resting place. At almost 550 acres this is one of the largest cemeteries in the US. But not only that, it has my favorite feature, a mausoleum. One that features in Guinness because of its glass window walls. There is also an outdoor Garden Crypt Complex that has four chapels and over 5000 crypts. That was back when this book was written so there may be even more now as apparently they planned on increase that number to 20,000.

There is one specific spirit that our author talks about at length, essentially after the intro to the location this is the chapter. She talks about a known woman in white named Mary. The story goes that Mary was at the nearby dance hall where she and her boyfriend had an argument. Mary walked off in a huff and ended up being hit by a vehicle. Needless to say that person did not stick around to suffer the consequences and ran. Mary was laid to rest at Resurrection Cemetery. She has been haunting this road ever since. Zepke talks about a couple of specific incidents that motorists have experienced and reported over time. It seems that Mary becomes more agitated during times when the cemetery is under renovation which in my mind makes perfect sense. No one likes construction drama near the place they hang their hat!

The mausoleum is one of the other places that is believed to be haunted at this location. Lights, alarms and recorded organ music have been known to go on and off on their own.

Colonial Park Cemetery

Located in Savannah GA, this is the oldest municipal cemetery in the city. A city that is considered by many to be the most haunted city in the US. Based in the small amount of info here I am able to surmise why that may be…the grounds it’s built on is one big cemetery. In this cemetery alone there have been almost 8,700 unmarked graves found here.

With the unmarked graves, grave robbers/desecraters, mass graves and the grisly history connecting Renee Rondolia Asch, his unsavory antics and ultimately his lynching in the swamp near the cemetery it’s no wonder that this location has a high instance of otherworldly experiences reported.

St Louis Cemetery #1

An interesting location. The visiting hours are extremely limited and you must have a tour guide and pay a fee to enter this cemetery. Apparently even family members that have family members laid to rest here have to get permission to visit (I’d be royally pissed). It does sound to me as though there have been some bad apples that have ruined it for everyone here. Being disrespectful to the dead is punishable by curse so watch your step little Ghoulies.

This cemetery is part of three cemeteries that make up the St Louis Cemetery. It is the oldest surviving cemetery in New Orleans. It is only one square block in size and houses over 100,000 resting places. At the back of the cemetery there is a paupers field where those that could not afford a vault have been buried in unmarked graves.

The most famous individual to be interred here is Ms. Marie Laveau. She was a well known Voodoo priestess who helped many people during times of epidemic. It is thought that her spirit haunts this location. The suspected reason for this is because at the time of her death, the powers that be would not allow her to be interred in her family vault as they felt it would be descended upon by her followers and enemies alike. That’s not right. This chapter has several more stories to check out.

In the FYI  - There are more dead in New Orleans than there are living. There are 42 Cities of the Dead (Cemeteries).

Bonaventure Cemetery

The history behind this location is pretty everyday life. A man bought the land and built a house. He and his wife had a family. The house changed hands a few times, once being sold to the son of the original owner. Nothing overly jarring. It seems that the spirits here are related to who is buried as opposed to what has occurred on the land itself.

The most famous spirit is that of a little girl named Gracie who died of pneumonia at the age of 6. Little Gracie was laid to rest at the cemetery, a marble likeness marking the location. The sound of a child playing and cry has been heard near her grave.

There are several other incidents that have been reported and are mentioned in the chapter.

Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery

This location is a private cemetery and not open to the public. It is located on the edge of what is now the Rubio Woods Forest Preserve. The only way to get to the cemetery is on foot, parking at the preserve parking lot. It is considered trespassing entering the cemetery and it is fenced off. Unfortunately there have been several cases of vandalism, grave desecration and grave robbing. Allegedly there were originally 200 grave markers in this cemetery and now there are under 20. Some of these resting places were moved to other cemeteries but I’m sure that there are some that were stolen.

There is one spirit that there is documented proof of. She is known as the Woman on a Tombstone. Her origins are unknown but during an investigation by Ghost Research Society the lady was captured in a picture. She was not seen by the naked eye of the investigators but when developing the pictures that were taken she appeared sitting on a tombstone.

Gettysburg National Cemetery

We’ve visited here before Ghoulies. Gettysburg is a familiar place for us due to the previous book Spookiest Battlefields. During the battle of Gettysburg 51,000 were killed, injured or went missing (killed or deserted) which explains why this area is so heavy on the captive brethren. This battle was won at Cemetery Hill by the Union and was really the beginning of the end for the Confederacy.

As far as otherworldly happenings…well these extend themselves everywhere including the town itself as the battle bled into the town. However should you choose to visit this location don’t expect that current park rangers to speak about any of the activity. They have been instructed not to.

As far as the activity in the cemetery itself, there are a few specific locations. Cemetery Lodge, which was once used to store the unclaimed belongings of soldiers. Footsteps going upstairs is the most common experience and on occasion muffled voices have been heard.

Other things that have been experienced here is the capturing of orbs and other strange abnormalities in photos that have been taken, the uneasy feeling of being watched and hearing whispers and shouts without a source.

Westminster Hall Burying Grounds & Catacombs

The cemetery was established long before the impressive church was built on the grounds. The decision was made to build the church on top of graves. This is not the only potential reason for the alleged haunting of this location however. Apparently this cemetery was at one time close to a medical school. At the time students were often charged with the task of supplying their own cadaver for study thus making the grave desecration of the recently deceased common during that time.

One of the most famous individuals who rest here is Mr. Edgar Allen Poe. Apparently he was found collapsed in the street and ended up passing away in the hospital. His cause of death is still unknown.

My personal favorite is the spirit of the caretaker/Sexton that has been known to chase people away with a shovel should you show disrespect to the bodily resting place of the departed. Feels like we could be friends.

Stull Cemetery

This is not a visiting kind of place. Visitors are not allowed to enter the grounds of the cemetery. The very small town that this infamous cemetery is in does not appreciate tourists (not that I can blame them much for that, I mean someone burned down their church that was on the property). You can explore the cemetery through the chain link fence that surrounds the property but it’s not advisable to try and sneak in. This is Kansas after all, trespassers will be shot.

The most interesting bit here is that many claim that Satan visits this cemetery twice a year. Some say to visit a loyal follower/baby mama who is interred here. Not sure that I buy that but cemeteries by their very nature are prone to hauntings.

Find more on specific hauntings as well as this alleged gate to hell in this chapter.

Hollywood Cemetery

Not located in CA, this Richmond VA cemetery is the location were 18,000 civil war soldiers are resting. 11,000 are men from the Battle of Gettysburg (which we know about from Spookiest Battlefields) and 28 civil war generals. There is a memorial dedicated to these men which is said to be one of the most haunted spots of this location.

In addition to the spirits of soldiers apparently there are a few canine spirits lurking around the cemetery. They worry about us so I can see that they may stick around for a clip.

Who or what haunts this location is definitely open to interpretation however with the amount of interred (roughly 75,000) it’s not surprising that there are a few holders on. This chapter has a couple other specific hauntings to check out.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery

This large star studded cemetery is sixty acres and is situated right by Paramount Studios. It is said that Paramount Studios is haunted as well. Our author suggests that some of our Cemetery residents have perhaps spilled over onto the lot.

As far as the cemetery itself it seems that cold spots and ghostly sounds/voices are the most commonly reported experiences. Zepke mentions the three most prominent spirits that are believed to haunt this location. There are tours that you can take, including ghost tours that visit the cemetery, this is Hollywood after all.

There are several memorials to the rich and famous around the cemetery even though this not their final bodily resting place.

Greenwood Cemetery

It is believed that this location was once a place that Native Americans used to put their dead to rest. There are believed to be several unmarked graves here. Not just from the natives but also graves related to the Underground Railroad network as several slaves were killed during their escape to freedom (allegedly Decatur was stop on the Underground Railroad). In addition, in the 1970’s vandals destroyed upwards of 100 headstones and a flood in 1903 saw some of the resting places destroyed and the bodies washed away. If you consider all of these facts it’s no wonder this location has a reputation for being haunted.

There is one specific case the Zepke mentions in the chapter, the Greenwood Bride. It’s a case of forbidden love. The young lady was forbidden to marry her beau (because he was a bootlegger and mommy and daddy did not like that). The night they planned to elope he ended up being murdered and she ended up committing suicide soon after. Allegedly she was buried in her wedding dress. She was laid to rest interred at Greenwood Cemetery and has been known to wander the cemetery crying.

Other reports of otherworldly experiences include phantom funerals, cold spots, ghost lights/illuminated orbs, hearing whispers and crying voices, full body apparitions and footsteps when one is there. There is more info in this chapter.

Chestnut Hill Cemetery

Located behind a small Baptist church in the town of Exeter RI. This is much smaller than most of the locations that we have read about but has an interesting twist when it comes to its hauntings. This location is said to be stalked by a vampire.

The vampire story here was created during the time when TB was running rampant, taking many lives. The symptoms were such that terrified, superstitious people, confronted with an individual whose behavior was unusual automatically went to vampire. This individual was Mercy Brown who died of TB at the age of 19. Because the townsfolk were grasping at vampire straws they made the decision to exhume her body, desecrating her final resting place and mutilating her body. So it’s no wonder that she is known to haunt this location. There are more details about the Brown family and Mercy in this chapter along with some interesting facts about the ritual that was performed to get rid of a vampire.

El Campo Santo Cemetery

El Campo Santo or “sacred ground” cemetery is the second oldest cemetery in San Diego. Apparently as the land became more valuable parts of the original cemetery were sold off and the resting places disturbed or in some cases built upon. It’s no wonder that there is some other worldly activity occurring here.

Some of this activity includes cold spots, car and electrical trouble and apparitions of what appear to be Native American spirits.

Howard Street Cemetery

With this cemetery being in a city/state where the hanging, drowning, burning, or pressing (take your pick, although it from what I’ve read most of them were hangings) of “witches” is its claim to fame.

The one story that our author focuses on is the story of Giles Corey who testified against his second wife during her trial. I guess however that he got what was coming to him in that not even a half week later he himself was accused of practicing witchcraft, had a rather dramatic trial, was found guilty and ended up being pressed to death when a board was placed on his naked body and large rocks were placed on top. Crushing him to death. Allegedly, right before he died he cursed Salem. There is believed to be proof of that curse that our author talks about as well as full body apparition sightings of Corey. If you are visiting and you happen to have the pleasure of spotting Giles check out early. Apparently every time he has appeared the city has endured tragedy.   

Union Cemetery

This is said, by some, to be the most haunted cemetery in America. There have been multiple investigations at this location including the New England Society for Psychic Research and (my favorites) Ed and Lorraine Warren.

The most talked about spirit that resides here is known as the “White Lady”. It seems that it is unknown exactly who she is and why she has decided to stick around this plane but she is very active. Most commonly she is known to float around the graveyard in her white gown and bonnet. However, and perhaps more problematic, she has been known to make an appearance on Route 59, surprising motorists.

More Cemeteries Worth Mentioning….

With each of these locations I have given a smidge more information about the hauntings than our author. Please be sure to click on the pictures to learn more about these hauntings.

Boot Hill Cemetery

This is the after death place to be if you were a member of the wild wild west. There are several famous cowboy roughnecks buried at this location. With this kind of life often come a violent death so it’s no wonder that these rough and tumble man decided to stick around. It is said that ghostly figures can be seen raising up from the ground.

Apparently it is not unusual for visitor to catch unusual things with their cameras. 

Key West Cemetery

I didn’t find too much additional information about the hauntings specifically however I will say that this is an interesting cemetery in that the graves themselves are both below and above ground. Stacking one on top of the other. It seems that space was at a premium so this was the solution that was developed.

It is considered to be the 3rd most haunted place in Key West.  

Mt. Carmel Cemetery

Yes, Al Capone, the notorious gangster was buried here but there is another story that is actually more interesting. That is the story of Julia Buccole Petta.

The story goes like this: 20 year old Julia dies giving birth to her first child. The child does not survive either. They are both buried together, Julia in her wedding dress. Not long after the funeral Julia’s mother started having horrible nightmares where her daughter would beg to be removed from the earth. Her mother was in a panic, concerned that her daughter had been buried alive somehow. She managed to convince the authorities to exhume her body (after a six year battle). We all know that decomposition is a fairly rapid process especially in the right conditions but when they opened her coffin, after six years in the ground, her body was in perfect condition. It looked as though she had just been buried or was simply sleeping. Many believe Julia to be a saint as her body seems to be incorruptible.

She has been known to be seen walking the cemetery and even helping lost children find their parents, holding their hands to comfort them.

Oakdale Cemetery

Several spirits haunt this location including Civil War soldiers, Rose O,Neal Greenhow (aka Rebel Rose) and Nancy Adams Martin (aka Nance).

Nance has an interesting story. At the age of 24, while at sea the young woman became ill and passed away. Distraught about the death of his daughter, Silas Martin decided to preserve his daughter’s body in one of the rum casks. Alcohol is a preservative after all. Not wanting her body to be thrown about within the barrel they tied her body to a sturdy chair and immersed her into the liquid. This voyage was to be one of multiple tragedies as his son John Salter Martin was also taken from him. He got swept overboard during a storm and his body was lost at sea never to be recovered. There is an obelisk to memorialize the two children on the family plot.

Robinson Woods Indian Burial Grounds

Other worldly reports have included sightings of shadow people, red or white orbs, ectoplasm mist, strange sounds and the smell of spring flowers, such as lavender and violet, in the dead of winter.

It is believed to be haunted by the spirit of Alexander Robinson who was responsible for saving many American lives during the massacre of Fort Dearborn. He was the chief of many American Indian Tribes. Apparently this land was owned by his family at one point and he was promised that he would be buried on this land however that did not happen and his remains were interred elsewhere. It is inferred that this is part of the reason his spirit may haunt this location. However I have found information contrary to this that states he is interred here with his wife and some of his kin so which one is it? There is a memorial marker in the location they were laid to rest.

Another possible reason for the other worldly activity is the brutal murder of three young boys whose bodies were found in October of 1955 not far from and not long after the Robinson’s family home was burned to the ground (May 1955). All three boys were strangled. The murders went unsolved for 39 years until in August of 1994 the murderer was finally caught. His name was Kenneth Hansen. He was 22 at the time of the murders and was caught at the age of 61. Hansen was convicted of the boys murders. He died in prison.

Unitarian Churchyard

A beautiful and haunting resting place. The most famous spirit, the ghost of Annabel Lee or Anna Ravenel. Anna’s father found out that she was having a romance with a soldier named Edgar Perry. He forbade the romance and did everything he could to keep them apart. To the point of having the young man roughed up by thugs and locking Anna in the house. They however were not dissuaded and still found a way of seeing one another. Who would look for lovers in a cemetery?

In 1828 Edgar was transferred to another location by his superiors. Sadly not long after Anna fell ill with yellow fever and passed away. Edgar was informed of her decline by Anna’s sister but unfortunately he was not able to make it to her before her death. The poor young man was not even able to attend the funeral of his beloved as her father had him turned away. The old man even bought six plots and did not place markers on the one where she was buried, keeping Edgar for even knowing which grave she was really resting in (what an asshole!). Turns out that Edgar enlisted under a pseudonym, his real name was Edgar Allen Poe and it is thought that Poe’s last poem Annabel Lee was written about Anna Ravenel. Such a sad and tragic story.  

Some closing words: I personally find cemeteries to be calming and peaceful. A place of reflection and respect. Some find them unnerving and uncomfortable. Regardless of how you feel about the final resting places of the dead I think we can all agree that they are necessary. This is a nice guide to some of the more active hangers on. Note that there is a cool little “Cemetery Trivia” section to this book that gives some nice little tid bits of info. It even includes info about the Egyptian beliefs about death and the afterlife.  

Happy Devouring!

The Sexton