Most Haunted Places in America: Union Cemetery – Easton, Connecticut
There is nothing quite like an old boneyard to remind us all, believers in ghosts and skeptics alike, that one day we will die, and our bodies will be corrupted, and there will be nothing left of our physical bodies but dust. That is why cemeteries are both feared and revered. One of the most well-known, and some say most haunted, graveyards in New England is the 400-year old Union Cemetery in Easton, Connecticut.
An apparition dubbed “The White Lady” is Union Cemetery’s most famous haunt. Wearing a white nightgown and a bonnet over her raven hair, the White Lady is said to walk the roads (usually Route 59 or Route 111) between Union Cemetery and Stepney Cemetery, some 10 miles away. She is said to appear in the middle of the road, stretching her arms out to the approaching driver. Her appearance doesn’t leave the driver any time to stop and swerve away and she is invariably struck and immediately disappears, leaving no damage done to the vehicle.
There is one exception to this formula on record, however. In 1993 an off-duty fireman was traveling the road between the two cemeteries in his pickup truck when he saw the pavement in front to him glow with a red light. He then noticed that the ghost of an old farmer wearing a straw hat was sitting in the passenger seat while the White Lady appeared in the road ahead. She was struck with a thump, and then she and the mysterious passenger disappeared, leaving a dent on the front of the truck as a reminder of their visit. Such cases of physical evidence left after paranormal impact events is extremely rare, and this is the only reported case in the area of the White Lady manifesting in conjunction with another spirit.
Local legends about the origins of the White Lade vary, from a woman killed in the early 1900s who was murdered and hidden in a sinkhole behind a local church to a lady who murdered her husband, and was in turned killed for her crime.
Another famous resident of Union Cemetery is a ghost that locals call “Red Eyes”. This haunt involves visitors to the cemetery seeing a pair of glowing red eyes in the brush at the periphery of their vision, and hearing subsequent footfalls behind them as they walk away. Some paranormal investigators in the area speculate that this specter may be one Earle Kellogg, who was set on fire and killed just outside the property in 1935, while others say that it might be drunk driver who was killed nearby and who appears regularly in EVP sessions.
Union Cemetery was immortalized by paranormal experts Ed and Lorraine Warren in their book Graveyard, which includes a large amount of research about the area. The Warrens have also compiled a lot of video and photographic evidence of the paranormal at Union Cemetery, including a video recording of the manifestation of the mysterious White Lady.
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- West Middlebury Cemetery Hauntings
- The Bleeding Tombstone at Union Cemetery
- Haunted Cemetery: Grand Rapids Ada Witch
- Haunted Places: Marietta City Cemetery & Confederate Cemetery
1 comment so far ↓
Regarding “Red-Eyes”. a carload of me, and four neighbors travelled to Union Cemetery in March 2009, and again about three weeks ago, Saturday night, Sept. 12th.
Upon arrival, we saw “Red-eyes” immediately, as we were still in the car.
We jumped out, and shone our flashlights on them, and boy, were we ever SHOCKED!!
We had heard all of the stories, and wanted to see activity, so we were excited to see the “eyes” from the road.
I can absolutely promise you that anyone who takes the time to stop, and actually look at them will see for themselves, exactly the way we saw things.
This will come as no shock to anyone though. THEY ARE NOT “EYES” AT ALL!!
Two silver dollar sized bicycle fender reflectors, attached to a piece of wood, leaning against a headstone, about halfway up the stone.
AN Easton cop drove up while we were there, and despite all reports to the contrary, was extremely friendly. We weren’t in the cemetery, weren’t loud, drinking/drunk, weren’t setting up equipment, and he actually got out to speak with us.
We told him the story, and he was aware of it, and told us that from time to time, the reflectors are moved around from headstone to headstone.
Anyway, hope this useful to all would be ghosthunters.
“Red-Eyes”….DEBUNKED!!
Sorry to all true believers, I am not commenting on any other Union Cemetery stories, as we saw nothing, and got nothing, but “Red-Eyes” is a blatant hoax.
As for the man who saw them, ran, and heard footsteps, perhaps he truly believes he heard footsteps as he was running. He likely saw the reflectors from the road, thought they were “Eyes”, and took off. The imagination, especialyy when scared/spooked can be very powerful, and I actually feel badly for him that he was that startled by the appearance of the “eyes”.
Obviously, this is how legends, and stories begin. His experience has been re-told, passed around, passed on, embellished, and now…there are “Demons” in Union Cemetery, all because of someones imagination.
Anyway, there are no “Red-Eyes.
On 09/12, they were gone completely from the cemetery, which the officer said happens from time to time, and they may re-appear at some point in the future, but we actually saw them, saw the round edges, the little round “bumps” inside the reflectors, saw the wood they were mounted on, saw the reflection as we shone our lights on them, saw them go dark when we turned our lights off, etc.
There are no “Red-Eyes” in Union Cemetery.
Again, my apologies to all Ghost Hunters out there, but this is a hoax, period!
I can be reached via e-mail, kmer2@snet.net.
Any of the four neighbors with me will repeat everything I have disclosed here, and so will the Easton Police Department.
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