Why Not Cemeteries?
~ Written By Katie Harper ~
Hi, my name is Katie, and I’m a taphophile.
Although outwardly I appear perfectly normal (but for what some would call too many tattoos) you will frequently find me in a cemetery. I enjoy researching, writing about and photographing cemeteries, for both the ever-present invitation to walk through history, and the peaceful quality native to beautiful old New England burying grounds.
As such, I take what may be an unpopular stance among so-called “serious” paranormal researchers who tend to look down upon those who hang around in cemeteries looking for ghosts. Though I have never encouraged hanging around a cemetery after dark without permission or otherwise trespassing against posted guidelines, I certainly think a budding ghost hunter could choose many worse locations to investigate.
When discussing why certain places are haunted, the most prevalent theories state that the deceased will haunt a location based on the strength of their emotional tie to it. In light of this, I don’t believe that cemeteries are usually haunted by the spirits of the dead buried there. The dead have no real emotional or habitual ties to the cemetery, and wouldn’t naturally choose or be drawn to haunt it – excepting, of course, the ghosts of my fellow taphophiles and perhaps the caretaker!
However, I have obtained some interesting “anomalies” while investigating cemeteries, both during research conducted by the Northeast Spectral Science Society, and while wandering out on my frequent daytime photography trips.
But if cemeteries are not haunted, as so many studious paranormal investigators are so quick to claim, how can this be? Well, barring any as yet undetermined natural causes falling outside our extensive battery of debunking methods, we have to assume that something paranormal is indeed present.
Though the interred don’t really care, there is without doubt a strong emotional imprint left by the LIVING who visit these cemeteries. This can potentially lead to what may be a residual haunting, or a memory stuck in rotation like a CD player on repeat. These memories play whether our gadgets and gizmos are there to record them or not.
Additionally, the burial customs and rituals of so many cultures tend to perpetuate the heavily symbolic nature of the process of death. Our subconscious minds tend to revere the cemetery as a highly charged and mystical locale, whether we are consciously superstitious or not. I believe this charge can act like a beacon to entities who feed on fear or sadness, leading them to stick around.
Taphophile or not, we shouldn’t ignore the possibility of cemetery haunts or leave graveyards out of our research schedule. Though many of the ghost stories and legends may be based on flights of fancy, there’s a chance one or two of them just might be true!
I agree 100%. I have been researching the paranormal for over 16 years and got me a group and we don’t agree a lot but it is good to here that I’m the only one that thanks that
Oh my, I have fallen into this trap. I have stated on one of my web sites–www.cemeterysecrets.org–that “most cemeteries aren’t haunted, regardless of what some paranormal investigations would lead you to believe.”
Now–after reading Katie’s wonderful article–though I still believe this to be true, it’s true of most houses, business, parks, swimming pools, and public restrooms everywhere!
Cemeteries can be spooky places, and are popularized as such in the culture. Who hasn’t explored a graveyard at night when a child, or stole a kiss from someone behind an old headstone? However, with the recent extreme popularization of ghost hunting, these places are some of the first that the uninitiated and/or unexperienced will run to to investigate. And, like most places, most aren’t haunted–at least thats what I believe.
We actually have a cemetery investigation coming up of an old well-known New England cemetery from which has risen multiple first-person accounts of a variety of possibly paranormal phenomena. We are fortunate enough to have permission to investigate this location, but when it comes to publishing any results, we are not gong to name the cemetery because of the negative publicity and subsequent attention these places get from a mass of unexperienced ghost hunters and trouble making teenagers secondary to such investigations.
So…are cemeteries haunted? Yes, some appear to be, but as with any place, do your research so you aren’t wasting your time. Also, think long and hard as to whether mentioning the name of the cemetery will bring any negative consequences that the cemetery caretakers (and possibly police) will have to deal with long after your investigation is over.
Thanks again to Katie for another great article.
Bobby Elgee; Sights Unseen Paranormal