You Won’t Want To Visit The Notorious Union Cemetery In New Jersey Alone Or After Dark

Let's face it: Cemeteries, in general, are a bit creepy. While it's wonderful to be able to visit our loved ones who have passed on, they're generally a bit spooky. But some cemeteries are scarier than others — like Union Cemetery in Hackettstown, New Jersey, which is rumored to be haunted by a murdered maid.

Union Cemetery is a lovely and peaceful cemetery in Hackettstown, New Jersey.

It's quite old, with many graves dating back centuries ago.

But while it continues to be a peaceful final resting place for many, we wouldn't want to be here alone or after dark.

That's because there are many stories that say it's home to a ghost.

That ghost is a woman named Tillie Smith, who was killed in 1886 when she was 18 years old.

As the story goes, Tillie was a maid at Centenary Collegiate Institute, when she was attacked by a man who tried to rape her. He strangled her to death and left her body in a field behind the college.

Her grave is quite prominent in the cemetery, with a large sculpture and epigraph that simply reads "She died in defense of her honor."

The man who killed her was later sentenced to 17 years in prison.

Now, rumors say Tillie continues to haunt the graveyard and Centenary College itself.

Many people have claimed to see the ghost of a young woman in the area, roaming around outdoors.

Others have reported hearing strange sounds in the graveyard or feeling like they're being watched.

Spooky!

Of course, these are just ghost stories. It's impossible to say whether the ghost really exists or if she is the cause of these strange events in the graveyard – but just in case, we're going to avoid being there at dusk!