These 9 Haunted Cemeteries In Texas Are Not For The Faint Of Heart
It’s already time for another road trip again, y’all! We know Halloween isn’t here yet, but there’s never a bad time for a little ghostly fun, right? Texas is a notoriously haunted state, so it’s no surprise that many of our cemeteries have terrifying urban legends associated with them. We’re sure there are tons more across the state, but these nine are some of the most sinister, eerie, and horrifying, and we dare you to go on this trip and check them out. You’re brave enough, right? As usual, we’ve included the official Google Maps page with all the details regarding directions. Happy haunting – after all, it’s not every day you experience the most haunted cemeteries in Texas!
Our first stop is a cemetery in Southeast Texas that harbors a tale of both romance and eeriness. While these statues might not look inherently sinister, they're rumored to hold the souls of two lovers that couldn't bear to lie in their separate graves apart from one another. They're known as the "Kissing Statues" because legend has it that if you visit the cemetery at night, park your car in front of them, and turn on your brights, they'll turn towards one another and engage in a heartfelt kiss. Even if that might not be true, the statues are a marvel in and of themselves. They were crafted so intricately that they really do almost appear real. This is one of those weird places in Texas you won't want to go to by yourself!
Forest Lawn Funeral Home & Memorial Park, 4955 Pine St, Beaumont, TX 77703, USA
This cemetery is the resting place of the famous General Sam Houston and a lesser-known entity called Black Jesus. Apparently the statue used to be bronze, but the harsh elements weathered it away to its current unforgiving, black-as-night appearance. Every grave in close proximity to it is facing West, while the rest of the graves in the cemetery face East. The story goes that every night, Black Jesus turns his hands down as opposed to their usual upward-facing position. Are you brave enough to find out the truth? Visit the most haunted cemetery in Texas to find out!
Oakwood Cemetery, 1601 Navasota St, Austin, TX 78702, USA
The story of the old woman of Rose Hill Cemetery is more heartwarming than spooky, but it's a ghostly tale all the same. There's a woman buried here by the name of Madge Ward, and people come from far and wide to marvel at her grandiose gravestone: a gigantic piano. It's only fitting given that much of her life was spent playing all over the world for just about every audience you can imagine. The black and white keys were her passion, and she wanted that conveyed to the world for the rest of eternity. People have reported hearing a somber tune, like that of a piano, when visiting the cemetery at night. It appears to have no source, but it's always in the vicinity of Madge's gravesite. We suppose she's playing her little heart out at the Carnegie Hall of Heaven and just wants us to know she's alright.
Rose Hill Cemetery, 2400 S Donnybrook Ave, Tyler, TX 75701, USA
At first glance, you might get a kick out of this statue - until night falls, of course, and even the most seemingly innocent objects turn sinister. This gravestone, marking the body of a late small-town furniture maker, depicts Jesus Christ wearing a pair of cowboy boots. Classic Texan move, right? Wrong. The deceased is rumored to have been an atheist, and his grave is the only one in the cemetery not facing east. Also, there are inverted torches carved into the bottom of the statue. While these facts alone might not spell trouble, this does: many late-night visitors have reported seeing the statue move. It could just be a trick of the night, but nearly everyone swears they could feel the cold, unnerving eyes of this Jesus imposter boring into their skin and penetrating their soul.
This cemetery has a ghost story that will chill you to the bone: the story of Smiley. Obviously, that name sounds the complete opposite of scary, but just wait until you hear the terrifying details. This grave hold an entire family - a father, mother, and three children - by the name of Smiley. They all died on the same day, May 9, 1927, at the hands of the father. People say that if you visit the grave at midnight on Halloween and lie down, you'll be wrapped in a ghostly embrace and struggle to get back up as Mr. Smiley tries to add you to his spectral family. Don't get too comfy, because if you lie there too long, it just might be too late. Who volunteers to be the guinea pig? Not us!
Mills Cemetery, 500 Mills Rd, Garland, TX 75040, USA
This cemetery in the desolate, backwoods town of Liberty Hill is the resting place for many slaves. Most of the graves date back to the 1800s, including that of "The Witch," a young black girl who was supposedly accused of witchcraft and lynched from an old, scraggly tree that still stands in the graveyard. Her grave reads, "whoever passes over this grave shall die as I have died." If you visit the cemetery at night, you just might see her swinging from the tree...and if you do, you'd better run, because she may use her powers to free herself from the rope and come after you so you can meet the same fate as her. After all, that promise is etched on her gravestone.
That name alone - Baby Head Cemetery - is enough to get every hair on your body standing on end. It was born from a gruesome tragedy over a century ago - a group of Indians in the area kidnapped a young girl, killed her, and placed her head at the foot of a mountain which was subsequently named "Baby Head Mountain." The settlement flourished into a town and left the horrific memory in the past before eventually fizzling out into a ghost town. Now, the only remnant is the eerie cemetery. This historical marker is often seen with babydoll heads dangling from it...a harmless prank, or a physical manifestation of something more sinister lurking at the bottom of the mountain?
This cemetery is easily one of the creepiest in the state. As soon as you drive in, there's a huge sign that says, "NO WITCHCRAFT!" The only reason a sign like that would be necessary is if people were doing witchcraft, right? There's also a really scary urban legend associated with the cemetery. Evidently, if you park your car in front of a white cross just inside the gate, turn off your car (including your headlights), lower your windows (yeah, no thanks), and flash your brights five times, you'll see the pale silhouettes of apparitions flitting about in front of you.
Galveston is a notoriously haunted city, so it's no surprise that there are plenty of stories regarding its cemeteries. You might see the ghost of a uniformed solider or a casualty of the 1900 hurricane. We guarantee you won't have an uneventful experience here. This extraordinarily haunted cemetery in Texas is a must-do for the brave.
Have you been to any of these cemeteries? Did you have any paranormal encounters there? If you like scary stuff as much as we do, check out this ghost town road trip in Texas that’s sure to chill you to your very core.
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.
The OIYS Visitor Center
Haunted Cemeteries in Texas
August 22, 2022
Tori Jane
Are there many abandoned cemeteries in Texas?
There are lots of abandoned everything in Texas. It seems like no matter where you go, you’re sure to pass a number of desolate, vacant farmhouses and decaying homesteads. Naturally, some of those abandoned places in Texas are old cemeteries, like the old Lone Star Cemetery, in Cherokee County. You can access it to this day, though it’s overgrown and the graves are very old. You’ll see a graveled entryway just off County Road 4502. You’ll have to approach on foot, as car traffic is not able to reach it. There, you’ll find graves from the early to late 1800s that have gone untouched for centuries. Of course, there are more – but this one is one of our favorites.
Are there real haunted graveyards in Texas?
Supposedly, yes, there most certainly are haunted graveyards in Texas. There are a few handfuls of different places you might spot a ghost, like the old Lubbock Cemetery. It’s considered one of the most haunted cemeteries in Texas, and it houses more than 60,000 bodies. The Texas Paranormal Research Society strongly believes that the spirits here are angry and aggressive, and the place ought to be avoided. The Aurora Cemetery, in Aurora, isn’t just thought to be haunted – it's also the place where an alleged non-human alien killed when its ship crashed is buried. Eek.
What is the oldest cemetery in Texas?
The oldest official cemetery in Texas is a little place known as the Oakwood Cemetery. It can be found in Austin and dates back to the 1850s. However, there’s a cemetery that’s even older than that – an aboriginal cemetery – where burials took place as long ago as 2700 B.C. We suppose it all depends on what you want to count as a “cemetery”, but either way – both of these places are creepy as all get-out, and we’d rather not be caught here at night.
Katie Lawrence is a Southeast Texas native who graduated 18th in her high school class with a GPA of 4.25. She attended college in the Houston area and changed her major twice (psychology, computer science, and finally criminal justice) before taking a leap of faith and dropping out to pursue a career in freelance writing.
Today, Katie writes for the Texas and Arizona pages of OnlyInYourState.com and has never been more passionate about a job before. Outside of work, you can likely find her curled up on the sofa with a hot cup of coffee, watching a crime TV show or scary movie.
