A Visit to the Haunted Union Cemetery

Growing up across the street from a cemetery, I never thought I’d actually want to hang out in one, especially one that is purpotedly the most haunted cemetery in the northeast. But, thanks to fellow Monster Man Jack, we packed up our gear and headed for the Union Cemetery in Easton, Connecticut on a cold but sunny Saturday. You can watch the video of our visit here.

A little background on the Union Cemetery. It first came to be in the late 1700s and still hosts new internments today. Sightings (and even recorded ones) of The White Lady, a pair of glowing, menacing eyes, voices, shadows and physical interactions have all taken place there. No one knows the origins of the apparitions that are heard and seen in and around the cemetery. Ed and Lorraine Warrren spent a great deal of time walking & investigating the grounds and even wrote a book about it called Graveyard.

Sign

Jack and I and our friend Anthony went there during the day because the cemetery is small and heavily policed at night. Vandals laid waste to the graveyard last August and we saw plenty of broken and shoddily repaired tombstones. A word of caution. If you go there at night, you will be arrested. It’s a small cemetery, flat and open and surrounded by 2 main roads. Knowing this, we set about doing a daytime investigation, since I believe that although the freaks come out at night, true hauntings don’t have a time clock.

The star of the Union Cemetery show is the White Lady. She’s been seen drifting through the rows of gravestones, pretending to be hit by cars outside the cemetery gates, only to disappear, and sometimes weeping over the loss of something or someone we may never know. We set out to see if we could capture her, or any other spirits, on audio. All will be revealed as you read on…

When we first arrived, we spent a good deal of time walking through the cemetery, trying to read tombstones hundreds of years old, and just getting a feel for the place. Because it’s so tiny and open, I didn’t get that special tingle up my back I tend to feel in large bone orchards.

Union Cemetery (18)The weight of history is heavy there, and it’s really a tremendous historical place to visit.

Union Cemetery (16)It’s a shame that vandals saw it fit to topple so many monuments. There’s also been a good share of occult activity taking place there – another good reason to avoid any nighttime excursions.

We tried EVP sessions at multiple locations, taking turns asking questions and often leaving the recorder atop graves in the hopes that someone would want to reach out to us. At one point, I laid down on a very old grave in an attempt to get closer to any spirits, and put myself in their shoes. The tombstone had a creepy angel head etched on it, as you can see below.

GraveThere’s also an old Baptist church connected to the cemetery. When Jack was there over 15 years ago, he caught what looks to be a face in one of the windows. We took lots of pics this time around. It could have been a trick of the light, as each glass window also has a plastic covering. Add sunlight and treee branches to the mix and anything can happen, but it adds to the spooky factor.

Union Cemetery (26)

Before I get to the EVP part, here are some more pictures of the cemetery…..

Union Cemetery

Union Cemetery (44)Paranormal ‘experts’ claim that running water can provide energy for spirits to make themselves known. We found a good sized creek that runs along the back end of the cemetery. Could that be what energizes the White Lady?

OK, now for the good stuff. We weren’t just out to find the White Lady, but we did devote one EVP session exclusively to her. About a minute in to the session, Jack asked if she was here with us. My daughter, Ivy, did the first level of audio review. She and I both found audio bits that could have been footsteps and a possible sigh, but it was the answer to the question put to the White Lady that made our hair stand on end. We heard a soft but firrm “Yeah.” We play it several times in our Union Cemetery Monster Men episode. Click on over to hear it and tell us what you think.

We’re leaving it open for debate. Did we see the White Lady? No. Did she speak to us? Maybe. Will we return? Definitely. We’ve only just begun.

Have you ever been to the Union Cemetery? If so, do you have a story to tell? If you live in the New York tri-state area and know of other haunted cemeteries, let me know. We’re always up for a dalliance with the dead.

Union Cemetery (11)

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About Hunter Shea

Hunter Shea is the product of a misspent childhood watching scary movies, reading forbidden books and wishing Bigfoot would walk past his house. He doesn’t just write about the paranormal – he actively seeks out the things that scare the hell out of people and experiences them for himself. Hunter’s novels can even be found on display at the International Cryptozoology Museum. His video podcast, Monster Men, is one of the most watched horror podcasts in the world. You’ll also find him every week on the Final Guys podcast, available everywhere. He’s a bestselling author of over 30 books, all of them written with the express desire to quicken heartbeats and make spines tingle. Living with his wonderful family and two cats, he’s happy to be close enough to New York City to gobble down Gray’s Papaya hotdogs when the craving hits.

8 responses to “A Visit to the Haunted Union Cemetery”

  1. hookofabook says :

    Dear Heavens, I am completely freaked out. THAT scared me. I should not be home alone. Wow, I can’t believe how frightening all that is. I don’t know any graveyards, but if you are close to Harlem, my ancestor is buried there. I’d for you to try to talk to him. 🙂

  2. Renae Rude - The Paranormalist says :

    “…true hauntings don’t have a time clock.” I agree completely. I’ve always kind of wondered why so many insist on midnight, night-vision investigations. The stuff I’ve actually seen or sensed has been no more prevelant at night than any other time of the day.

  3. Scott DayOH says :

    I did see that on Monster Men, during a marathon at work (shhhhh…. ). Pretty cool finding!

  4. the happy horror writer says :

    I love visiting cemeteries, and almost every vacation includes wandering through the most sprawling, atmospheric cemetery I can find. I’ve never had any paranormal encounters in a cemetery, though. I’ll keep trying.

    This post, of course, brings to mind your story, “The Graveyard Speaks.” Read it, loved it, ordered SINISTER ENTITY! 🙂

    -aniko

  5. silver1971 says :

    Yes in some way can attract a ghost, but there are a one risk, peoples who was good peoples in a life be will after, but who was evil, evil be will after too. I was read but not remember where, all evil who was ejecute, for homicide and another crimes in one cementery was in different side, but are idiot who go over a grave of mass serial murder and disturbing, and can get back to a own home later. I don’t like in a night, day are of.

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