Rather than walk the reader through some maps or interview some local ghost expert, I will share what I know from lore and legends about the pentagram of cemeteries around Athens.
I’ve been visiting these sites off and on for years. And I live next to one of the big cemeteries – perched at the top of West State Street. More on that in a minute.
Yes, Athens is haunted. No doubt. When the shadows grow longer in the fall and the fog rolls in, yes, spirits tend to wander and things go bump in the night. The same can be said for restless spirits on a sunny summer day too.
What is a pentagram?
For those who have never seen the movie “The Craft” nor drawn a blood red pentagram on the floor of their dorm room floor that had lit candles accentuating the symbol’s five points on a stormy night, a pentagram is a five-sided star, often within a circle. One of the oldest symbols known to man, these mysterious markings date back thousands of years and have ties to Christianity, Islam, Wiccans and Satanists.
Some folks say the five points represent earth, sky, fire, water and spirit. Others say the points act as a prism attracting supernatural energy focused on a center point – power that the proper necromancer can harvest.
Five cemeteries around Athens that are said to be the points on the pentagram are Simms, Hanning, Cuckler, Higgins and Zion cemeteries, though many other graveyards may be prime suspects too as points in the pentagram.
Vortex of legend
Pentagram is said to have as its vortex Wilson Hall, where spooky things have been happening for generations of Ohio University students.
Maybe it was not a good idea to build the residence hall over a cemetery from Athens Mental Institute – yep.
Everyone has heard stories about how the fourth floor is said to be haunted — lights going on and off or doors suddenly closing. According to many newspaper accounts published over the years, a student living in the dorm is said to have died “violently” after engaging in an occult ritual sometime in the 1970s.
The room was sealed and later was remodeled from living quarters. Several ghost hunters and paranormal investigators have visited Wilson Hall over the years.
West State Street Cemetery
Though folks can differ as to which cemeteries around Athens are the points in pentagram, let’s start with a few familiar cemeteries that deserve a bit of ink as I write this story in the dark on my front porch on West State Street. I live so close to Athens’ oldest cemetery that I can see it from my kitchen window.
According to the City of Athens website, West State Street Cemetery is the first designated cemetery in the City of Athens. The cemetery is the eternal resting spot of early pioneers, founders of the community and surrounding areas, emancipated slaves and several War Veterans going back to the Revolution.
Though accounts vary, the cemetery was probably started around in the very early 1800s when there really wasn’t anything in that end of town. Remember, Ohio University was founded in 1804, so that year may be a starting point of sorts. City’s website said the cemetery fell into disrepair for many years in the latter part of the 19th century, so in the early 1920s the citizens decided to clean up the cemetery and fix the headstones.
The cemetery’s famous Recording Angel pays tribute to the unknown dead whose tombstones had long since faded to the ravages of time.
No matter whether there is a full moon or a moonless night, the Recording Angel glows so that no matter how dark or foggy it gets, no one can miss seeing this grieving apparition.
Made of white Italian marble and costing $750 in the early 1920s, the Recording Angel pays tribute to the unknown dead interred in the cemetery between 1805 and 1924. Inscribed on the Recording Angel’s base is the phrase “To the sacred memory of the unknown dead who rest here,” was, on May 30, 1924, “Erected Gratis by Cross Brothers,” monument dealers of Athens. Surrounding the Angel is an iron fence that Athens High School donated.
Among the graves in the cemetery is a man buried next to his wife and later, consort, which must make for some interesting conversations after the witching hour.
Union Street Cemetery
Union Street Cemetery is a vast cemetery where more than 8,000 folks are buried. Grounds are cared for by the city and many local and state leaders are buried within its hallowed grounds.
Just because it’s interesting, perhaps a point of pride in the powerbrokers who lived in Athens in the past, here is a partial list of notable folks who are buried in the West Union Street Cemetery according to the city’s website:
John Frank Oldfield (1867-1916) – United States Postal Inspector, credited with taking down one of the first organized crime rings “The Society of the Banana.” A book is written about his life: “Inspector Oldfield and the Black Hand Society: America’s Original Gangsters and the U.S. Postal Detective Who Brought Them to Justice.”
- Charles Grosvenor Bond (1877-1974) – United States Congressman (67th Congress), His granddaughter founded the television network, Oxygen.
- Elmer Burritt Bryan (1865-1934) – 11th President of Ohio University (1921-1934, died in office), the namesake of Bryan Hall on Ohio Univeristy’s Campus
- Alston Ellis (1847-1920) – 10th President of Ohio University (1901-1920, died in office), the namesake of Ellis Hall on Ohio University’s campus
- Walter S. Gamertsfelder (1885-1967) – 13th President of Ohio University (1943-1945), namesake of Gamertsfelder Hall on Ohio University’s campus
- Charles Henry Grosvenor (1833-1917) – Union Brevet Brigadier General, Civil War, Ohio House of Representatives – Speaker of the House, United States Congressman (53rd-59th Congresses), Chairman of the House Republican Conference
- George “Crum” Kahler (1889-1924) – Major League Pitcher – Cleveland Naps (Indians), best known for fighting Ty Cobb in 1912: “If he tackles me, he will find that he is going up against just one more man who can take his measure. I don’t claim to be a fighter, but I don’t think Ty Cobb will ever scare me with any threats.” After squaring off with Cobb in the first inning of their next meeting, a fight broke out between them. Neither was thrown out and Kahler went on to pitch a 10-inning shutout, winning the game for Cleveland.
- Eliakim Hastings Moore (1812-1900) – United States Congressman (41st Congress)
- Calvary Morris (1798-1871) – United States Congressman (25th-27th Congresses)
- Nelson Holmes Van Vorhes (1822-1882) – Union Colonel, Civil War, United States Congressman (44th, 45th Congresses)
- John Welch (1805-1891) – United States Congressman (32nd Congress), Associate Justice Ohio Supreme Court (1865-1878), Chief Justice Ohio Supreme Court (1877-78)
The Ridges
The Ridges features three cemeteries – one that is closer to some of the main buildings and two others that are more secluded and within the woods.
The Ridges – formerly known as the Athens Lunatic Asylum – was home to hundreds of patients throughout the late 1800s until 1993. The asylum was now renowned for its infamous procedures such as lobotomies and electroshock therapy.
Anyway, many of the cemetery’s gravestones have only numbers on them – no names. Researchers have sought to identify the anonymous burials within the graveyards for many years.
Simms Cemetery
Located off Peach Ridge Road, Simms Cemetery is one of the five cemeteries said to make up the points in the pentagram centered on Wilson Hall.
Legend has it that Judge John Simms hung criminals condemned to death from a tree long ago in that neck of the woods. Some folks say Simms still wanders the cemetery in a hooded robe looking for folks to hang. Others say a witch is buried there. As the small cemetery is reported to fade from view, depending on who is searching for it, maybe it’s best to avoid this cemetery, particularly as it is on private property.
Pioneer Cemetery
Maybe the Pioneer Cemetery is not part of the pentagram, but it is a worthy find. Go to Stroud’s Run and park, not at the main park, but at the picnic area across the lake on the other side of the hill.
To find the cemetery, follow the trail markers and trails, cross the tiny footbridge over a shallow creek and make your way deep into the forest.
Path will split – do not go up, but stay close to the trail bordering the creek. Eventually, there’s a marker by a slight rise where the Pioneer Cemetery is located.
Buried there is Samuel Gillett, the patriarch of the family, who moved to Athens County in 1818 and to the now-park area in 1823. He died in 1874, and is buried in Gillette Cemetery (also known as Pioneer Cemetery).
The Gillette family, which at one time owned more than 1,000 acres in the county, did not start spelling its name with an “e” on the end until the 20th century.
A few weeks before this article was written, there was a small, unopened bottle of whiskey placed on Gillette’s tombstone.
So yes, there is a lot of haunted history in Athens so travelers should be wary because behind every corner in town or secluded spot without a trees deep in the woods, perhaps in a 200+ year old cemetery guarded by a crying angel, there is a story to tell that echoes an eternity.
Source: The Athens News
