Throughout Mississippi, you’ll find notorious locales steeped in local lore – and Glenwood Cemetery is definitely one of them. Located in Yazoo City, the historic cemetery includes several significant gravesites, including one that belongs to an infamous witch who, according to legend, wreaked havoc on the city decades ago. Today, Glenwood Cemetery is open for touring, but its chilling past lives on. Take a look:
With a cheerful downtown full of brightly colored buildings, it may come as a bit of a surprise that Yazoo City is home to one of the nation’s creepiest locales.
Janie Fortenberry/Photography with a Southern Accent, Vicksburg, Mississippi
According to Huffington Post, Glenwood Cemetery is the second spookiest cemetery in the entire country.
Janie Fortenberry/Photography with a Southern Accent, Vicksburg, Mississippi
The historic cemetery, which dates back to at least 1856, includes several interesting gravesites, including a mass grave that holds the bodies of countless Confederate soldiers.
Natalie Maynor/Flickr
Notable author and Mississippi native Willie Morris is also buried in the cemetery.
Janie Fortenberry/Photography with a Southern Accent, Vicksburg, Mississippi
But the most intriguing of all is definitely the “Witch’s Grave.” Surrounded by chain links, the grave site is steeped in local lore.
Janie Fortenberry/Photography with a Southern Accent, Vicksburg, Mississippi
While the story of the witch was popularized by author Willie Morris’ 1971 book “Good Old Boy,” the tale actually dates back to the late 1800s.
visityazoo.org According to legend, an old woman, believed to be a witch, vowed to get revenge on Yazoo City, exclaiming “In 20 years, I will return and burn this town to the ground!”
Nobody paid much mind to the threat – that is until 20 years later when a huge fire broke out and destroyed over 300 of the town’s buildings. The day after the fire, several residents visited the witch’s grave in Glenwood Cemetery, at which time they found the large chain that had been placed around her grave was mysteriously broken into two.
To this day, it remains a mystery as to who is actually buried in the notorious grave.
Joshua Ray Lancaster/Find A Grave Some claim that a man is buried in the famous grave site; however, there is no record of this. In fact, the only record that exists simply lists a woman as the owner of the site. Only adding to the mystery, the original headstone simply read “T.W.” – which many speculated stood for “The Witch.”
One thing’s for sure, the grave has long been the site of inexplicable happenings. Aside from the headstone mysteriously falling and splitting into two immediately after installation, the heavy chains that surround the grave keep falling apart, despite constantly being repaired.
Today, the Witch of Yazoo and the cemetery’s significance live on through tours put on by costumed storytellers.
visityazoo.org
Get a closer look at Yazoo City’s famous graveyard in the video below.
Janie Fortenberry/Photography with a Southern Accent, Vicksburg, Mississippi
Natalie Maynor/Flickr
visityazoo.org
According to legend, an old woman, believed to be a witch, vowed to get revenge on Yazoo City, exclaiming “In 20 years, I will return and burn this town to the ground!”
Nobody paid much mind to the threat – that is until 20 years later when a huge fire broke out and destroyed over 300 of the town’s buildings. The day after the fire, several residents visited the witch’s grave in Glenwood Cemetery, at which time they found the large chain that had been placed around her grave was mysteriously broken into two.
Joshua Ray Lancaster/Find A Grave
Some claim that a man is buried in the famous grave site; however, there is no record of this. In fact, the only record that exists simply lists a woman as the owner of the site. Only adding to the mystery, the original headstone simply read “T.W.” – which many speculated stood for “The Witch.”
One thing’s for sure, the grave has long been the site of inexplicable happenings. Aside from the headstone mysteriously falling and splitting into two immediately after installation, the heavy chains that surround the grave keep falling apart, despite constantly being repaired.
Visit Glenwood Cemetery at Potters Field Road in Yazoo City. For more information on the witch as well as guided tours, head to the Visit Yazoo website, call 800-381-0662, or e-mail info@visityazoo.org.
Looking for another spooky site in the state? Check out “Visiting This Haunted Mississippi Cemetery Will Give You Goosebumps.“
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