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 1. Bonaventure Cemetery - Savannah Georgia
This breathtaking resting place was made famous in the murder
mystery "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil". Throughout its
existence, locals have been in awe of its beauty and wary of its
spirits. The most well known is Little Gracie, who inhabits her
lifelike statue. Gifts are left for the ghost of the 6-year-old
girl, and legend has it that the statue cries bloody tears if a toy
is removed.
2. Highgate Cemetery - London, England
Part of the “Magnificent Seven,” a network of attractive resting
places surrounding central London, this sprawling graveyard houses a
veritable who’s who from British history—George Eliot, Douglas
Adams, the family of Charles Dickens, and numerous playwrights,
thespians, and soldiers. Beginning in 1970, sightings of a
mysterious gray figure and rumors of a Highgate Vampire circulated
among visitors. The hysteria culminated in a vampire hunt on Friday
the 13th in 1970. Other sightings include a madwoman running through
the graveyard and a levitating nun.
3. Old Burying Point Cemetery - Salem, Massachusetts
Visit the oldest burial ground in Salem at night if you dare. The
cemetery dates back to 1637 and tortured souls—some of whom were
accused of witchcraft—reportedly roam its grounds. Visitors have
experienced drops in temperature, the sensation of being touched,
and orbs of light gliding through the air.
 4. Cemetery Hill - Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
The loss of life here from the Battle of Gettysburg was staggering.
The bodies of soldiers were left in the streets as they awaited
burial in the sweltering July heat. Now, restless apparitions and
phantom smells of peppermint—once used to mask the scent of rotting
flesh—drift across the hills.
5. Pere Lachaise Cemetery - Paris, France
Some of the world’s greatest artists rest in peace along the
cobblestone paths of this ornate cemetery. Among the list of eternal
luminaries are Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf, and Frederic Chopin. Not all
rest so peacefully, however. Those souls said to linger in Pere
Lachaise include the ghost of the Doors’ Jim Morrison and Adolphe
Thiers, a prime minister from the 19th century, who pulls on
visitors’ clothing should they come too close to his grave.
6. Greyfriars Kirkyard - Edinburgh, Scotland
This 16th century parish graveyard sits south of Old Town near
Edinburgh Castle. The statue of Skye Terrier Greyfriars Bobby
continues to watch over the cemetery that contains his master’s
grave, just as the legendary canine is said to have done for 14
years before his death. A less amiable entity is the violent
Mackenzie poltergeist, supposedly stirred to life in 1999 after Sir
George Mackenzie’s tomb was desecrated. Mackenzie was the Chief
Persecutor of the Covenanters, a Scottish Presbyterian religious
movement. The malevolent force has been known to physically attack
visitors near Mackenzie’s Black Mausoleum.
7. St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 - New Orleans, Louisiana
The ghosts of Civil War soldiers, Yellow Fever victims, and other
unfortunate souls are said to walk this so-called “City of the Dead”
in New Orleans. Also buried here is Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau. Local
legend speaks of a wish-granting ritual to be conducted at her
grave. So many have come a-knocking that the Archdiocese of New
Orleans recently closed the cemetery to the public. All visitors
must now acquire a licensed tour guide before entering.
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8. Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery - Chicago, Illinois
The deceased have been laid to rest in this secluded Chicagoland
graveyard since 1884. By the 1960s, however, Bachelor’s Grove was
largely abandoned. Vandals ransacked the area and rumors of
paranormal activity soon surfaced. Reports speak of a phantom
farmhouse, the ghostly apparition of a farmer and his horse, and
occult activities such as animal sacrifices. And beware the Madonna
of Bachelor’s Grove, a resident female spirit who sits on a
tombstone or wanders the grounds of the forgotten cemetery.
9. St. Paul’s Church Cemetery - Key West, Florida
The parish itself has been rebuilt several times following a great
fire and a hurricane. The spirits that roam this graveyard are
hardly at peace—especially one John Fleming. His widow donated the
land in 1832 with the condition that her husband’s body remained
buried there. It’s said that his ghost along with an angry sea
captain, still haunt the grounds.
10. Mililani Cemetery - Oahu, Hawaii
In the 1960s, developers established the town of Mililani on an old
Hawaiian plantation nestled between two mountains. Within its
cemetery is a statue of a man astride a horse rumored to come to
life at midnight. Circle the statue three times backward in your car
with your headlights on, and it will dance and gaze at you. Don’t
stay too long, however. The specter may also cause your car to stall
or worse — follow you on your drive home.
11. Manoa Chinese Cemetery - Oahu, Hawaii
Among the graves of this seemingly peaceful resting place is a
somber section of infants buried in unmarked plots. Many babies of
immigrant workers were buried here during a time when infant
mortality rates were high. Per Chinese tradition, they are buried
together, so they can play with each other in the afterlife. In the
past, neighbors have heard cat-like sounds, thought to be the
littlest souls crying for attention. Phantom fires and swirls of
light have also been seen. A nearby tree — more than 150 years old
and believed by locals to be the portal to the hereafter — has been
said to burst into flames.
12. Soi Sai Yood Bus Cemetery - Bangkok, Thailand
A graveyard where things go beep beep in the night? According to
local lore, cars that pass by this bus junk yard-slash-cemetery are
bombarded with a flash of headlights. Spectral hitchhikers appear
out of thin air. Taxi drivers who stop to pick up the mysterious
figures are surprised when they vanish from the back seat. In
addition, the deceased passengers of fatal bus crashes have been
seen running into traffic, only to disappear just before being
struck.
This story was originally featured on The-Line-Up.com. The Lineup is
the premier digital destination for fans of true crime, horror, the
mysterious, and the paranormal.
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
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