Nebraska might be known for cornfields and wide-open skies, but it also has a spooky side. Out on the plains, old pioneer graveyards, quiet country plots, and historic cemeteries have inspired ghost stories for generations.
Some say a woman in white wanders the grounds at one of them. At another, people swear there is a short-tempered spirit who will shove you or that the headstones glow under the moonlight.
Keep reading to learn more about some of the most haunted cemeteries in Nebraska and the stories people still tell about them.
Before you go: Visiting Nebraska’s haunted cemeteries
Many of the cemeteries in this roundup are small, rural, and on or near private land, so there are a few ground rules you should follow. It’s best to visit during daylight hours, stay on public roads, and obey any instructions on posted signs. Be respectful of the graves, don’t touch or move any markers, and leave things as you found them.
Ball Cemetery is one of the cemeteries that’s located on private property and closely watched by neighbors, so it’s best admired from afar. If you’d like some company during your visit (aside from the spooky spirits), Prospect Hill is probably the most visitor-friendly stop, with guided tours run by local operators.
1. Ball Cemetery
Ball Cemetery is a small pioneer burial ground near Springfield, with about 160 graves dating back to 1869. Local legend focuses on two main ghosts. The friendly one is Mary Mumford (sometimes spelled Munford), a playful spirit who hums or chats softly and tugs at visitors’ clothes. The other is William “Rattlesnake Pete” Liddiard, who really is buried here and is said to have a short temper and a habit of shoving people.
Visitors also talk about strange mist, rustling leaves, footsteps with no one around, and a tall male figure. Some investigators have shared recordings they say capture something unexplained.
Fair warning: Neighbors and local deputies keep a close eye on the place, so sneaking in after dark can land you in legal trouble.
Location: Near Springfield in Sarpy County
2. Boot Hill Cemetery
Boot Hill in Ogallala is a leftover piece of the town’s cattle-trail days. Cowboys, settlers, drifters, and people who died violently or under mysterious circumstances in the 1870s and 1880s were buried here.
Many of the remains were moved later, so what’s left are mostly unknown or unclaimed graves. Local legend has it that restless cowboys still linger, and some visitors claim to hear sounds from another era.
Location: W. 10th St. and Parkhill Dr., Ogallala
3. Gilbert Cemetery
Gilbert Cemetery, also known as Gilbert-Hulse Cemetery, is another small pioneer burial ground in the countryside near Friend, where the oldest burials date back to the 1870s. The Gilbert family and other local settlers are buried here, though nobody knows exactly how many, since many early graves were likely never marked. Visitors have mentioned broken stones, odd shadows, and the feeling of being watched.
Location: 994 County Rd. G, Friend
4. Oakwood Cemetery
Oakwood Cemetery in Weeping Water holds thousands of recorded graves, more than 3,400 in Find a Grave’s index, which is a lot for this small town with a population of about 1,100. Locals who claim to have been here after dark describe figures rising from the graves and chasing them toward the exit.
Location: E. F St., Weeping Water
5. Prospect Hill Cemetery
Prospect Hill is one of Omaha’s oldest burial grounds, with more than 10,000 recorded burials, including pioneers, Civil War-era figures, and infamous madam Anna Wilson. Its most famous resident is the Woman in White, who first made the news in an 1874 Omaha Daily Bee article.
You can see the cemetery on a guided history tour with local groups like History Walks LLC, though the ghost stories are just that—stories.
Location: 3202 Parker St., Omaha
6. Schuyler Cemetery
Schuyler Cemetery is a large local burial ground with more than 7,000 burials, including the grave of Civil War Medal of Honor recipient William Haliday Williams. The ghost stories center on the mausoleum, where visitors say they’ve seen lights and heard voices coming from inside.
The earliest graves date to the 1860s, and the cemetery is still in use today.
Location: 1110 Idaho St., Schuyler
7. Spring Ranch Cemetery
Spring Ranch Cemetery sits in rural Clay County and is tied to one of the most notorious lynchings in Nebraska history. In 1885, Elizabeth Taylor and her brother Tom Jones were accused of barn burning and murder.
Before they could stand trial, a mob took them from custody and hanged them near the Little Blue River. Both are buried in the cemetery, and local legend says their spirits still linger there and at the nearby bridge.
Location: End of Road 305 off Road C, Clay County
8. St. Patrick’s Cemetery/Glowing Graveyard
Out by Shell Creek near Columbus, some of the headstones at St. Patrick’s Cemetery are said to glow in the moonlight. Local lore blames a rock placed on a murderer’s grave, and the story is where the cemetery gets its nickname, Glowing Graveyard.
Glowing headstones aren’t the only spooky spectacle at this cemetery, though. People also tell stories of a school bus accident that resulted in the death of all the passengers on a nearby bridge. Apparently, if you put talcum powder on your car and drive over the bridge, handprints will appear on your vehicle.
Location: 27275 250th Ave., Columbus
9. Wyuka Cemetery
Wyuka Cemetery opened in 1869 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s better known as a beautiful historic landmark than a haunted one. Still, a few stories circulate, including a Victorian woman in black carrying a lantern and the Clara Mills legend, which ties back to Nebraska Wesleyan University and a tradition of leaving flowers at her grave.
Even if the tales aren’t officially verified, the history and the grounds make this cemetery worth a stop.
Location: 3600 O St., Lincoln
This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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