Remote location became even more so after cemetery became part of Morgan-Monroe State Forest in 1929; maintained by Benton Township. Gallery: Baby Lester grave at allegedly haunted Stepp Cemetery set on fire, Gallery: Inaugural B-Town Hot Summer Nights Festival, Bloomington police officers injured while detaining man having mental health crisis Sunday, City of Bloomington, Indiana sends press release with list of 82 places where drivers cant turn right on a red light, Press Release: Statewide Tornado Drill on March 14th at 10:15 AM, Press release: Indiana State Police Fort Wayne Post Trooper Struck and Killed in the Line of Duty, PRESS RELEASE: March Brings Spring Break Fun; Kittens Needing Care, and Car Seat Safety, Press release: Tzedakah Initiative, a special project of Beth Shalom Synagogue in Bloomington, Indiana, announces $5,000 donation to New Hope for Families. Hundreds of stars hover above the secluded meadow. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. She Stepp Cemetery is located in a Sate Forest in Indiana. And especially PARAHOLICS researcher Eunice Spector, she went deep almost became a Crabbite priestess for the cause. No votes so far! (Prepared by the Morgan County Leadership Academy Class of 2022 on behalf of the Morgan County Bicentennial Committee), This point of interest is part of the tour: A free roam tour of Morgan County, Indiana. There was only one other sibling, Pauline Pryor. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. Thanks for your help! Baby Lesters grave was adorned with toys and trinkets, and I actually left a dime on the headstone (I had read that visitors were supposed to do this). A different branch of the Stepp Cemetery mythology leads to a tale of two brothers who dueled to the death in the graveyard for their inheritance. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? However, some have unlocked the door cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. As Stepp received more and more living visitors, the stories surrounding this strange piece of land ballooned. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. The baby died just a few days after its birth and is buried on the east side of the cemetery under a tombstone that has the name 'Baby Lester' etched into it. emblems spray painted onto tombstones. driveway. Added by: Tom "Homer" W. on 08 Mar 2009. journey that links the spiritual world to the scientific study of UFOs. Only 32 people are in Stepp, according to a There have been quite a few stones removed from Stepp because of its This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. At one cemetery in Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. He did not refer to the ceremony as satanic. extraterrestrial world. After you park in the gravel side area, you walk up an inclined path with dense woods on either side until you reach a clearing in the woods littered . Crossing this barrier and entering The entire ten members of he family were laid to rest in Stepp Cemetery. Other stories of spirit called Anna, who would weave among the headstones mourning the accidental deaths of her husband and teenage daughter. This site is notorious for many legends that have evolved Whether or not this strange, remote cemetery is truly haunted is up for debatebut the stories that pour from it remain interesting and consistent. place to cherish those whose lives have shaped the present. (Reporter-Times, 4/11/1998). (Reporter-Times, 5/15/2005), Variant of young couple racing along winding roads and killed in accident; girl decapitated and head never found now woman dressed in black seen wearing girls head around neck as a warning to travelers. This browser does not support getting your location. Approximately 114 graves; oldest believed to be of Isaac Hartsock (1793-1851), veteran of War of 1812. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Variant of wife of local doctor died in crash in 1936; her infant died and was buried at Stepp Cemetery. to Monroe Countys past, while others have linked the spiritual world to Writer. This cemetery contains approximately 114 graves. (Hoosier Folk Legends, Baker)). that one time someone was caught digging up one of the gravesites. We try and enter this place as if we were They wanted to sit around and tell ghost by the earth, said Taylor. Considered the most haunted place in Indiana. Some claimed it was the ghost of a local woman whod lost her infant son 20 years earlier. Two men named Kent and Rush from a distance inaugurated strange belief in the community but not long before one of converts William Crabb became leader with his people. found outside of the cemetery and on various hiking trails. . It was great to see efforts have been taken to clean up and protect the cemetery. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Baby Lester (17246514)? Take a second to support The Bloomingtonian on Patreon! would place it back into the ground until her next visit.. (The Reporter-Times, 1/11/1982). Indiana, If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. Research and Cataloging, is meeting with his colleagues to discuss Some people claim to have seen her walking among There were two siblings, Pauline Pryor and John Henry Lester born 1938. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Please enter your email and password to sign in. O'Leatha, the mother of the stillborn child, married James Walls after the death of the baby's father. The stones have been Learn More, 2023, The Trustees of Indiana University Copyright Complaints, 1229 East Seventh Street, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, Support For Indiana Public Media Comes From, Indiana Pioneer Cemeteries Restoration Project, Become an Indiana Public Media supporter. Just a lil return to haunted Stepp Cemetery for some weird ITC experiments. scrap metal. Search above to list available cemeteries. Plus Code 8H79+MV Martinsville, IN, USA Baldwin. We eventually did, at which point we were followed by a vehicle that turned off its headlights as it continued to follow us. Available for both RF and RM licensing. site the milestone for much of his research. The cemetery, which is closer to Martinsville than Bloomington, has a reputation for allegedly being haunted. of men he was meeting with. During our visit, we did not observe anything that would be considered paranormal or supernatural. (Star Press, 9/1/1907), Plan to convince skeptics announced with Crabbite allowing full-grown rattlesnake to bite him and then demonstrate how prayer would save and heal wound. Taylor described two different types of energy that surround If you see or know of anyone involved in vandalism of this location, contact the Benton Township Trustee at (812) 339-6593. UFO sightings (Southside Times, 7/4/2019), https://paraholics.com/2021/02/18/stepp-cemetery-halloween-2020/, https://paraholics.com/2020/08/12/my-own-hellier-in-two-hours-or-less/, https://paraholics.com/2015/08/09/startling-echovox-session-at-stepp-cemetery/, great job! It was built in It is in this area that at 3am on Saturday night/Sunday morning, black mass ceremonies (or their equivalent) allegedly take place. Monroe County Coroners report. In 1972 article The Legend of Stepp Cemetery, (Clements and Lightfoot), 27 legend variants cited: generally involve elements of woman (as living, disfigured, witch or ghost) dressed in black visiting grave of husband, daughter, infant or combination; woman seated on stump near entrance; stump curse (below); deaths and mutilations, frequently of German shepherd dog, cited as proof of stumps potency. The destruction outrages Baldwin and he does whatever he can to protect buried in Stepp are children under the age of 7 and their 19-year-old Her killer was never found, despite her mothers work to figure out who had murdered her daughter. Taylor began this organization after he became unsatisfied with a group Resend Activation Email. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. Toys at the grave of "Baby Lester" were set on fire sometime in the past few days, Saturday, July 24, 2021 in the Morgan-Monroe State Forest in Northern Monroe County. Much of lores origins said to date to 1950s-1970s. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Located in Stepp Cemetery in Martinsville, Indiana. cemetery. Land occupied by Native Americans for thousands of years prior to Euro-American settlement in 1800s. This infant was the child of O'Leatha Pryor Lester (Walls) and Harley Lester. Nighttime at Stepp is quiet and still Their The feeling of fear is hidden by the excitement for the unknown. The richness of legend that surrounds the small, derelict graveyard earns it a spot on every list of haunted Hoosier locales. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. If you have questions contact the Cemetery Commissioner at 517-241-8070 or email LARA-Cemetery@michigan.gov. Scientific Theories He promptly fled the scene, and vowed never to return to Stepp Cemetery under any circumstances. You get the recipe for one of the most haunted locations in the State of Indiana Stepp Cemetery. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. Stepp alone is among 300 burial grounds in Monroe County. She guards her child's grave to keep him (it's a son in this one) from being afraid of the dark, scaring off anyone who approaches her with a wave of her hook. Not saying Im some seer of the esoteric. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Videos of the trip to Stepp Cemetery can be found here, here, and here. The Cemetery It is a 20-minute drive from the Taylor home to Stepp, which is located in the Morgan-Monroe State Forest. Lore of odd circular pools behind cemetery, Most of states reported Sasquatch sightings said to happen in this forest. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. Baker handled the snake for several minutes after being bitten. Hi there! daughters, The first thing I saw when I entered the cemetery was a It reads, Baby The Lady in White legend now appears to be superseded by a Lady in Black story. Actually, the title should read. Perhaps most interesting of all the stories associated with Stepp Cemetery are the Crabbites. However, it is considered to quite possibly be one of the most haunted cemeteries in the state of Indiana, and perhaps in the United States. What do you get when you mix a forest, UFO sightings, snake handling, a square earth, a cult, ghost-lore, orgies, exorcisms, punks, animal sacrifices, the occult, Bigfoot, resurrections, magic ceremonies, Jesus under an apple tree, and one small and very misunderstood grave? He said This baby is perhaps the cemeterys most well-known resident, Baby Lester, who died a few days after he was born in the 1930s. energies. Attention All Ghosts, Bigfoots, & Aliens: Me & Paranormal You w/Ryan Singer: Exp #371, A Requiem For Baby Lester The Hauntings of Stepp Cemetery, Me and Paranormal You with Ryan Singer: Experience 387, The Mineral Springs Hotel Haunted America Conference Investigation 2022. Editor's Note: I'm hearing conflicting reports on how this fire may have begun. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. But for everyone, it is a The Legends, Harp walks slowly toward a But if you can learn to pause moments and let the liminality of the present manifest, you may find your reality weaving, much like a web connecting moment after moment, incident after [], What do you get when you mix a forest, UFO sightings, snake handling, a square earth, a cult, ghost-lore, orgies, exorcisms, punks, animal sacrifices, the occult, Bigfoot, resurrections, magic ceremonies, Jesus under an apple tree, and one small and very misunderstood grave? His Beliefs included square earth, Christ born under apple tree and ability to resurrect dead. Stepp Cemetery. Duck hunters reported hearing loud vocalizations in 2009. Stepp Cemetery. Stepp Cemetery - Martinsville. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Design a site like this with WordPress.com. Would you like to become a sponsor of our web site? Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. sacred territory stirs emotions you can only experience once you have According to legend, a parition can be seen sitting on a stump, crying over the loss of her baby. Taylor believes some type of ceremony was held in the cemetery that near Martinsville. Reports of hearing strange chanting and howling in the night when no one found in the cemetery; believed Crabbite spirits responsible. It had holes cut into it and a candle was lit in the Many of the tombstones in this small cemetery actually belong to children, sadly. Narrow your results to famous, Non-Cemetery Burials, memorials with or without grave photos and more. Baldwin said He A vandal with a grisly sense of humor dumped a tombstone in the front yard. for everyone to see. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Benton Township, Monroe County, Indiana, USA Anneliese Michel 21 Sep 1952 - 1 Jul 1976. He observed individuals in black robes conducting some type of ceremony. The Oak Please try again later. The His wife and daughters became frightened and wanted to leave. View all posts by Jeff Turner. Adkins said to have donated cemetery in early 1800s. (Indianapolis News, 5/23/1908). Harp, said they are not the only ones fascinated by this historical site. By the dim flicker of two when they use cemeteries as a worshiping ground. Unlike the grand and sweeping cemetery you may be picturing, Stepp Cemetery is quite small and is home to just 25 graves. Agnostic. Many of the tombstones in this small cemetery actually belong to children, sadly. She could be observed humming to a baby. Locals tell the sad story of a woman who tragically lost her baby son during the mid-1930s . Please send change requests to changerequest@pocketsights.com. Baldwin Be the first to rate this post. Adkins and wife Anna, as well as relatives, buried in cemetery. The stone bears the name of Thomas Stepp, who died in 1869. (Reporter-Times, 8/31/1974), Conservation officer saw no traces of cult meetings, saying evidence of campfires but not of human or animal sacrifices. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Our addiction isn't normal, it's paranormal., Post: The Ghosts of Octagon Hall Franklin, Kentucky, Post: My Own Hellier In Two Hours Or Less. Hundreds of stars hover above the secluded meadow. Failed to remove flower. They knew Starting in the 1950s, visitors to the burial ground began reporting sightings of a lady shrouded in black, hovering on a chair-like tree stump above a stone simply marked Baby Lester. Some claimed it was the ghost of a local woman whod lost her infant son twenty years earlier. This baby is perhaps the cemetery's most well-known resident, Baby Lester, who died a few days after he was born in the . cemeteries found in Benton Township, Monroe County, Indiana, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Another place of interest in Morgan-Monroe State Forest is Stepp Cemetery a remote burial site in the middle of the woods with a reputation for the paranormal. The cemetery is in the woods just north of the main forest road about center of the forest. There is another legend recorded by Mark Marimen in the book, Haunted people think. thanks! You can always change this later in your Account settings. Ivy, someones There was a problem getting your location. You can always change this later in your Account settings. We dont care what other You need a Find a Grave account to continue. We have set your language to To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. call her Anna. The legend says there is no record of Annas death Stepp Cemetery is located in the center of Morgan-Monroe State Forest just north of the main forest road. A path leads through the woods to the cemetery. Crabbites or Church of the First Born of Brown County, holding forth in vicinity of Nashville and parts of Morgan County their leader has been preaching from a stump in the open woods asserts he can handle snakes without danger to himself a feature of the congregational meeting is the holy kiss, in which the brothers and sisters have become apt pupils and give freely. and Lynn Taylor, cofounder of the Association for Aerial Anomaly It has served as a sanctuary for Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? Variant woman had tree carved into chair so she could watch over child and put curse on anyone who sat there to die within year. This caused me to search the internet to see what was being said about Stepp Cemetary these days. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? The van sits in the grass between a rusted shed and pieces of She was a German woman who underwent. The graveyard has been strewn with debris; its headstones vandalized and removed. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. Growing up, graveyards often seemed like mystical, sacred places that at once repelled and compelled me to examine them more closely. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. What do you get when you mix a forest, UFO sightings, snake handling, a square earth, a cult, ghost-lore, orgies, exorcisms, punks, animal sacrifices, the occult, Bigfoot, resurrections, magic ceremonies, Jesus under an apple tree, and one small and very misunderstood grave? Variant of womans husband killed working construction and she guards his grave even after her own death. Stepp Cemeterys oldest known grave is that of Isaac Hartsock, a War of 1812 veteran who died in 1851. Perhaps because of the Stepps notoriety, it has become a destination of sorts for those seeking dark thrills. Among Monroe/Morgan reports: Possible nighttime encounter by a couple camping near Martinsville. The grassroots effort was started in 1997 to identify and preserve just such neglected historic sites. A sticker with an alien emblem on it rests against the rear bumper of an Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization posted 78 Bigfoot sightings in Indiana since first in 1973. Please enter your email and password to sign in. organization is more interested in the natural energies produced by the Variant of Lady in Black as girls mother, gone insane and dying in mental institution, and sitting on old stump chair where she had sat when alive, talking to graves of daughter and husband, who had died in quarry accident. have referred to these energies as subtle energy. (Brown County Democrat, 1/6/2016), Indiana Bigfoot Reports site received eight reports of creature resembling Big Foot-like creature in forest in 2015. Just like Baldwin, they find these stories to be humorous. Variant of disagreement/duel over ownership of land, leading to death of one of Reuben Stepps children. Someone mentioned that the bare spot was the baby's grave, and was devoid of vegetation as a result of having been tended to, by the "Lady in Black." Well, that was all very interesting, but we were . The cemetery also contains graves of Civil War, World War I and World War II veterans. (Reporter-Times, 7/29/2006), Starting in 1950s, visitors said to have reported sightings of a lady shrouded in black, hovering on a chair-like tree stump above a stone simply marked Baby Lester.. while stray kittens frolic in the yard behind them. var stb_recipient = stb_user + "@" + stb_domain A spectral Lady in Black is said to lurk in the Stepp Cemetery, located deep within the Morgan Monroe State Forest, south of Martinsville. He believes there are energies that exist in Stepp and has made this Verify and try again. I did not get a creepy vibe from the cemetery.