Haunted Cemeteries

Evergreen Cemetery, New Haven

Evergreen Cemetery, where Mary E. Hart lies, is said to be the origin of the chilling legend of Midnight Mary. According to the story, Mary died exactly at midnight in 1872, and some claim she was mistakenly buried alive, leaving scratch marks inside her coffin. Her ominous epitaph—“The people shall be troubled at midnight and pass away”—sparked rumors that her spirit rises at midnight. Over the years, tales have spread of those who mocked her grave only to meet strange or violent ends. Her real headstone still stands in New Haven, giving the ghost story a haunting sense of reality.

Gunntown Cemetery, Naugatuck

A historic burial ground in Naugatuck established in 1790, it contains the graves of many members of the Gunn family, early settlers who played an important role in the development of the area. In addition to its historical significance, the cemetery is widely known for local ghost stories and paranormal legends, making it one of Connecticut’s most well-known haunted sites. Visitors have described hearing unexplained music and children’s laughter, along with sightings of ghostly figures like a lantern carrying man and a small boy near the back wall. Some also report a vanishing black dog and strange mists or orbs captured in photos. Paranormal investigators — including the Warrens — have labeled the site haunted, adding to its eerie reputation.

Great Hill Cemetery, Seymour

Great Hill Cemetery, also known as Hookman's Cemetery, is a secluded 18th century burial ground known for both its natural beauty and its eerie legends. Tucked deep in the woods, it’s still an active cemetery, though many visitors know it best for the ghost stories tied to its past. The most famous tale involves the so-called Hookman, a former caretaker said to have lost his hand and later died by suicide on the grounds. According to local lore, those who park beneath certain trees may hear tapping on their car roof—supposedly the caretaker’s hook. Despite the spooky stories, the cemetery is described as peaceful, historic, and visually striking. 

Fairfield Old Burying Ground, Fairfield 

Fairfield Museum runs guided lantern tours through the Old Burying Ground, with early New England burial practices, local legends, and stories tied to nearly 400 years of Fairfield history.

Stepney Cemetery, Monroe

Stepney Cemetery is considered haunted, with legends of Revolutionary War soldier Nathaniel Knapp’s ghost and sightings of military apparitions and even the “White Lady” known from nearby Union Cemetery. The site gained even more paranormal significance when famed investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren chose it as their final resting place, drawing visitors who report strange experiences near their graves. Some claim that touching Ed Warren’s headstone cross produces unexplained heat, adding to the cemetery’s eerie reputation.

Union Cemetery, Easton

Union Cemetery dates back to the 1700s and is widely regarded as one of the most haunted cemeteries in the United States. Its most famous ghost is the "White Lady," a nightgown-clad apparition rumored to be a 1940s murder victim or a mourning mother, who has frequently been sighted on nearby routes and was even blamed for denting a car in 1993. Another notable entity is "Red Eyes," a menacing spirit believed by paranormal investigators to be the ghost of a man named Earle Kellog. The cemetery's eerie reputation inspired famed investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren to capture the White Lady on film and author a book about the site titled Graveyard. Because of its terrifying history and frequent trespassers, the active burial ground and its adjoining historic church are now strictly patrolled by police.

Great New England Vampire Panic, Griswold

Members of the Ray family of Jewett City were among the many victims of the Great New England Vampire Panic, when 19th-century populations of Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts thought outbreaks of tuberculosis could be the work of vampires. After five members of the Ray family died of the disease, the surviving family exhumed and burned their bodies to "protect" themselves from the undead. 

Grove Street Cemetery, New Haven 

The burial ground, which opened in 1796, is the oldest cemetery in the nation designed as a “city of the dead,” with named avenues and cross streets. A National Historic Landmark, it is also the first chartered burial ground in the United States and the first to be arranged in family lots. It's been widely discussed in local folklore and featured in dark academia fiction like Leigh Bardugo's "Ninth House."

Gregory's Four Corners Burial Grounds / Hannah Cranna Grave, Trumbull

Hannah Tomlinson-Hovey, better known as "Hannah Cranna," became the legendary "Wicked Witch of Monroe." Her grave is still there and has become a folklore destination.

Center Church Crypt, New Haven

The Center Church Crypt marks the last remaining evidence of the early settlers of the New Haven Colony who were buried on the Green. All the remains and gravestones were left in their original positions to be protected by the church’s foundation where a crypt, an enclosed chamber around the burial ground,  was created. Historically, the New Haven Crypt is one of the exceptional colonial burial grounds to endure untouched.

Green Lady Cemetery" is the local nickname for the historic Seventh Day Baptist Cemetery located on Upson Road (also called Covey Corners.) Dating back to the late 18th century, it is famous for local ghost stories about a glowing green mist or a woman in a green dress. 

Wethersfield Village Cemetery, Wethersfield 

The Ancient Burying Ground (Wethersfield Village Cemetery) in Old Wethersfield, established in 1637, is widely regarded as an atmospheric and purportedly haunted site. It features 17th-century slate markers, connections to early American witch trials, and the tragic gravesite of a 1782 mass murder-suicide.