In Eastern Mason County, Kentucky, there is a cemetery at the Bethany Christian Church. It is a small cemetery with only a few dozen graves. Most of the graves date between the early 1900’s to present day. The grounds are well kept, but I’m not sure that the church still has services. There are a variety of tombstones types in the cemetery from obelisk to small flat vertical rectangular stones. The church is a small frame one-story structure in the middle of the cemetery. An American flag flies on a 30 foot flagpole along the drive leading to the church.
Since I was very small I have heard stories of how one of the graves had a ghost that appeared at night. I have heard stories of many motorist that were startled as the ghostly image of a woman would appear on one of the obelisk as they drove along Cabin Creek Road.
My mother showed me where the grave was when I was a kid. On Decoration Day (Memorial Day) we would visit the cemeteries to decorate the graves of our family. We would go to Bethany to decorate the grave of Mary L. Hughes. The wife of John K. Weaver. They were my Great-great Grand parents. During the visits to the cemetery my mother would tell me the story of the apparition that had purportedly occurred and that the ghost had appeared on the tombstone of my Great-great Grand parents. My mother always told me that the was story that Mary was a person of such an unpleasant disposition that her image came out on her monument. Then she would always discount the story by referencing the poem that was on the tombstone. Saying, if she was so mean, why would anyone put such a lovely poem on their tombstone. Reading the poem again, I concur with my mother on the personality of Mary.
My mother showed me where the grave was when I was a kid. On Decoration Day (Memorial Day) we would visit the cemeteries to decorate the graves of our family. We would go to Bethany to decorate the grave of Mary L. Hughes. The wife of John K. Weaver. They were my Great-great Grand parents. During the visits to the cemetery my mother would tell me the story of the apparition that had purportedly occurred and that the ghost had appeared on the tombstone of my Great-great Grand parents. My mother always told me that the was story that Mary was a person of such an unpleasant disposition that her image came out on her monument. Then she would always discount the story by referencing the poem that was on the tombstone. Saying, if she was so mean, why would anyone put such a lovely poem on their tombstone. Reading the poem again, I concur with my mother on the personality of Mary.
This is the poem on the tombstone.
Through all the pain she’d smile,
A smile of heavenly bliss,
And when the angles called her home,
She smiled farewell to the earth.
Heaven retainith now our treasure,
Earth the lonely casket kept,
And the sunbeam’s love to linger,
Where our smiled mother sleeps.
Weep not that her toils are over,
Weep not that her race is run,
God grant that we may rest as calmly,
When our work here is done.
Til then he yield with gladness,
Our mother to him to keep,
And rejoice in sweet assurance,
He givith his loved one sleep.
This poem was not attributed to anyone so I am not sure who authored it. Perhaps her husband or one of her children.
This is the side of the monument with the poem engraved upon it.
I have never personally witnessed the ghost but, I have heard this story from many different people, most not knowing that I had any personal relationship to the story. My sister who was a high school teacher in a neighboring county has had children in her classes tell the story when they would talk about local lore and legends. My sister would amaze the children when she would be able to finish the story with the details of the cemetery location as well as the fact that the woman was her Great Great Grandmother.
I have video taped the grave to document the story. When playing back the tape, the faint image of the torso of a woman appears on the monument. I did not notice any image while taping the site, only afterward while reviewing the tape was the image evident. everyone who has viewed the tape has seen the image. Perhaps the image is only noticed because we are looking for it, perhaps it a image created by light and the aging marble stone. Perhaps the image is the ghost.
In memory of:
John K. Weaver
November 7, 1867-January 26, 1916
and
Mary L Hughes, his wife
January 19, 1870-January 29, 1900
On July 5, 2003, I went and photographed the grave, I took 49 photographs, only 2 had any noticeable anomalies. Both anomalies appear to be orbs. Here are the photographs.
This is an photo of the side of the obelisk that the ghost appears on.
The stone is the middle obelisk monument in this photograph. This is one of many of the ghost stories in the area that I hope to document. If you look carefully, you can see an orb located between the 2 right obelisk and directly above the small stone between them.
I returned to the cemetery on October 31, 2003, at midnight to attempt to get further evidence of the ghost. I took several photos of the graveyard, particularly of the gravestone in question. Here is one of the photos.
Is this image, the “Ghost of Bethany”?
There was still no evidence of the ghost, my son and I were very comfortable in the cemetery, no unusual feelings. I took another photo of the stone, with this photo, we found many orbs, not exactly ghosts, but very interesting.
Are these orbs, “ghosts”
I returned back to Bethany on a ghost hunting mission on October 31, 2004 with my son, Tommy, and a friend Roger. We took many photographs, there were no anomalies, except for the image on the grave stone. Here is a photograph of that.
Once again, the image of Mary appears on the stone.
Here are links to articles that appeared in the Ledger Independent Newspaper about the Bethany Ghost.
Pretty positive they still hold church services! This is interesting! I go past the church at least once a week!
ReplyDeleteHughes and Weaver- Wow! This past Sat. on a abeautiful Nov. day, we walked the cemetery also looking for great and great-great grandma Dean but had no luck in finding them. The names we have are Dillenger and Dean plus Shilvey sp? We noticed that person the soil had washed down from the field and maybe covered some of the flat stones up. Sallie Dillinger-Dean was born in Aberdeen, Oh. but listed as Bethany Christian church. Would there be more than one in the area? It was listed that they had lived in Springdale, ky. All we found in the area was 2 very small cemeteries between the gravel pits. Do you know if there is a list of people buried in that cemetery? I believe she died in 1906. Is there a person that may keep records? Hughes and Weaver are the big names in that cemetery. Richard, my other half, got something yellow on his gym shoe and it doesn't want to come up. Sort of a pollen. But I wouldn't think pollen would be out this time of year. Maybe he was branded by a relative that we don't know yet. Would love to know where they are buried. Rita
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