Harrison Cemetery

Our very first investigation was conducted in Harrison Cemetery in Buckner.  It was originally slated for Oct 31- yep, Halloween/Samhain/All Souls Day.  It also happened to be the day the cemetery was incorporated.  But, due to severe weather, we couldn't go.  So we went the next day instead, arriving just past midnight.

We had a great time, and I want to thank Carol Sloan, president of the Harrison Cemetery Association, for not only allowing but encouraging us to come out and explore.

The History

Isham Harrison (close kin to William Henry Harrison and the Harrison's of Virginia) bought a large farm and had it laid out in plots, which soon became the village of Mulkytown.  His two grown sons (Andrew and Lemuel) settled nearby, and not too far afterwards the country of Franklin was established.  

Isham's son Lemuel Harrison was the first surveyor and commissioner of the fledgling county.  He surveyed the first town out on Frankfort Hill.  His son Christopher (of Christopher township fame) left the area to join the gold rush to California, but contracted Cholera and died in a boat on the Mississippi River.  

Harrison Cemetery was incorporated Oct 31, 1907, but seems to have had burial plots beforehand.  Andrew Harrison (11 Feb 1789 - 22 Feb 1845) is interred here with his wife Elizabeth.

  Andrew Ulysses Harrison

1789 - Feb 22 1845

As is his brother, Lemuel Richard Harrison (1784 - 14 Oct 1858) and his wife, Judith.

L.R. Harrison

Died Oct 14 1858

Aged 74 years

So is Andrew's son, Belus Franklin Harrison (21 Jan 1820 - 18 Nov 1878).

B. F. Harrison

Died Nov 18 1878

58 yrs 9 mos 27 days

In fact, many Harrison's are interred here.  You can probably pretty much follow the genealogical line of Harrison's through the cemetery alone.  It has several notable residents, including four mayors, and several of the Silkwood clan, who are notable first residents of Mulkeytown.  

The Legend

So, while researching for a certifiably haunted local cemetery, I came across Harrison.  The legend is that there are two luminous spirits, male and female, who are supposed to guard the cemetery.  There is also a monument in the form of a piano in the North West corner of the graveyard, from which you can hear a haunting melody from the 'Piano Man.'  Carol encouraged us specifically to seek him out.

Pre-Investigation

I find it helpful to spend some time in the cemetery before an investigation, so that I can get familiar with it's layout, tombstones, sights and sounds.  You can also get a pretty accurate feeling of  place during the daylight, to see what you might encounter in the dark.  I can honestly say this is the most peaceful cemetery I have ever been in, and we got nothing but good vibes here, both during the day and after dark.

Some pictures from my first walk-through:

The Investigation

With special guest investigator Silence Simpson (who is deaf, making him the perfect ghost dog.  Not distracted by worldly sounds!)

We arrived at Harrison Cemetery just after midnight.  It had been dry and a little windy all day, and while the wind had stopped it was sprinkling when we arrived and a lot of moisture in the air.  It was also a little less than 50 degrees out, which made it hard to tell of your hair was standing due to a presence or the cold, and our breath marred more than one photograph.  

We parked by the shed at the main entrance, and walked towards the North.  Right away Tina was drawn to a particular grave, one of miss Stella Fae Gulley (1904 - 1979). 

Silence interested in Gulley's grave.

We stayed in that area for a little while, Tina feeling a pull both during and after we left it.  The dog wandered around and sniffed a lot in the immediate area, but this is also right by the woods, and the dog did a whole lot of sniffing all night.  Neither of us felt a presence of any kind beyond the need to stand there.  We walked away and wandered some more, Tina saying later she was still being drawn to that grave.  We nearly tripped in a ditch at one point, and she said "Watch out, don't fall in the gully."  " asked "What did you say?"  That is not a word either of us word ordinarily have used, especially since it was little more than a ditch.  When we tried to go back and find the grave, we couldn't.  I'm not saying it disappeared or anything, I'm just saying that while it was still very much on our minds we couldn't orient ourselves to find it again in the dark, despite our best efforts.     

The only thing I felt drawn to was a grave of a mother and son, buried together and passing on the same day.  When I came during the morning I stood there a long time, and it took me a while to walk away.  I mentioned it to Tina, as it was still very much on my mind.  Like the Gulley grave, I searched a long time and was having trouble finding it.  As we walked across the cemetery to come upon another tombstone, I walked right in front of it, nearly tripped over a familiar wall, turned around and there it was.

The grave in daylight.

Here lies Mandalina, wife of Ilija Letica

Dec 25, 1095 - May 23, 1930

With Darling Son Ilijia Jr

Aug 1, 1926 - May 25, 1930

And at night, with the EMP reader on top.  It didn't pick anything up.  

I did a very small session near the grave while Tina was across the cemetery.  After reviewing the recording, I found nothing out of the ordinary.

According to the legend, one of the spirits is supposed to show up as an orange glow by the field on the North East side of the cemetery. Well, in a way, it did.  We did in fact see the glow, and if you move in any direction it seems to disappear.  You have to stand in just the right place to see it.  Unfortunately for believers, this is not an apparition.  This is a small grave marker light on the gravestone of a couple by the name of Carpenter.  

 Carpenter's pretty amazing headstone, with the cardinal which gives off the orange glow.

We walked down to the piano man's grave, but beyond a critter in the woods, we didn't hear or feel  anything here either.   On the way back we turned back around and scanned the area with area with our flashlights.  Here I saw a white light higher up in the trees.  I alerted Tina, and we turned our lights off and watched for a bit, with no results.  So we turned the lights on again and scanned.  Bingo.  Many of the Headstones in this area are old, and almost all of them have the round glass photographs on them.  When the flashlight beam hits these just right,  the light bounces up into the trees and looks just like an orb moving.  Even we were fooled the first time.  But, we recreated this numerous times, and I can say with certainty that is what people are seeing.  Again, you have to be in just the right spot, and the light has to hit the portraits just right, and it is exactly where everyone said it would be: a white light in the tree line in the North East corner.

We walked up and around Harrison's section, hoping that there of all places we just might find something.  Again, as was the theme of the evening, we both felt nothing but calm, peaceful, serene.  I will admit I typically get nervous after dark anywhere near the woods, and I never felt even the slightest bit afraid.  There was an absolute calming effect within the cemetery, and if anyone is here, they are wholly at peace.

I found something!   My breath.

The conclusion

Two hours in daylight and another two after dark can give you a pretty good perspective on a place.  In our opinion, Harrison Cemetery is a wonderful place to be, whether daylight or dark, living or dead.  For those who believe, I am sorry to argue with your claims, but I can say with a fairly good amount of certainty that the spirits who guard the cemetery are not specters, but illusions.  It is very easy t be spooked in a cemetery after dark, and if you aren't thinking rationally, anything can seem scary or supernatural.

As for the piano man, I can neither prove or disprove anything there.  We heard nothing, but that does not mean that nothing is there.  It simply means we walked away without any evidence one way or another.   

Again, a big 'Thank you!' to Carol Sloan and the Harrison Cemetery Association, for letting us run around in your cemetery after hours and de-bunk all your myths.    ;)