THE STORY
Reported Haunting
Batson Cemetery has long been surrounded by ghost stories and unusual local folklore. Its best-known legend concerns the stone approach to the burial ground: visitors are said to count thirteen steps or stones while entering but only twelve when leaving. Other stories describe a glowing grave and a ragged male apparition wandering among the headstones. A submitted account reports full-bodied apparitions, dark shadow figures, misty forms, unexplained growls, EVP recordings, and motion detectors activating without an obvious cause. Another version of the local legend claims that a butcher murdered thirteen children and concealed their bodies beneath concrete mounds near the entrance; no historical evidence for that story has been located, so it remains folklore. (Submission by Jessica)
Batson Cemetery is a historic rural burial ground on Willow Road in Jackson Township, Wells County, Indiana, near Warren and the Salamonie River. The cemetery sits on land once owned by the Batson family and contains several hundred burials. It has developed a longstanding reputation in Indiana ghost lore, particularly for the so-called thirteen-step mystery. Visitors should respect all posted cemetery hours and restrictions and avoid entering after hours.