Greenwood Cemetary
April 13, 2007
Greenwood Cemetery
Debbie's report
Equipment used: Casio Exilim 6.0 digital camera, Sony digital camcorder with IR recoding ability, hand held digital recorder for EVP work. (note: a helicopter made it it’s mission to fly constantly over the cemetery during our investigation making it impossible to record evps)
Members present: Brandy, Jeanne, Jennifer, Mary and myself
Historic Greenwood Cemetery is the final resting place of many of the founders and visionaries of the city of St. Petersburg. Long reputed to be haunted with spirits this cemetery is currently enjoying the rejuvenation it so deserves.
Reading the dates and names on the grave markers and tombstones is like reading a who’s who in St. Petersburg history. However, this particular cemetery has also has a rather notorious after hours reputation for not being a very good place to be after dark, due more to the living and not the dead. It is for this latter reason that the SPIRITS of ST. Petersburg opted for a daylight investigation.
Our hunt began shortly after 10:00 a.m. when Brandy, Jeanne and myself met up with Jennifer and Mary. Brandy opened the investigation in the usual manner. Our preliminary research of the Greenwood Cemetery put several names on everyone’s lists. Silas Dent being at the top as he is reputed to still actively haunt other St. Petersburg locations and is said to be buried at Greenwood in an undisclosed grave. A review of the records does state Mr. Dent is buried there. One of the legends associated with Mr. Dent’s grave revolves around the MLK street project that seems to have “cut through” the western side of this cemetery. Though it is mentioned that the graves were moved during roadwork on MLK it is said that only the grave markers were moved and not the actual graves. I made several attempts to encourage Mr. Dent to show me where he actually was buried, but, he was being very quiet on this Sunday morning.
My first “hit” of the day came as we were working our way thru the northeast section of Greenwood. A small decaying tree stump caused me to do a double and gave me that sensation of “notice me” so I took the hint and approached it. I was able to locate a small cold spot and called Brandy over to investigate. First Brandy thought it was a natural temperature flux but she received an EMF spike and we called the rest of the group in. We did receive positive EMF spikes to direct questioning. The EMF spikes lead our questioning and indicated that the presence was that of Elden Van Houten, who died in 1934 at the age of 26. I did ask during the EMF session if Elden had been murdered and we did receive a positive spike to this q uestion. There was some additional questioning on how and where his death took place but outside of “water” we were unable to get any additional details. Mary will research to see if we can determine the cause of death.
Another area that produced activity was again in the eastern and older area of Greenwood came at the grave site of a child, a 10-year old boy, John C. Trosper. This grave site also produced positive EMF responses to questions. Brandy asked if John had died of the yellow fever plague and there was an EMF spike. No other questions were responded to outside of the initial “are you John” that also gave us an EMF spike.
Our third grave site to produce a hit was at a very unique family plot that seemed to think it was ok to simply give the person buried there only their initials on the individual grave markers. The family name at this plot is Ferndon. The initials on the two markers were D. F. and E.F. D.F’s. marker contained reference to being in the military. He was Born in 1843 and died in 1920. E.F’s. marker contained only his initials and he was born in 1868 and died in 1932. Again we received EMF spikes indicating a presence willing to communicate with us and we began by trying to 1) guess the first name D.F. and 2) verify the military information on the marker. We also attempted to do the same with the marker for E. F. that was closest to D. F’s. marker. In all our questioning, we received a positive response to the first name of Donald, for Donald Ferndon and when questioned about who was next to him, the EMF meter spiked on the question, is it your brother? The next spike came when Brandy asked for a first name of Ernest and another spike was received. However, a review of the list of names of those buried in Greenwood show a David Ferndon and an Edgar Ferndon.
What is interesting in these three “hits” is that very limited if any personal information was ever verified by the EMF spiking and research indicates several wrong answers given. Though our special EMF Q&A session during EVP work and general ghost investigations has been very accurate it seemed interesting that we received so little feed back and in some cases, out and out incorrect responses that hindsight raises the question if the responses we were getting was coming from a single entity that was only trying to be helpful, or just darn happy to have some interaction, and was following us around that Sunday morning.
Conclusion: Though the Greenwood Cemetery has a very long and interestingly haunted history, I was unable to capture any activity on film, digital still shots or voice recordings.
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Brandy's report
Present: Brandy, Jeanne, Mary, Debbie, Jen.
Time: 10 AM
EMF: 0 - 3 scale.
Base reading: .8 - 1.0
We found activity really only in the NE quadrent of the cemetary. Activity died off after 11:30 or so; the three major entries are here:
NE quadrant:
a bit dizzy; fhills by Elden Von Houten.
Temperature: 77 - 79 degrees
Questions: Is someone with us? Spike.
Are you buried in teh cemetary? Spike.
Are you Elden?
Do you miss your family? Spike.
Are they in this cemetary? Spike.
How did you die?
Were you murdered? Prolonged spike.
Did you drown?
Jen: Got the feeling that he was upset and buried away from family. Family made at him.
Debbie: Parents buried out of state.
Mary: Break iwth parents, rebellious.
John Trosper
1905-1915
Question: Did you die of Yellow Fever? Spike. (.6 - 1.8)
Other questions had no response; asked about yellow fever again and got a small spike.
DF
1843-1903
CO A 11 NJ INF
What is your name?
Spiked on DOnalde.
EF
1848-1920
Is this your brother, DF? Spike.
Is your name Ernest? Spike.
Really, is it Ernest? Another small spike.
Could not get any additional information from this particular location.
The SPIRITS went to check this out as the cemetary was reputed to be haunted. We were told that Robert Bradley, a Civil War vetm, was buried there. His ghost allegedly appeared to his neice Mattie Lou Cherbennoux and was recorded in her diary. We were also looking to find Silas Dent, the Hermit of Cabbage Key, and Abel Miranda (he was supposed to be moved but rumor says that his bones were still in the cemetary somewhere).
We found none of those figures. The investigation research didn't support any of the information we found. I'm honestly wonder if we had an entity following us (the spikes are unexplained) but I don't think that it was anyone we "came across" in the cemetary. It has been suggested that we possibly caught up with the former caretaker of the cemetary who recently died.
Jeanne's report:
I've been interested in visiting this old cemetery for a long time, and was happy to have the group to go with me. It can be a scary place to visit alone. We chose an early Sunday morning for our investigation. In the north east section, we were attracted to a stone with the name Eldon Van Houten. The stone was alone, and had the inscription "Our beloved son". He was only 26 when he died. We wondered why there were no other family members buried nearby. Jen felt that he was upset because of this. She thought that there had been a falling out between him and his parents. We started a question and answer session with the EMF meter, and my digital recorder. Unfortunately, there was a helicopter circling overhead, and it turned out to be very loud on my recording. We asked questions about how he died, and got an EMF spike when asked if it was murder. Jen said that she thought that his death involved water, like a boat accident, or drowning. A later hit occurred at a Ferndon family plot. The individual markers had only initials. We were interested in one with the initials D. F. We asked questions and watched the EMF meter. We tried to guess his first name, and got a spike on Donald. We asked if the one next to him was his brother, and got another spike. We tried to guess his name, and got a spike on Ernest. Again, the helicopter started to get very loud, and I had to stop recording. We moved on, and looked for a couple of names of people that were reportedly buried somewhere here, but we never found them. It was getting to be about noon, and getting hot, so we decided to call it a day. It was an interesting place, and I'm glad that I finally got to visit it. Unfortunately, my attempts for EVP's were a bust because of the helicopter noise.
Debbie's Research:
List of people buried at the cemetary:
Mary's Research
Gravestones and markers have a myriad of meanings and symbolize both comfort and grief... but are they all what they appear to be? Throughout this book so far, I have suggested the idea that cemeteries and burial grounds can become haunted. But what about the grave markers that exist within these haunted cemeteries? Do some of these monuments actually become haunted by the ghosts who are unable to rest within the bounds of the graveyard?
The annals of ghostlore contain a number of stories about burial markers that may possibly be more frightening than the tales of the cemeteries where these stones reside!
This statue decorates the grave of a boy who was never able to walk in life. His likeness was carved in his wheelchair and the chair now has broken wheels to show that he has left behind the cares of life.
Grave markers and simple tombstones can play host to a surprising number of stories and legends. There are stones across America that people claim to have been not only cursed, but literally move on their own! Is the supernatural at work, or the darker devices of man’s own imagination?
There have been many ghostly tales told about "haunted" tombstones and monuments, including:
- The Flaming Tomb of Josie Arlington in New Orleans. According to legend her eerie crypt would light up at night as if on fire. It was also said that a life-sized statue on the steps outside would come to life.
- The Gravestone of John Rowan in Bardstown, Kentucky. The stories say that Rowan did not want a gravestone when he died and as one was placed on his grave anyway, it continues to mysteriously fall over, even today.
- The grave monument of Jonathan Buck in Bucksport, Maine is said to be marked with the image of a witch's leg. Legend has it that Buck was cursed by a witch who promised to return and dance on his grave.
- In Cleveland, Tennessee, a family that was cursed with accidents and tragedy is said to have reached out from beyond the grave to stain the walls of their tomb with blood. The strange stains have never been explained.
- In Illinois, a community mausoleum was haunted by the ghosts of those who were buried there. Even after the tomb was destroyed, their voices could be heard in the night and witnesses have reported cold chills on the site.
- The Black Angel that stands on the grave of the Feldevert family in Iowa City is said to be cursed. Stories have been told that say the statue causes strange deaths, accidents and more. A number of ghosts have been reported around the statue at night.
- The likeness of Inez Clarke, who rests in Graceland Cemetery in Chicago, is said to leave the glass box the statue is enclosed in and wander about the cemetery during thunderstorms. Legend has it the little girl was killed when struck by lightning at a family picnic.
Joseph Cullen Root developed, in 1893, the non-profit Woodmen of the World (WOW), "envisioning a fraternal society dedicated to helping its fellowman."
What does an insurance company based in Omaha have to do with cemetery markers found from coast to coast, you may wonder? Well, when the Society formed, the only policy offered was a simple term insurance that provided members death and monument benefits "...to give honorable burial to our sacred dead..." To accomplish that goal, the gravestones bearing the Woodmen symbol were originally furnished free of charge to members.
By the 1920s the cost of the markers became prohibitive and many "modern" cemeteries no longer permitted above ground monuments because they hindered cost-effective lawn maintenance. Although the Society ceased providing the markers then, some lodges continued to erect the monuments on their own. Even today, bronze stake-type markers and stone-cutter patterns are still available.
Originally, Woodmen gravestones were intended to be uniform by using a pattern designated by the Home Office. Instead, the personal preferences and creativity of the stone-cutters resulted in unique and varied designs that reflect the individualism of the members.
The emblem adorning the Woodmen stump, symbolizing equality and commonwealth, is the most commonly seen on member's monuments. Other official Woodmen symbols included a dove with an olive branch, which symbolized the peace of Heaven, and an axe, beetle and wedge which symbolize workmanship and progress of culture.
Many of the "tree" monuments stand 4 to 5 feet high and show sawed or broken limbs traditionally symbolizing a life cut short. Some are surrounded at the base by flowers, ferns or delicate vines winding past inscriptions cut on the main part of the tree where the bark has been peeled back or hewn away.
The Woodmen, true to their word of the past 106 years, have benefited society by "...fostering fraternalism through family, civic, charitable and patriotic activities.
Katie Karrick, 199
Woodmen of the World
Woodmen of the World derived from the Modern Woodmen of America, a fraternal group which was founded in 1883. Fraternal scholar William Whalen describes it as an insurance society with some fraternal lodge features. Woodmen advertised themselves as an organization for the "Jew and Gentile, Catholic and Protestant, the agnostic and atheist." The Woodmen of the World emblem is a sawed-off tree stump, often with a mallet or beetle, an ax, and a wedge: the motto "Dum, Tacet Clamat" (Though Silent He speaks") usually appears somewhere on the border. These Woodmen emblems are found throughout the United States, but the largest concentration is in the South and Midwest.
here is an interesting site for the symbolism found on cemetery markers
Here is some info on ELDEN VAN HOUTEN His mother (i assume) ETHEL VAN HOUTEN may be the one buried just beside the tree stump...the broken marker that is worn smooth. I have checked all available records to include census records for all states for 1910-1930 for both Ethel and Elden. Elden is nowhere to be found...to include an index to FL death records. There are no Ethel Van Houtens in FL at the time...paticularly Pinellas Co. The name is Dutch extraction.
Here is the interesting story of Almon Strowger the telephone pioneer who is buried there:
The story has it that Strowger, who according to historians was described as "eccentric, irascible and even mad," was motivated to invent an automatic telephone exchange after having difficulties with the local telephone operators. He was said to be convinced that the local manual telephone exchange operators were sending calls to his competitor rather than his business. He also suspected that the telephone operators were influencing the choice of undertaker when his business was requested. The origin of this suspicion reportedly arose from an incident in Topeka when a friend died and the family contacted a rival undertaker. Other stories claim that the wife or, possibly, the cousin of a competing undertaker was a telephone operator and Strowger suspected that the operators were telling callers that his line was busy or connecting his callers to the competition. Yet another story has him boasting of inventing "the girl-less, cuss-less telephone." No reliable details survive to substantiate these claims. Hence on, after inventing his switch, he said "No longer will my competitor steal all my business just because his wife is a Bell operator."[citation needed]
He subsequently moved to St. Petersburg, Florida and appears to have returned to being an undertaker, as H.P. Bussey Funeral Home records report an unidentified body being moved "for Mr. Strowger" in December 1899. The same funeral home subsequently buried Strowger himself. Strowger was a man of some wealth at his death and was reported as owning at least a city block of property.He died, aged 62, of an aneurism after suffering from anemia, at St. Petersburg, Pinellas County, Florida and was buried in Greenwood Cemeterythe next day.
Mary's image: "This was taken in the SW corner of the cemetery..see street sign. I have enlarged it and cannot identify it. There seem to be some "markings" in the orb that almost looks like a faint partial face....if we can't identify it, then it may require a revisit for us to see if there is a natural explanation that is not apparent in the photo."
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6-14-08
From: Mary
Since we have investigated Greenwood Cemetery and it is an on-going one, I have found some updates on the history of those buried there as well as recent events involving the cemetery
This first link involves the first Chief of Police of St Petersburg, James J Mitchell, who was murdered on Christmas Day 1905 and who was buried in the cemetery. His family was also buried there, but there are no markers for any of them now. Perhaps they were some of the ones disinterred and moved to another cemetery when 9th St was widened. The account of his assailant's fate is pretty grisly
Here is a very recent event which is reminiscent of what Jen and I found at the Clearwater cemetery
The murder that occurred in the cemetery in 1976
Almon Strowger
Below is an entry from the records of the 1902 Women's Relief Corps concerning the war monuments at Greenwood: In Greenwood Cemetary a plot of ground is reserved for the Civil War veterans and two large monuments, called the twin monuments, surmounted by mortar and piled balls, have been donated by the government in dedication to their memory.
Visit, Sept. 26, 2009:
Mary, Verna and Erin
In doing research for a recent case, the three went to the cemetery looking for grave markers. All three reported no activity or sensations of any kind while in the cemetery.
