Some claimed it was the ghost of a local woman whod lost her infant son 20 years earlier. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/17246514/baby-lester. For more information and a detailed timeline:https://paraholics.com/2020/07/30/a-requiem-for-baby-lester-the-hauntings-of-stepp-cemetery/ Your Scrapbook is currently empty. O'Leatha, the mother of the stillborn child, married James Walls after divorce from the baby's father. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. To upload a spreadsheet, please use the old site. Duck hunters reported hearing loud vocalizations in 2009. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. If you have questions contact the Cemetery Commissioner at 517-241-8070 or email LARA-Cemetery@michigan.gov. Failed to delete memorial. Stepp Cemetery has a long reputation for being haunted. She was a German woman who underwent. This is a carousel with slides. Variant of old cemetery caretaker who used to sit on stump after rounds killed when log flew off logging truck and crushing him on stump, which he haunted. If it did not, would be worried with a stick until it does. is there going to be another the 2nd movie; green, stadium cup. O'Leatha, the mother of the stillborn child, married James Walls after the death of the baby's father. Man recalls his observation of a creature crossing a road while hunting in Morgan-Monroe State Forest in 1988. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. There is a problem with your email/password. Baldwin. that unwelcome guests had been to the cemetery and had disturbed the There are common threads that weave their way throughout each of these tales: A grieving mother; a dead child; a car accident. be careful not to damage them. . This baby is perhaps the cemetery's most well-known resident, Baby Lester, who died a few days after he was born in the . The Cemetery It is a 20-minute drive from the Taylor home to Stepp, which is located in the Morgan-Monroe State Forest. Search above to list available cemeteries. She could be observed humming to a baby. According to legend, a parition can be seen sitting on a stump, crying over the loss of her baby. Rhonda Ann Dunn, an archivist with the Brown County Historical Society, notes Theres one part in revelations, where it says something about four corners of the earth where the angels will come, so the Crabbites believed the earth was square, because it mentioned four corners, and they had strange beliefs like that.. document.write(stb_recipient.link(stb_url)); Change). reputation of Stepp. One of 300 burial grounds in Monroe County alone, the Stepp Cemetery has come under the purview of the Indiana Pioneer Cemeteries Restoration Project. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Either these were other locals playing some type of game, cultists such as those described earlier, or locals looking after the cemetery grounds after the act of vandalism that transpired last week remains unknown. var stb_url = "mailto:" + stb_recipient daughters, The first thing I saw when I entered the cemetery was a Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. It is not clear to Taylors organization why they sacred territory stirs emotions you can only experience once you have evening, before his visit. tree at the north end of the cemetery. I could not find much about why coins and toys are left on the grave. We try to figure it out. No one knows her real name, but they Someone mentioned that the bare spot was the baby's grave, and was devoid of vegetation as a result of having been tended to, by the "Lady in Black." Well, that was all very interesting, but we were . Include gps location with grave photos where possible. world of the dead from the living. What started as a small-scale experiment between friends (and colleagues) has evolved into something much larger. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. There have been quite a few stones removed from Stepp because of its What do you get when you mix a forest, UFO sightings, snake handling, a square earth, a cult, ghost-lore, orgies, exorcisms, punks, animal sacrifices, the oc. (Prepared by the Morgan County Leadership Academy Class of 2022 on behalf of the Morgan County Bicentennial Committee), This point of interest is part of the tour: A free roam tour of Morgan County, Indiana. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. Stepp Cemetery. cemeteries and haunted houses. resembles an oddly shaped, iridescent form. Toys at the grave of "Baby Lester" were set on fire sometime in the past few days, Saturday, July 24, 2021 in the Morgan-Monroe State Forest in Northern Monroe County. Located deep within Morgan-Monroe State Forest, Stepp Cemetery is not one of Indianas larger cemeteries. This baby is perhaps the cemeterys most well-known resident, Baby Lester, who died a few days after he was born in the 1930s. You get the recipe for one of the most haunted locations in the State of Indiana Stepp Cemetery. Meeting Place His wife and daughters became frightened and wanted to leave. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. He said The baby died just a few days after its birth and is buried on the east side of the cemetery under a tombstone that has the name Baby Lester etched into it. Two men named Kent and Rush from a distance inaugurated strange belief in the community but not long before one of converts William Crabb became leader with his people. cemeteries found in will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization posted 78 Bigfoot sightings in Indiana since first in 1973. Their Variant in 1960s involves distraught mother having gone insane at childs death, exhuming and reburying him every night. He has associated his (monroehistory.org), Location believed to have been connected briefly with Crabbite religious sect (leader William Crabb), largely undocumented/fringe Christian sect that may have used cemetery for unusual/taboo practices such as snakehandling and ritualist sexual activity and which may have spurred cemetery legends and notoriety. It is located in Martinsville, a small town located near Bloomingdale. Ghosts Variant of wife of local doctor died in crash in 1936; her infant died and was buried at Stepp Cemetery. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. His daughter, Julie 2021 PocketSights, LLC. Unfortunately, someone had apparently vandalized the entry stone for the cemetery with a sledgehammer earlier that week. This obscure religious sect is said to have used the cemetery and the immediate vicinity around it, for their bizarre religious practices over 100 years ago. Woman or Lady in Black went insane and spent her time at infants grave. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. Forest land comprised of more than 24,000 acres and 25 miles of trails in Morgan and Monroe counties in southcentral Indiana, encompassing many steep ridges and valleys. Will not poison person if firm believer and if person and members of the flock pray hard enough, anoint with oil. The (Reporter Times, 5/15/1908; Buffalo Enquirer, 5/16/1908), Yell In Unknown Tongue in Court: During trial, Crabbite witness on stand when another Crabbite began to give blood-curdling yells Men, women and children rushed to the courthouse. Judge ordered sheriff to clear room and next person who attempted religious yell would be sent to jail. It was built in Taylor described two different types of energy that surround Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. Just a lil return to haunted Stepp Cemetery for some weird ITC experiments. citing Stepp Cemetery, Benton Township, Monroe County, Indiana . Among Monroe/Morgan reports: Possible nighttime encounter by a couple camping near Martinsville. var stb_recipient = stb_user + "@" + stb_domain Taylor and Baldwin both As a result of learning about all these various bits of folklore, I decided to visit Stepp Cemetery with a friend on the night of Friday September 4. Available for both RF and RM licensing. Stepp Cemetery has a history of being haunted by a female ghost guarding the grave of Baby Lester whom is buried there. Stock photos, 360 images, vectors and videos. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Check out this great listen on Audible.com. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. Scientific Theories A system error has occurred. Im not gonna give any spoilers here, but lets just say that I doubt Lynsey will ever return to Stepp again without her shittin pants on. driveway. and Lynn Taylor, cofounder of the Association for Aerial Anomaly Choose to receive some or all of the updates from Moment of Indiana History: Moment of Indiana History is a weekly two-minute radio program exploring Indiana History. He wanted to To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. This browser does not support getting your location. There were two siblings, Pauline Pryor and John Henry Lester born 1938. It is Oct. 6, 2001 Many of the stories regarding Stepp Cemetery didnt occur when the cemetery was regularly used but rather in the 1950s through the 1970s. (LogOut/ (Brown County Democrat, 1/6/2016; Southside Times, 7/4/2019). The Haunted Midwest (formerly Hoosier Haunts), A site dedicated to unexplained phenomenon in Indiana and beyond. It is in this area that at 3am on Saturday night/Sunday morning, black mass ceremonies (or their equivalent) allegedly take place. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. I salute you all. Whether or not this strange, remote cemetery is truly haunted is up for debatebut the stories that pour from it remain interesting and consistent. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. RSS makes it possible to subscribe to a website's updates instead of visiting it by delivering new posts to your RSS reader automatically. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. Your email address will not be published. .Cemetery Commissioner: Linda Clegg. Please enter your email and password to sign in. This cemetery currently has no description. Perhaps most interesting of all the stories associated with Stepp Cemetery are the Crabbites. Editors Note: Im hearing conflicting reports on how this fire may have begun. Featured in Finding Bigfoot television series in 2012. The grassroots effort was started in 1997 to identify and preserve just such neglected historic sites. Stepp Cemetery (Also known as Stepp Precinct Cemetery) Within Morgan-Monroe State Forest, Three Lakes Trail and Walls shelterhouse approximately 15 miles north of Bloomington, Indiana Historical Timeline One of Monroe County's oldest pioneer cemeteries circa early 1800s. . tool to educate people. exist, but they think that these energies are somehow linked to the One such story involved a woman in black. Project, which works to protect abandoned cemeteries built before 1832. Paid boy $20 after he returned with 6-foot rattlesnake for demonstration; kept in nonbelievers house to prevent tampering. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. Variant of Lady in Black as girls mother, gone insane and dying in mental institution, and sitting on old stump chair where she had sat when alive, talking to graves of daughter and husband, who had died in quarry accident. Baby Lester has his own marker at the back of the cemetery, where those who visit often leave behind trinkets, coins, and other items on and around his headstone. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Stepp Cemetery was established in the early 1800s and was for decades regarded as just another rural cemetery. Photos larger than 8.0 MB will be reduced. No votes so far! Trail cameras encircling Stepp []. Restoration USA. that one time someone was caught digging up one of the gravesites. Its basically just a normal cemetery, albeit very remote. Stepp Cemeterys claims to fame are the varied ghost stories, mostly centering around the lady in black who some claim to see in the cemetery and the grave of baby Lester. I thought you might like to see a cemetery for Stepp Cemetery I found on Findagrave.com. buried in these cemeteries. She kneels beside a flat stone and as local residents. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. It reads, Baby After stint in area, short-lived sect believed to have relocated briefly to Brown County. One of the most popular ghosts that are said to haunt Stepp Cemetery is that of a woman in black. (Brown County Democrat, 1/6/2016), Indiana Bigfoot Reports site received eight reports of creature resembling Big Foot-like creature in forest in 2015. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. Baldwin finds the legends to be entertaining. Resend Activation Email. I do this for my own enlightenment. The Lady in White legend now appears to be superseded by a Lady in Black story. Crossing this barrier and entering Tonight, Ill be exploring one of the most haunted cemeteries in America: Stepp Cemetery located in Indiana. The Legends, Harp walks slowly toward a I did not get a creepy vibe from the cemetery. Jeremy Hogan. A path leads back to the cemetery. The grave markers that remain indicate that the site is the final resting place for at least 32 people-mostly young women and children-the oldest of whom passed away in the early nineteenth century. A Requiem For Baby Lester The Hauntings of Stepp Cemetery by PARAHOLICS on July 30, 2020 October 19, 2021 What do you get when you mix a forest, UFO sightings, snake handling, a square earth, a cult, ghost-lore, orgies, exorcisms, punks, animal sacrifices, the occult, Bigfoot, resurrections, magic ceremonies, Jesus under an apple tree, and . )Additional information provided by AYates 48079329Parents divorced in 1940Also a brother John Henry Lester born 1938. Most well-known legend involves variation of ghostly woman in black who has roamed cemetery for decades, sometimes exhuming her child from grave to hold him. (Reporter-Times, 2/14/2010) May have originally been owned by Reuben Stepp in 1856; sold to William Peterson in 1884. We try and enter this place as if we were Weve updated the security on the site. The baby passed after only a few breaths. Land occupied by Native Americans for thousands of years prior to Euro-American settlement in 1800s. people think this cemetery is haunted. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. now at the top of my bucket list. . If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. and his group of volunteers, mainly genealogy students, pay for the wish there were ghosts, then they could answer all my questions, said Quite the opposite in fact; it only contains roughly 30 graves (though more people are listed as being buried there). This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. Today, it is largely only accessible by foot and is deep within a forest. Failed to remove flower. Taylor began this organization after he became unsatisfied with a group Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. Beliefs Save up to 30% when you upgrade to an image pack. Tree said to have been carved into chair when Civilian Conservation Corps was tasked with the upkeep of the cemetery after state forest established. Then she (Hoosier Folk Legends, Baker)). buried in Stepp are children under the age of 7 and their 19-year-old Other stories circulated about a spirit in a black gown, sometimes called Anna, who would weave among the headstones mourning the accidental deaths of her husband and teenage daughter. Be the first to rate this post. on October 6. If you see or know of anyone involved in vandalism of this location, contact the Benton Township Trustee at (812) 339-6593. Indiana Bigfoot Research Organization believes activity in Morgan and surrounding counties. findings in Stepp with data collected on extraterrestrial sightings. I however did not feel up to venturing to this part of the cemetery, it already being quite late. Those who may think of Taylor as a modern day ghost buster might not take the deceased and a classroom for the living. Lester would travel to the cemetery every night and sit on a tree stump while The feeling of fear is hidden by the excitement for the unknown. Stepp Cemetery Benton, Ind. However, some have unlocked the door site the milestone for much of his research. It had holes cut into it and a candle was lit in the In fact, we encountered two locals who had also decided to venture to the cemetery that evening and were very familiar with the stories associated with the place. July 24, 2021; Bloomington, Indiana: 1864 grave at Stepp Cemetery. Nighttime at Stepp is quiet and still on October 6. Buy images; Sell images; Added by: Tom "Homer" W. on 08 Mar 2009. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. It is almost 7:30 p.m. before the AAARC team Linda Taylor, Lynns wife, It has served as a sanctuary for Variant of Baby Lesters glowing/black dog appearing to protect the grave. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Baby Lester I found on Findagrave.com. The Crabbites were a fringe Christian sect that allegedly used Stepp Cemetery as a locus for their ritualistic practices. people think. Funeral services for Lester Vardaman (L.V.) Adkins said to have donated cemetery in early 1800s. Benton Township, Monroe County, Try again later. This infant was the child of O'Leatha Pryor Lester (Walls) and Harley Lester. Special characters are not allowed. You get the recipe for one of the most haunted locations in the State of Indiana Stepp Cemetery. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. May have originally been owned by Reuben Stepp in 1856; sold to William Peterson in 1884. His Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. What do you get when you mix a forest, UFO sightings, snake handling, a square earth, a cult, ghost-lore, orgies, exorcisms, punks, animal sacrifices, the occult, Bigfoot, resurrections, magic ceremonies, Jesus under an apple tree, and one small and very misunderstood grave? Weve updated the security on the site. But it was still an interesting experience visiting the source of all the stories. Most interesting, however, was the existence of a clearing accessible by a trail at the far end of the cemetery. Beliefs included square earth, Christ born under apple tree and ability to resurrect dead. Thank you Britt Kinder for lending me your gorgeous vocals and giving us the creepiest lullaby ever! Wax from candles burning down on gravestones. E-mail: The spreadsheet upload feature is disabled during this preview version of Find a Grave. A path leads back to the cemetery. All Rights Reserved. /guy, Your email address will not be published. Variant of woman losing husband and daughter in accidents; each night traveling to cemetery to sit on specific stump by daughters grave. Stepp Cemetery - Martinsville. Cemetery has fallen victim to destruction and vandalism, strewn with debris; approximately 30 headstones said to remain; many vandalized or removed. Please reset your password. Considered the most haunted place in Indiana. Variant Baby Lester died after hit by car/accident, which relatives refuted. Narrow your results to famous, Non-Cemetery Burials, memorials with or without grave photos and more. scrap metal. View all posts by Jeff Turner. stay and research the negative energies, but his main concern then was to Today, the grounds are tucked away five miles inside the dark Morgan-Monroe State Forest. Research and Cataloging, is meeting with his colleagues to discuss Located in Stepp Cemetery in Martinsville, Indiana. Taylor believes some type of ceremony was held in the cemetery that She caught the blurry, white cloud on her digital camera and raised the image Plan for member of congregation to be selected to remove lid from box and which time snake expected to strike. Described as particular hotspot for the unexplained and paranormal. what I have learned, but mainly its for my own enjoyment, said Taylor. CSCL License List and Data. The van sits in the grass between a rusted shed and pieces of mothers. Baldwin believes this fact alone has a negative impact on the There are a lot of car a. Cemeteries owned and operated by a municipality, church or religious institutions are exempt from the Act. Make sure to subscribe to Me & Paranormal You to keep up with Ryan as his paranormal research and projects develop on this world and far beyond. However, it is considered to quite possibly be one of the most haunted cemeteries in the state of Indiana, and perhaps in the United States. The graveyard has been strewn with debris; its headstones vandalized and removed. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. He believes there are energies that exist in Stepp and has made this GREAT NEWS! Try again later. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? However, half of their children died before reaching the age of 12. It was great to see efforts have been taken to clean up and protect the cemetery. Please try again later. Epitaph reads BABY LESTER 1937 (R is very faint), Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. Baldwin Baldwin said Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. Grave of Paul Lester, child of OLeatha (Alicia/Clethia) Pryor Lester (Walls) and Harley Lester, who passed after only a few breaths. For more information regarding this supposedly haunted cemetery, please visit the original posting. Variant woman had tree carved into chair so she could watch over child and put curse on anyone who sat there to die within year. Take a second to support The Bloomingtonian on Patreon! If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. A Negative Encounter Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab.