The Ghosts of Native American Burial Grounds

One of my ex high school classmates posted an interesting bit of news on Facebook this morning.  The news was that my high school may be relocated to a place off of Weatherly Drive in South Huntsville, Alabama that is currently the location of three Native American archaeological sites dating from 1200 BC to 1500 AD.   One of these sites is said to be the resting place of Native American remains.  This means they may be moving my old high school to a location on top of an ancient Indian Burial Ground.   So many images popped up in my head when I found out about this.   Old ghost stories crept up from the dusty corners of my mind, Buffy the Vampire Slayer's high school popped up,  and many other images.   I am thrilled.  This could be the making of a thousand ghost stories whispered by high school students down over the generations.  

Stories of ghosts associated with Indian Burial Grounds have been pervasive in American folklore for generations. Indeed, where ever you find an Indian Burial site a ghost story is almost always close at hand. Some Native Americans buried their dead in large mounds.  These mounds have made for some interesting Native American Burial Ground ghost stories.  Indian Burial Mounds almost always have ghost stories associated with them.  One resident of Grandville, Michigan told a story of ghostly visitations nearby the Mounds there.  He described phantom noises and strange visitations.  In Alabama, Dauphin Island is known for its shell like burial mounds.   Phantom Native Americans have been seen in the shadows there.  Mounds aren't the only type of Native American Burial Sites that are haunted.  Robinson Woods in Chicago was known to once be the site of an Indian Burial Ground and stories of ghosts and paranormal activity abound in this area.  In Malone, New York there is an elementary school called Flanders Elementary.  It was built on top of a cemetery which was built on top of an Indian Burial ground.  Of course, the ghosts that wanders this school are legendary.   When I did research for my book, Haunted North Alabama, I discovered a paleo Indian graveyard might contribute to the hauntings associated with the Space and Rocket Center.  These stories are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Native American Burial Ground stories.  I could fill a book with these stories.

With the prolific nature of ghost stories associated with Native American Burial grounds, you would think that builders would avoid these sites for construction.  You'd think even skeptics would say it is probably bad business to build in a location that will inevitably be associated with stories of ghosts and horrors, but it doesn't ever seem to phase anyone.   I always wonder why people build on these sites just because it seems bad to destroy such ancient archaeological sites that surely hold unique pieces of American history.   Of course, none of these things phase those who decide where to build things.   So Virgil I. Grissom High School in Huntsville, Alabama could very well be the next of many places haunted by the ghosts of Native American Burial Grounds.  I wish I could send my children there.  I would love to hear the stories.

To read more about the relocation of Virgil I. Grissom High School:  http://blog.al.com/breaking/2013/01/huntsville_school_officials_do.html#incart_river_default

Indian Burial Grounds

Today I welcome blogger Emily Matthews, who examines the lore associated with hauntings and Native American burial grounds and hauntings from a skeptics perspective:

It’s the stuff of legend. Do you have a poltergeist in your house? It was probably built over a Native American burial site. The legend goes that by disturbing the souls of the dead, a veritable Pandora’s Box is opened, ushering forth the angry spirits of Chippewa shamans, Cherokees soldiers, and Iroquois chiefs, back for revenge. But where did this legend come from? Why does it persist, and why does it continue to frighten us?


The origins of the “Indian burial ground” legend come from sightings of Native American ghosts near areas rumored, or even proven, to be the final resting place of a local tribe. Such areas can be an old farmhouse in a Midwestern town or even a multimillion-dollar mansion in the Hollywood Hills.

In fact, the remains of the dead were blamed for the vacancy of the Hollywood mansion on Solar Drive, and a murder was rumored to have occurred there. It was deemed uninhabitable after squatters, drug dealers, and thrill-seeking teenagers ravaged the place. But, in the case of the house, the existence of Native American graves was unproven, and it becomes a perfect example of the power and potency of the lore.

Strange occurrences are attributed to burial grounds automatically, without even needing to research the history of the area. It doesn’t take a master’s degree in anthropology to see that this stems from our fascination with a mystical and highly spiritual culture and religion perceived of the American Indian. Instead of the body resting and the soul rising, the soul lingers, especially when disturbed.

So, why does this legend still capture our imagination and frighten us today? Even a skeptic can be spooked by visiting one of the many burial grounds in the United States at dark. Thousands are drawn, for example, to a suburb in Long Island, New York to see the actual house featured in the movie The Amityville Horror. The house, purported to be built over Native American remains, was the place of the horrific murder of six people. Even after the murders, strange noises and footsteps, foul odors, and foreign substances were reported when new owners took over.

Although the experiences of the new owners were dismissed as false, the site still brings visitors hoping for a paranormal experience. These visitors are drawn the experience of the supernatural; something abnormal and other-worldly. Perhaps they are there to confront not only the fear of death, but the possibility of life after the death, and the power that a bodiless spirit could retain.
Whatever the reason, the legend of the Native American burial ground still fascinates us today. We seem to be drawn to the power and possibility of life after death as well as the potential the “spirit world” has to disrupt our own lives. Perhaps we are also drawn to the mystical religion of the Native Americans that seems both foreign and palpable. Regardless, there are many legends and ghost stories to explore and enjoy.