Photo by ©Michigan’s Otherside
Mouth Cemetery is one of the most talked about cemeteries in Muskegon County when it comes to the paranormal. But is it really haunted? This cemetery is one of those places you have to watch out for. Not because the place is filled with ghosts and lost souls waiting to take you to the grave with them, but because it’s an easy “legend maker.” It has all the spooky elements that cause wild and ghostly stories to explode out of it at an exponential rate. For example, Mouth Cemetery is:
1. Small (and creepy)
2. Remote (and creepy)
3. Well hidden (and creepy)
4. Surrounded by woods (that are creepy)
5. Really old (that automatically makes everything creepy)
All of the above equal up to an abundance of perfect ghost story ingredients. But nevertheless, people claim to have had genuine paranormal experiences at the secluded location. The cemetery is the oldest in White River township with the first burial in 1851. It is also believed burials at this location were going on well before 1851.
Over the years, this cemetery has really been neglected due to a low county spending budget for that cemetery. There has also been vandalism from idiots. If you are someone who cares about your local Michigan cemeteries, consider getting a group together and donating your time to help keep these places clean and intact.
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When I last went to Mouth, it was with my boyfriend and a few friends. My boyfriend was sitting on one of the bigger grave stones and his friends and I were by the fence. While sitting there, it was getting harder for me to breathe. We then found out when we got back home that night I had hand prints around my neck. — Victoria B.
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My best friend has a lake house just a few minutes away from Mouth Cemetery, so we visit there often. While I don’t find the cemetery particularly creepy — things have happened there. My two friends and I went there late one night just to see if all the stories about it being haunted were true. When we got there, some other girls were getting ready to leave and told us that they had walked down the little path to the left of the cemetery and heard a weird scream. We continued into the cemetery and within minutes, we heard a weird jingling sound so we got freaked out and left. My friend had taken a video of us walking through it and in the video; you can hear what sounds like a horse neighing loudly. Mind you, none of us heard it while we were there. — Olivia
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I finally went to Mouth cemetery to see what the hype was about. I must say the creepiness of the surroundings when alone, is a bit scary. I went alone on my first visit just to see if I could find it. Once there, I was on my cell phone (just in case something did happen!) While on the phone, the phone suddenly stopped working, even though the battery was fully charged. Then the thermometer inside the car dropped 10 degrees. I hauled butt out of there at that point. Now the phone problems could be due to the fact that it is back in the woods and same for the temperature change, so I’m not claiming anything paranormal happened. I went back the next day with someone and it wasn’t nearly as creepy, just rather interesting. Although I did take a picture and there appears to be someone looking in at us from outside the gate. We were the only ones there. The other funny thing was that we purposely did not lock the car because no one was around. When we got back to the car, it was locked. Luckily we didn’t leave the keys in it. Maybe it was just their way of thanking us for picking up the pop cans. People, please show some respect. —Shelley S.
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Let me just say, I do believe in ghosts, spirits, apparitions, etc. I have had plenty of personal experiences and seem to be sensitive to paranormal activity. Recently, I accompanied a group of people to Mouth Cemetery. Some of them had been there before but I and a few others had not. Those that had been to the cemetery before were insistent that they had seen orbs and shadows. They showed us a chair and “not just any chair”.
The chair was a replacement for an old chair that had been in the same location but had broken. The legend behind the chair was that you would die one year from the day, hour and minute that you sat in it. Again, it was not the original chair, but they believed the new one was cursed as well. It has not been a year since I sat in the chair, but I highly doubt my eventual death will be in any way related to that chair. The cemetery did NOT feel even the least bit “haunted,” and I did not see a thing. I believe the fear and hallucinations were created by people scaring themselves.
In short — you would need a good imagination to find this place to be haunted. — Megan
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February 18, 2011. I believe in the supernatural to an extent. We were at the cemetery and everything was silent and calm. I was listening and paying attention to something in the woods, like the sound of leaves shuffling. Then it got silent again and I heard a little girl scream. This was no ordinary scream like a child playing, it was a real frightening scream. After the scream, I heard footsteps and branches cracking. Just thought I would share this experience with you. — Dillon
**All cemeteries should be entered with respect. Leave them like you found them. Don’t liter, don’t vandalize anything or so help me, 10,000 demons will strike you down. If the cemetery has hours posted, respect that or find out how to get permission to be in after hours. Enjoy the cemetery during open hours. I am a firm believer that spirits don’t just come out at night. I think it’s just “ghost hunters” who only come out at night. Respect nearby private property and don’t trespass where you do not belong.
DISCLAIMER: THIS ARTICLE IS ABOUT A PUBLIC (ANYONE CAN GO THERE), HISTORIC MICHIGAN LOCATION. SURROUNDING PROPERTY IS PRIVATE AND NOT TO BE TRESPASSED ON. SOME AREAS MAY LOOK TO HAVE BEEN ABANDONED TO DECADES TO PEOPLE, BUT THEY ARE PRIVATELY OWNED.
My step mom and my daughter just went there the other day and I hadn’t been out there since I was a kid, but back then, the graves looked as if they were coming up out of the ground but not anymore. It looks so different and very strange. There is even a circle on the other side of the graveyard with three graves on one side of the circle and 2 chairs on one side and two broken chairs and a table on the other side. Also the grass is like two feet tall. Everything looks very different and very weird vibes. There was an old couple walking their dog coming from the way of the abandoned house and shed. My kid asked to pet the dog and says are you guys walking around in here to. They said, “Oh no we don’t go in there,” and left but I was just thinking like where did they even come from lol. My step mom’s brother-in-law has a video he recorded and it looks as if a person’s silhouette but like a mist is standing there and just walks away and you can hear the swoosh from when it walks away. Very creepy! I wanna go back again though, it’s very interesting to me. There are a lot of broken tomb stones but only one was put back together and there was change sitting in the crack of it that was also strange. I wonder what that means.
Thanks for sharing. Coins left on tombstones is usually just a memento left to honor their memory.
I think the change means that a veteran was visiting a veteran and each coin has a different message, The 3 chairs off to the side, is a private burial place for the Hamilton family. I think private property.
I grew up down the road from this cemetery. When I was a teenager I went there with my sister and sister-in-law. I will never forget going there and a man out of nowhere appeared. He had a black suite on. I was freaked out! My sister-in-law said he won’t hurt you and he giggled under his breath and was gone. We then got in the car and got out of there and never went back. I also know the white chair that had always been out there and the story behind it was if you sit in it, you end up getting in car accident and dying. I never went close to that chair but the stories I got was Joe Sadoney did a witchcraft on it.
Creepy!
When I was little we lived right by there. It would take pages to tell you all of the creepy things we experienced. There is a dirt road on the east of the old school, we lived down there just before it curved back west towards the cemetery. We were stupid teenagers that would go there and turn the old cross upside down at the entrance. The cross is no longer there. My sister and I with some friends, on numerous occasions seen a black nova driving thru there with the headlights off after midnight. If you’ve ever driven back there you know that two track is hard to navigate in the dark with the lights on. I’ve heard all the legends of “the chair” know numerous people who sat in it, and are still with us today. I almost think that story was made up to keep us dumb kids off Sadony’s property. As far as the cemetery, I firmly believe it’s haunted, too many sounds and sights we witnessed over the years
Great history! Thanks for sharing!
Have had a few experiences here, not saying ghostly but one of the creepiest was a little girl that came walking from the woods. Had to be 6-7 asking what time it was around 4am.
Yup. Way creepier than a ghost on multiple levels.
I’ve been to mouth cemetery many times. I’ve also been out there while a group of hunters were there to. They showed us that there was EMF’S all around. I also have a few pictures where in one of them, you can clearly see a the outlook of a solider of some sort holding a gun with a knife on it. There is an old water hand pump when you first walk in and a few feet from it is a well that is covered. A group of friends and I went there one night on a whim and we walked over to the covered well. After about a half hour of looking around, a friend of mine started screaming. She was by the well and had almost fallen in. Something had uncovered it. We leaned in to have a look and in the well was a floating, naked baby doll with a noose around its neck. It looked to be pretty old. After that, we all took off and haven’t been back since.
Okay, the doll with the noose is totally disturbing. Thanks for sharing!
We used to hang out there as teenagers and the cross that is on top of the entrance used to flip upside down on its own all the time!
Creepy!
See above post – the girl that admitted they always flipped it……. Lol
I noticed that too:) I find it interesting how things we think are ghostly and of “legend” tend to usually have a very “human” origin. Good stuff:)
I grew up near Mouth Cemetary and attended Mouth School which is now the church. I never heard that you would die after sitting in the chair until my son was a teen (he is now 37). The actual shrine with the chair is very far through the woods from where the cemetary is located and you wouldn’t find it with out a local person taking you and permission from Joe Sadony. As for the church, they are not connected with the cemetary and yes they are kind of weird. But it is more a compound where a religous local person and his extended family live. It is a very old historical place and I hate that people go there for fun and act disrespectfully. Watch on you tube “valley of the Pines” for history of Mr, Sadony.
Thanks for sharing that history Sue! I find Joseph Sadony fascinating.
Ok, now Im going there, my husband is sensitive to things like that, I will take pics and share,…anyone know,…should I take a dog with ??
Let me know if something strange happens! I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt to bring a dog. It’s a little “remote” and it could be interesting to see if the dog reacts to anything.
My sister and her friends were out there years ago (probably 20 yrs or so) and drove through the driveway. When they were going past the cemetery, the headlights of the car turned off. All the dash lights were still on. The headlights came back on briefly and then off again.
The driver had his hands up high on the steering wheel, so he was not to blame. Once they got back out to the road, they got out to check and see if there was something visually that could cause this, but he headlights came back on. The car never had this issue previously, or since then!
Totally creepy! Thanks for sharing:)
I’ve got some great pictures that I took on my last trip out there…wish I could share them on here! At the time I didn’t see or feel anything paranormal but my husband did…we drove out there to pass some time, I had been explaining the place to him and our oldest son and how I had gone there on a field trip when I was in 5th grade. My son and I walked around looking at the headstones while my hubby waited in the truck with our younger son…I snapped several pictures with my cell phone. Once we got back to the truck (after he yelled for us to hurry up) he told me that he had went over to the edge of the woods on the outside of the cemetery gates to go pee, while he was peeing he thought he heard us behind him, he turned around to say wow that was quick but nobody was there. (This was at which point he yelled for us to hurry up) he believed he felt a presence, even said he got the chills even though it was August. I looked at my pictures on our ride back to town but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, it wasn’t till later that night after re-examining them that I saw several figures after zooming in on the pictures. One of them shows the full outline of what looks to be a lady from the 1800’s long dress, bonnet and all, another looks like it could be a little girl and another that looks like a bearded man with a long coat. Cool and scary all at the same time.
Great story! Thank you for sharing:)