Spring Hill Cemetery
Scenic, Serene & Spooky at Sunset
By Sherri Brake (Originally published in the September 2012 edition of Two-Lane Livin’ Magazine)
The city of Charleston was incorporated in 1794 and eventually became the capital of the Mountain State as we know it now. Back in the early days, the original town cemetery was just a small plot near the Kanawha River. By 1869, the cemetery was overcrowded which prompted officials to find a new location. In that same year, land was purchased for a sum of $2118.02 and surveyed by Thomas Matthius.
The new cemetery was named Spring Hill after the "Chalybeate" spring nearby. An original 20 acres has grown to over 172 acres, as Jewish, Roman Catholic and other subdivisions have been added overlooking the state capitol building and downtown Charleston.
After more than 130 years Spring Hill Cemetery has grown to encompass more than 150 acres and boasts the title of West Virginia's largest cemetery. With its remarkably beautiful location overlooking the gold-domed Capitol, it is one of the Kanawha Valley's most scenic sites.
One of the saddest facts, as with many old graveyards, is the amount of children's graves in this park-like cemetery. I noticed Dr. Henry Rogers’ grave while visiting one day last fall. His dates are 1788-1837.
He was one of the first doctors in Charleston and had several children who died early. 1822, 1823, 1825, 1827, and 1828, are listed as their death dates. They all probably died from communicable diseases as was common for the times.
A terrible accident occurred in the cemetery back in the 1930s which resulted in a new grave. Miles Vernon Dixson (1913-1935) was a teller at the Kanawha Valley Bank. He had wanted to be an aviator and went to Glen Clark's seaplane flying school located on the Kanawha River. Prior to taking his test, he took a last-minute practice flight over the cemetery. When one of the wings came off his plane and he perished in a crash….right next to the mausoleum.
If you dig deep enough, there always seems to be a bit of dark history to such locations. In 1905, the city of Charleston demolished a "contagious hospital" no longer in use, and sold the land to the cemetery. In the Potters' Field section, it is said there is a large, gnarled oak tree, used for hangings and lynchings. Allegedly, one can hear strange strangling noises, said to come from the spirits of those who were hanged from the tree's sturdy branch.
That sounds like urban legend to me but I have collected several reports of odd occurrences happening in the cemetery near sunset. Visitors have gotten several unexplainable "orbs" on film in the civil war section. Electronic Voice Phenomena (voices on tape) captured have included "Mary," "Wait" and "Get out." Hmmmm… No need to tell me twice!
Civil War notables abound from both Union and Confederates including General Appleton who was an officer of a famous black regiment and The 52nd Massachusetts. Thomas Brown was the Confederate officer who sold the beloved horse "Traveler" to Gen. Robert E. Lee and lies buried in Spring Hill.
While walking (I suggest driving as it's spread out) other sections of interest are a Confederate Soldiers' plot, a field for the American Legion burials, a potter's field for unknown burials, a Mt. Olivet Cemetery, and a Roman Catholic cemetery. The oldest section of Spring Hill Cemetery is known as the Old Circle. It is beautifully laid out, being situated as to overlook Farnsworth Drive. It's a beautiful spot.
The cemetery is no stranger to film crews either. Scenes were filmed around the Marshall University Memorial for the film "We Are Marshall" starring Matthew McConaughey in 2006.
If you love cemeteries, Civil War history, and the stories that gravestones can tell, plan a visit to the state's largest burial ground. Be sure to pack a lunch and your camera.
Of course, the cemetery closes at sunset, so please don't linger long!