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Beardsley Plain Cemetery
(also known as
the Stepney Cemetery)
Tucked into the small hamlet of Monroe, in a section of
the town called Stepney, sits the quaint and unassuming Beardsley Plain Cemetery, otherwise referred to as the Stepney Cemetery.
This cemetery is sometimes said to be home to the White Lady of Union Cemetery in Easton (approximately nine miles to the
south). While there are ghostly ties between these two burying grounds, there are also human ties. Directly next
to the Beardsley Plain Cemetery is Our Lady of the Rosary church. This church has had the same pastor since 1973 and
he is none other than "Bishop" Robert McKenna, a man thoroughly ensconsced in the paranormal world through his extensive ties
to the Warrens as well as their nephew, John Zaffis. The Warrens have been to the Union Cemetery in Easton many, many
times and have proclaimed the area ripe with demons and spirits. So, too, has the Beardsley Plain Cemetery been dubbed.
Following his death in 2006, Ed Warren's final resting place was here.
Stories abound regarding sightings by both police officers
and firemen. One story boldly claims that in the 1990s, a fireman who was driving his truck along Pepper Street
(on which the cemetery sits) in response to a fire, saw the road in front of him begin to glow red. When he looked to
the passenger side, he was said to have seen a farmer in a straw hat sitting there. When he looked back toward the road
ahead, a woman in white, her arm outstretched toward the vehicle, was standing in the middle of the road. He reacted
too slowly and a thud was heard. When he climbed from the vehicle, a visible dent was found in the bumper . . . but
no body was found!
There are also claims that the White Lady travels between
the two cemeteries by way of Stepney Road which winds up and down the hilly terrain.
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| Cemetery entrance along Pepper Street |
The Investigation
As we arrived at the cemetery, there was an immediate interest in the
way the central road appeared to dead-end near the back of the burial grounds. It presented an ominous backdrop to the
rest of the scene and we began to spread out over the open grounds, making our way toward the back. To the immediate
right, along the wall and fence line, appeared to be the oldest of the stones arranged here.
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| The oldest headstones |
The farther we walked on into the cemetery, the more oppressive it
seemed. At one point, cemetery stones that were situated along the eastern wall were actually in the process of being
slowly consumed by the surrounding underbrush and trees. It was actually difficult to tell just how many stones were
present in this area due to the large assortment of florae that was taking over the burial ground wall.
As we rounded the northeast corner, it appeared that there was a small
depression behind the rear wall of the graveyard. Here, it appeared that the caretakers pushed with bulldozers all the
remaining earth left over from burials and dumped it into the small ravine. The earth mounds were dotted with plastic
plant pots, stuffed animals, and old wreaths.
On the northwest corner of the cemetery was the caretaker's shed.
Within were the tools of the trade, including rakes, shovels, spades, hoes, planters and grave blankets. Behind the
shed, Drew discovered a series of zigzagging stone walls that weaved and bobbed up the hill beyond the ravine. It appeared
that they were placed there to hold the soil in place, because there was evidence that this was a sort of wash for flood waters.
We finally made our way toward the front again, noticing the church
next door. Donna actually saw one of the sisters as she was exiting the property and noted that her outfit was all white
(not the usual black and white attire of nuns). She also saw an older gentleman who might well have been Father McKenna.
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| The view along the overgrown eastern wall |
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| The trees are alive! |
While we cannot truly say that we found a place with paranormal activity,
we feel that we did find one with a "vibe". It could have simply been the fact that the cemetery was small and contained,
but GHOST members did feel a bit kinetic while walking its interior. I even located a headstone
with a name that may have appropriately mentioned our feelings at the time.
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| "I feel tingley all over!" |
Conclusion
While the firefighter story is a good one, it is difficult to cross-reference
since no names are supplied in the story. If the firefighter was responding to a fire, then there must have been other
firefighters available as witnesses (firefighters don't normally go out on a response by themselves). If he did, indeed,
see the road turning color, why did he look to his right. And what does this farmer with the straw hat have to do with
the White Lady? The driver seems more concerned with the White Lady than with the fact that a crazed farmer may have
been sitting in his truck for hours, awaiting his company.
Activity was a no-show on our equipment gauges, therefore the haunting
part of the story was not able to be corroborated. There is much more to be learned from this cemetery, as well as from
the elders of the church next door. Until then, we will continue to visit this old cemetery and ask the hard questions
of police and firefighters, as well as area residents.
GOOSEBUMP FACTOR: 10
Barry A. A. Dillinger
August 24th, 2006
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