If you’re visiting Yazoo City, Mississippi, stopping by the local cemetery may not be at the top of your list of attractions. However, Glenwood Cemetery has a distinctly supernatural reputation that continues to draw curious visitors. But what exactly is the Witch’s Grave in Yazoo City—and perhaps the most intriguing question of all: who was the Witch of Yazoo City?

Who Was the Witch of Yazoo City?

Before exploring the Witch’s Grave itself, it is worth delving into the legend of the mysterious woman said to have lived along the Yazoo River. The story surrounding the Witch of Yazoo City is perhaps even more chilling than a visit to her grave, and it has become an enduring part of the city’s folklore.

According to legend, the “Witch” lived alongside the Yazoo River, where she would lure local fishermen into the water before torturing and, possibly, killing them. The tale alone is enough to give the river an unsettling reputation, but the story becomes even more intriguing when it reaches the circumstances surrounding her death—and the origins of her supposed curse.

During her lifetime, the woman may not have been regarded as a witch or supernatural figure at all. However, after her alleged crimes against local fishermen eventually caught the attention of the authorities, the sheriff began pursuing her. She fled through the surrounding swamps until she became trapped in quicksand.

As she slowly sank to her death, legend claims that she placed a curse on Yazoo City, declaring: “In 20 years, I will return and burn this town to the ground!”

Remarkably, the legend appeared to become reality. In 1904, a devastating fire swept through Yazoo City, destroying more than 300 buildings. Although fires were not uncommon at the time, the exact cause of the blaze has never been conclusively established. Several theories have been suggested over the years, but the story of the Witch’s curse remains one of the most enduring explanations in local folklore.

The legend was further fuelled by reports concerning the weather on the day of the fire. Historical records indicate that conditions were relatively calm, yet witnesses claimed that the flames appeared to spread with the force of powerful winds. Even more intriguingly, the two heavy chains that had reportedly been placed around the Witch’s grave were said to have broken the following day.

So, did the Witch somehow escape her grave and fulfil her deadly promise? There is, of course, no definitive answer—but the mystery remains an intriguing part of Yazoo City’s history and folklore.

Visiting the Witch of Yazoo City’s Grave

Today, visitors interested in exploring the legend of the Witch of Yazoo City can visit Glenwood Cemetery and see the site associated with the famous tale for themselves. The cemetery also offers a Witch’s Tour guide online, allowing visitors to explore the history and folklore of the site independently.

The cemetery is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., providing plenty of opportunity to visit the grave and experience one of Yazoo City’s most enduring—and mysterious—legends.

In the countryside of Kent, near the town of Ashford is a village that has become closely associated with ghosts and hauntings. Known as England’s most haunted village, Pluckley had earned its reputation over the centuries thanks to its many accounts of supernatural events. The ghosts of Pluckley village remain arguably the most haunted of all of England’s many townships.

Visitors come from far away to see the village and travel along the haunted trail at night. Armed with the hope of seeing one of the ghosts of Pluckley village, including the fabled lady who reportedly burned to death near a stream, a schoolmaster who hanged himself, or perhaps the highwayman looking to rob someone one more time. 

The village itself is quant and quite pretty, almost the type of village you would see in a picture-postcard. Pluckley has been used as a filming location more than once, perhaps most notably for the BBC program, “The Darling Buds of May”. But what is it that has earned Pluckley’s reputation for being England’s most haunted village? The answer begins with the Dering family. 

The Dering Family

Many of the tales surrounding Pluckley are associated with the Dering family. The family itself settled into the area around the 15^th century. The Dering family were lords of the manor for centuries until about the start of the first World War. But their influence is still seen today. Many of the older buildings have distinctive windows with a round top. 

A legend says that a Dering lord escaped from Oliver Cromwell’s army by diving through such a window just in the nick of time. As a remembrance when the manor was rebuilt, he had every window constructed with the same round top. Unfortunately, the manor house itself burned down in 1951, but the distinctive windows can still be seen in many of the buildings of the village. 

But how does the Dering family play in the ghosts of Pluckley village? The answer begins with arguably the most well-known of supernatural legends, the dancing light. 

The Dancing Light of St. Nicholas’s Church

Any visit to Pluckley should begin at St. Nicholas’s Church. The place where the remains of many members of the Dering family can be found. For many years, visitors have reported a strange flickering light that appears near a window in the upper section of the church. 

In addition, the light is often accompanied by an unusual noise, the sound of hissing that comes from the vault below. A team of investigators were given permission to spend the night inside the church in the early 1970s. Although fully prepared, the only thing that happened was the arrival of friendly dog who came by from time to time. A dog that was not owned by the vicar. 

Another apparition seen in the churchyard is the famous Red Lady. Supposedly a member of the Dering family, she has also been called the White Lady, but reports vary over the years. One consistent feature is that she is accompanied by a small dog. 

The Fatal Love Triangle 

Travelling outside the center of the village is a large white house known as Greystones. It is said that the ghost of a monk from the Tudor era can be seen amid the trees that surround the house. The story goes that the monk fell in love with the daughter of a well-to-do family, but he could not be with her. 

Sadly, she died under tragic circumstances and the monk eventually died of a broken heart. To those who have seen the apparition of the monk, he is sometimes accompanied by a woman. But neither has been seen since 1989 as reported by an journalist in the area. 

The love interest of the monk lived at Rose Court, a house nearly 300 years old. It was built by a member of the Dering family that supposedly was having an affair with the young woman. The strain of the romantic triangle was said to be too much for her. She committed suicide by consuming a toxic drink. Residents who live near the house report strange noises and a foreboding atmosphere that fills the garden areas. 

But of all the ghosts of Pluckley village, the most tragic story belongs a woman of modest means who died in an unfortunate accident. 

The Fire that Consumed an Elderly Woman

The story of the elderly woman who lived on a small income derived from gathering and selling watercress near a small, stone bridge helps make Pluckley England’s most haunted village. It seems that she had no relatives to speak of and she was often seen smoking tobacco from a small clay pipe. 

Unfortunately, she also liked to drink and one night as she was consuming the contents of a flask under the bridge, she fell asleep. The pipe was still in her mouth when it dropped onto her clothing which set it on fire. Before anyone could help her, she burned to death. 

And while some residents have reported a strange, pink glow that comes from that area of the bridge at night, others have a more horrifying tale of seeing a figure wrapped in flame screaming in pain. Normally, the apparitions so far would be more tales that what you might find in other villages across the English countryside. But in a sense, the stories have only begun. 

The Sword and the Hanged Schoolmaster

At the crossroads known as Fright Corner there is the legend of the highwayman. A robber who was caught and fled until he stood in front of an oak tree and fought desperately until he was run through by a sword. The sword pinning his body against the tree. 

Today, stories of a phantom whose body is pinned against a tree near the corner is still being told. Nearby is a woodland known as Screaming wood. From time to time, the trees reportedly produce screams which send the birds sitting in the branches into sudden flight. 

Another tale from the 1920s centered on a group of schoolchildren who were returning home. They discovered the body of their schoolmaster hanging from a tree branch at the end of Dicky Boss Lane. The reason why the schoolmaster took his life was never discovered. 

But on certain nights when the moonlight fills the area around the tree, locals state that they have seen a ghostly form swinging from the same branch of the tree in which the schoolmaster hanged himself. 

More Ghostly Tales

There are many other tales involving apparitions and ghosts of Pluckley village.  It is true that the commercial buildings in the area have accumulated their own tales of horror. One of the more unusual is that of a tearoom which originally housed a blacksmith’s forge which was present in that location during the 14^th century. 

Locals report that two ghosts are often seen in the room, including a maid from the Tudor era who stands by the fireplace working the spit. The former owner of the building said he once hung maps that were brushed away as if by a hand that were not visible. 

The Black Horse Inn

When traveling through Pluckley, you are bound to find the Black Horse Inn, a pub that has been around for centuries and located on The Street. There are many tales that came from this pub as well, starting with locals reporting a glass that slid along the shelf on its own. Cutlery that rearranges itself, and one upstairs room that dogs refuse to enter. 

Nearby is a bakery in which some people have heard footsteps that come from an upper room, travel to the hearth, and then disappear with no person in sight. And the most interesting of all is that of a phantom coach and horses that race along the street in the middle of the night. Although no one has ever seen the carriage. 

Pluckley as England’s Most Haunted Village

The many stories of the ghosts of Pluckley have helped earn it the title of the most haunted village in England. And the attention to the small town began in 1950 with a newspaper article which declared it as such. Followed by a mention in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1989. 

But the real source for many of the stories came from a local historian who lived in Pluckley from the 1930s through the 1960s. His writings about the different sightings of ghosts and the stories behind them helped garner the reputation of the village as being haunted. That momentum was accelerated by newspapers and radio programs from the 1950s and 1960s which embellished many of the stories. 

Today, the culmination of the stories combined with the quaint, the beautiful setting has augmented the reputation of Pluckley into England’s most haunted village. And while the apparitions and ghosts of Pluckley village may not be seen as much as they were before, the atmosphere of the village, particularly at night is one that many visitors will not soon forget.