Everyone has heard of the “Witches of Whitewater” but did you know about the Whitewater Cemeteries? The city of Whitewater has three cemeteries, which make up a perfect isosceles triangle. The three cemeteries are: Calvary Cemetery, on the north side of campus, Oak Grove Cemetery, on a hill next to the Washington Elementary School, and Hillside Cemetery adjacent to Cravath Lake. This is known as the “Witches Triangle.”

There is a story that says, in 1970, during Halloween week, the coffin of a little girl, who was recently buried, was placed on the mall of campus. It is suspected that it was taken out of one of the three Whitewater cemeteries. Many people thought it was a sick joke, however, two fishermen had seen strange lights floating in the Calvary Cemetery the night before. Another legend says that Oak Grove Cemetery is the resting place of Mary Worth, an axe-totting murderess. The legend also says that Mary can be seen among the tombstones on Halloween Eve. The grave of Morris Pratt, the founder of The Morris Pratt Institute, can be found in Hillside Cemetery. The Morris Pratt Institute is known to be the start of the Whitewater hauntings because this was a school for Spiritualism. Many people have reported drastic temperature decreases within the barbed-wire fence of Calvary Cemetery and seeing strange shadows moving about in the middle of the night.

One story from the “Witches of Whitewater” Facebook page says that, “I used to walk my dog in Hillside, as I visited my grandfather’s grave. A storm was approaching one day around dusk. My mother was with me. Suddenly, our dog stopped running around and froze. All the hair on its body went straight up and out. As he was a collie, this was striking. He was staring down into a hollow. My mother than said, “You better go down there and tell those kids to get home before the storm hits.” I did not see any kids. “What kids,” I asked, The ones down there. I don’t think Boo likes them.” Boo had bitten a kid who was teasing him and since he was not so fond of kids. I looked at Boo. He was growling deep in his throat. I looked into the area he was staring at. “I don’t see any kids,” I said. “They are right down there, dancing around,” said my mother. I said, “Let’s get Boo into the car and we will drive down there.” When we got to the hollow, I said, “See, there’s no one here.” My mother said, “They were just here. Look around. Maybe they are hiding.” I got out and walked into the hollow. Then I realized, this was the infant and child burying ground. There were many children’s graves. Rather than being scared, I laughed. I knew Hillside. I got back into the car and my Mother said, “Did you find them?” “Yes,” I said. ‘They are leaving now.’”

These are just a few of the creepy stories about the cemeteries of Whitewater, WI. Many historical facts about the Morris Pratt Institute and stories about other haunting experiences can be found at the link below. Or if you dare, you can ask for the “haunted book” in Andersen Library.

https://www.facebook.com/TheWitchesofWhitewater/