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This is a true story about a very dark night in a cemetery!
Back in the 1980's I served a short tenure as the City Cemetery Manager... the job had been called City Cemetery Superintendent before I started and returned to Superintendent after my service! So, I guess I made a slight footnote in city history for being the only City Manager of the City Cemeteries (Locust Hill & Oak Hill). I think I may have served the shortest term of office, as well! At the time, the Cemetery Board would meet in the conference room of the Administrative Building at Oak Hill Cemetery after normal office hours. In the winter months it would get dark, very dark in the cemetery... lighting was almost non-existent, but there was adequate lights on the building for everyone to see to leave after the meeting. It was the policy to save on electricity by not leaving lights on. This meant that I would stay behind to let everyone leave, then I would turn the lights off.
Someone asked me if I was afraid to be in the cemetery, alone, after dark with no lights. I would just laugh and say that I was not afraid of the cemetery "residents" it was the "living" that generally made me nervous. This night was the first Board Meeting since being named Manager. Later, I watched the last of the Board Members drive out the front gate and off went the lights. Wow! The cemetery was very, very dark... pitch dark! I needed my cigaret lighter to see my way to the car. I turned on the engine and joked to myself that I hoped there were no ghosts in the cemetery with a grudge against the cemetery or the administrators! Then, I was in for the biggest shock of my life... I turned my head lights on and the cemetery seemed to light up! I was surrounded by polished tombstones reflecting my car head lights!!! I just about jumped out of my skin!!! I took off for the gate to get out of there. At the gate I had to get out and lock the padlock and I felt "spooked" fumbling with the gate & the lock. It felt like someone was there in the shadows. I jumped back into the car, locked all of the doors & sped off. Then I took a deep sigh of relief & started laughing at myself.
- Written by JGWest
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