Friday the 13th, By the Light of the Full Moon
LaFayette Pioneer Cemetery
September 13th, 2019 a ghost investigation took place at Lafayette Pioneer Cemetery in Lafayette Oregon on a full moon. Some amateur, some new to the scene, some old timers and some townies all participated in what would turn out to be a night that did not disappoint. The newly formed Sinister Hunts paranormal investigation crew collaborated with S.I.U and Haunted Yeehew to explore the highly anticipated Lafayette Cemetery. These three paranormal investigation groups make up Pacific Northwest Paranormal Collaborative. Lafayette Cemetery is said to be the home of a witch according to urban legend. But we found that it was also the home to forgotten times and people. The cemetery lays unclaimed by the town and because of that, headstones have been completely moved or demolished, and many graves there, now lay unmarked.
Origin of Folklore
The original story of Lafayette Cemetery alludes to the happenings following a violent murder of a local shop keeper that rocked the town of Lafayette. The alleged killer of the shop keeper, Richard Marple was convicted and hung for his crime in the town square. Anna Marple, Richard Marple’s mother, was overheard at the hanging cursing the town and vowing to burn it to the ground. Another account of events states that Anna Marple was later hung after being convicted of practicing witch craft. At her hanging, she cursed the town claiming that it would burn down three times. To date, the town has burned two times leaving it’s residence wondering if there will be a third. While researching we came across a third account of events. This account stated that the true identity of the alleged witch hung and buried in Lafayette Cemetery during the late 1800’s witch hunts, remains unknown. In this version, it is said that the unnamed witch haunts the cemetery and has been seen walking the grounds, laughing or according to some becoming physical.
With the history of Lafayette Cemetery shrouded in conflicting stories, we will share our experience of that night...
Investigation Lafayette Oregon
All parties mentioned above met around nine thirty pm outside the cemetery. The cemetery is located on the outskirts of town, on a hill with a clear view of Lafayette below. During the walk through, almost all of us commented on this fact as it was an eerie setting for a cemetery, and for this cemetery in specific. At first, we split up to get a feel for the cemetery and explore different areas within it. It was clear from the get go, that the cemetery had been abandoned and many of the graves and headstones were worn and desecrated. The Sinister Hunts group, Dwayne, Kelly and Michelle, originally walked the grounds with two EMF readers with no hits. Heather and Wendy from haunted Yeehaws used their Ovilus apps on their phones to explore that avenue of communication. Heather, Wendy and Michelle had success in communication through these devices. After the initial exploration of the grounds, we all met up inside a fenced off area in the center of the cemetery. S.I.U’s, Adam and Pam, recorded and uploaded footage during this rem pod session. The equipment was extremely active and can be seen in the footage found in the link. The rem pod appeared to be giving us consistent feedback when questions were asked leading us to believe this was not residual. During the end of this session, we were joined by a group of three drunk towns people. Shortly thereafter, three girls entered the cemetery and walked over with their Ouija board that they had been using in the car. It was during this time that one of our members of Sinister Hunts left the group to walk into a densely covered and secluded area. The group called to him after Wendy’s Ovilus read the word “alone” and we realized we were missing a person. Our missing group member, Dwayne, returned and said he didn’t know why but felt like he was drawn to the area. The remaining members of Sinister Hunts returned with Dwayne to investigate.. Michelle’s Ovilus read the word “enemy”. The feel of this area of the cemetery is worth mentioning as it was easily five or so degrees colder there. A feeling of a presence was felt by more than one of us, as it is a distinctive feeling that most people who encounter ghost like presences recall. Feeling uncomfortable, the three investigators returned to the group. After again splitting off (mainly because of the presence of the uninvited “living” guests), the group came back together to end out the night. Everyone, including the drunk towns people and Ouiji board girls eventually found their way back to the area Dwayne had been drawn to earlier. S.I.U. wanted to finish the investigation with a spirit box session. Although there was a lot of chatter, the only clear thing we can recount live was “Adam”, which Adam from S.I.U. was holding the spirit box. At this time Michelle’s Ovilus said “Don’t Don’t Don’t” then followed by “Scared”. After, one of the intoxicated joiners slammed a beer. The spirits seemed to be as annoyed with them as we were. The Ovilus said only one other word…Drunk! The rest of the session was relatively uneventful. With no more excitement the additional on lookers left and the group of us exited the cemetery. A smudge and a cleansing prayer ended the evening.
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*We do not recommend any kind of investigation without proper safety measures. We also do not recommend instigating entities for fun or entertainment. We take our investigations very seriously and offer many follow ups to ensure we have left the places in better shape then we found it.