Dry Creek Cemetery
Terrell, TX
Category – Haunted
Access : 24 Hours
Unmaintained road
Established - Unknown
HISTORY -
Name Origin : Named Dry Creek due to a nearby ravine.
Dry Creek Cemetery was the burial ground for many early settlers of the original community of Turner's Point, Texas.
“Named for a nearby ravine, this burial ground originally served the community of Turner's Point. Located on the stage road between Shreveport, Louisiana, and Dallas, the settlement was established by Elisha Turner in 1845. In the 1870s the town was moved to a new location (1.5 miles southeast) and renamed Poetry. The earliest marked grave at this site is that of Samuel Key (1840-1871). Now closed for burials, the cemetery has 279 marked graves bearing names of the English, Scottish, Irish, and Welsh pioneer settlers of the area.“
Turners Point was located on the stage road between Shreveport and Dallas, and was established as a settlement by Elisha Turner in 1845.
In the 1870s the towns location was moved southeast 1.5 miles and renamed Poetry, TX.
The cemetery, which is now closed to new burials, is presently listed under Terrell, TX.
The earliest marked grave in the Cemetery dates back to (1840-1871) and is the final resting place for a Samuel Key.
The cemetery is sporadically filled with 279 marked graves bearing names of the English, Scottish, Irish, and Welsh pioneer settlers of the area.
Reported Hauntings :
“Billy the Cowboy”
Supposedly the spirit of William Armstead Bennett still walks the cemetery at night.
The L Files did not encounter William or any residual energy from him during our visits.
I was able to find a photograph of him.
Photo Credit : Findagrave.com
Born : Oct. 20, 1863
Mansfield De Soto Parish
Louisiana, USA
Passed : Mar. 20, 1916
Poetry
Kaufman County
Texas, USA
Children
Children make up a large percentage of the graves located within Dry Creek Cemetery.
We believe some of our evidence includes the spirits of children.
Such as an EVP we recorded while also using our EMF Meter.
Listen closely as I (Lauren) ask the spirit to make our motion sensor go off again which is hanging off the main tree which is the focal point of the cemetery.
It sounds as though a little girl answers us saying,”Yeayeayeayea”.
It sounds as though it could possibly be an insect but when attempting to debunk the sound we could not duplicate the sound within the hours of footage we recorded that evening.
ALSO it coincides with our EMF Meter which goes off at exactly the time we believe the girl answers us.
Please listen and comment below telling us your opininon on the recording! We appreciate all input!
First Visit:
Of the five times we've been here, our first time was actually the culmination of our first trip to Terrell, TX as a paranormal research team!
That evening, we had the pleasure of experiencing The Historic Terrell Ghost Walk, please find their information by clicking the link and be sure to put one of their events on your to do list when visiting Terrell, TX!
After departing from our group at The Terrell Ghost Walk, we wanted to visit one more place prior to heading back to Dallas, so we ended up checking out Dry Creek Cemetery, which for us has definitely lived up to its rumored haunting!
By the time we got there, it was already around 10 PM and pitch black. We had no idea how rural the area would be around the location.
We passed the cemetery the first time due to how dark it was, until our headlights shone on the iron entrance gate at the last minute. As we reversed to make our way back to the entry point we began to realize how secluded this cemetery is.
For a moment we sat at the entrance with our headlights showing into the cemetery taking in the feeling of history and silence which was only disrupted by the sounds of cicadas and other nocturnal critters.
In we go. The poorly maintained roadway is very short and leads you to the wood posted entrance and then to the right to circle around a tree and then you are back facing the exit towards the left.
We did not make the circle towards the exit because we were afraid of getting stuck in some mud. We decided to turn our headlights off so we could fully grasp just how dark it was out there.
Without the moon, you cannot see your hand in front of you. Since we were not prepared with proper equipment and had to still drive back to Dallas, we marked this a reconnaissance visit.
Second Visit:
The second trip was as unplanned as the first.
After visiting a few locations in Waco and Waxahachie, we had a bit of sunlight left while on our way home and decided to visit the cemetery in the daylight so we could fully grasp the size and energy of the place.
The cemetery seems to take on an entirely different energy during the day. Seclusion and almost a sense of peace hangs in the air, nature is reclaiming areas unmaintained, cicadas sing loud, and the sound of the city is nowhere near.
Of course everything was visible during our first day visit and you can really see the amount of headstones within the cemetery during the day time; quite a few of the head stones are not marked, smaller in size, or are hidden within tree/brush overgrowth.
(Photo Credit: Lindsay)
This is also the first time we encountered Edna Inez Hightowers headstone which is a marker for the final resting place of a 5 year old child which is located all the way towards the back of the cemetery; anointed with offerings and gifts which have been there for quite some time it appears.
During this visit, as you can see below, the headstone has a baby doll, a bunny figurine, and an additional stuffed animal.
(Photo Credit: Lauren)
After taking our time and really feeling out the area, we decided to head home after a day of exploring multiple historic and haunted locations within Texas, determined to return.
Third Visit/Official Investigation:
The L files third visit was also our official investigation of Dry Creek cemetery. We arrived at dusk to setup our base camp at the entrance where multiple wooden benches are located.
We placed our GE motion sensor in the large tree located at the focal point of the cemetery where no interference would occur. We were also equipped with our K-II Meter, Digital EVP Recorder, Laser Grid Pen, Digital Thermometer, and video recording devices.
Lindsay and I split up to do a quick walk of the grounds prior to the sun completely setting. Once the sun set, we began our investigation; there was already a palpable energy to the atmosphere as though it was building towards something. We both experienced pressure in our ears as though they were ringing and were drained of energy when we left that night after our investigation.
It came to both of our attention that between our 2nd and 3rd visit someone had tidied up Edna Hightowers headstone, propping up all stuffed animals. We brought a baby doll which we left at her headstone as a trigger object and gift, along with some artificial flowers we left at the entrance.
We then came together and both walked the cemetery with our K-II Meter and recording devices.
For the next 15 minutes no evidence was captured and neither one of us experienced anything unusual until we each began to both feel a spike in energy. Lauren began to feel extremely light headed and Lindsay had the sense of something or someone watching her so we decided to sit down on one of the benches at our “base camp” to conduct an EVP session.
Our EVP session lasted approximately 20 minutes in which we received intelligent responses and spikes on our K-II when asking questions.
Along with the K-II and EVP evidence we received that evening we also caught a shit ton of orbs and an unexplained apparition which has The L Files curious. We've made a collage for this so everyone can get an idea of everything. The original photo is posted along with a blown up picture of the aforementioned apparition. The photo below the original is a picture taken directly after the original. As you can see, there is nothing there. I had a friend from GhostTheory.com take a look at the picture and even he can't figure it out.
(Photo Credit: Lindsay)
After our investigation of the cemetery we left excited to review our possible evidence and to see what else we could uncover to support our personal experiences.
Fourth Visit/Revisit:
Our fourth and most recent visit was mostly in attempt to debunk the photo above.
We took copious amounts of photographs and are still puzzled as to what or who the transparent figure could be.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Lauren:
After visiting the cemetery these few times and the experiences both Lindsay and I had, I believe this location is active with residual and intelligent spirits.
I have never felt a negative energy when visiting, of course I was a bit spooked the first night we pulled through, unable to see more than a couple feet in front of us, but besides my inner child being a bit cautious of the unknown darkness, I enjoyed investigating Dry Creek Cemetery and look forward to returning!
Lindsay:
This is probably my favorite place we've visited thus far. I kind of feel protective of this cemetery. The apparition that I caught still has me second guessing it. I've had numerous people analyze this photo and no one can figure it out. Of course, my initial reaction was headstone, but after going back and trying to recreate it with no success, I'm going with the latter. I can't wait to go back.
The L Files wish to express our complete and most utter respect for every location we visit. We strive to provide like minded individuals with the history, present day status, and paranormal activity/occurrences which have/do occur on the properties.
