Stull Cemetery before the church and witch tree were torn down. Probably circa 2004 or around there. Photo credit is unknown
Every once in a while you read something that sounds completely crazy. Then you realize it’s not too far way and you naturally gotta see it for yourselves. We read about this legend and I told Lacey there is no way we can call ourselves fans of all things spooky if we don’t make this pilgrimage. So we loaded up and hit the back roads of Kansas to chat with the devil. It’s become known that trespassers have been arrested as “keep out” and “do not enter” are posted all over the fence around it. The gate however was open so we went in…………..
Red and yellow signs line the fence around Stull Cemetery. I’d say this is to keep thrill seekers out after dark. Photo by Lacey and Troy’s Weird Adventures
So I guess I’d better give the details of why the place is so infamous. Grandparents would tell stories of satanic practices on the hill of the cemetery. It is believed that since around 1850 the devil himself has been coming up a staircase within an old church to hold court with his followers practicing in the church. Legend speaks of a stable keeper stabbing a mayor to death in a barn that would later convert into the church. Problem is Stull, KS says they have never had a mayor in its history. Also there is mention of witchcraft and cult gatherings. It is said that the Devil comes to the Cemetery every Halloween and every spring Equinox to visit the witch…….
The witch is said to have been hung by a tree that was near the church. This witch was thought to have birthed the Devils child who only lived for a few days. The remains of the boy and the witch is supposedly buried there. Names and actual plots are apparently unknown. Lacey and I did find a grave bearing the last name Wittich. I can say that this particular area of Kansas does look like it could have a history in witchcraft, or at least have citizens who go on a witch hunt and burn suspects at the stake. The really odd part is that the citizens are mostly ancestor to its original citizens that established the territory. Either they know things and are keeping town secrets or there is nothing to any of this.
The famous Wittich headstone. Her age at death would indicate she wasn’t hung in a tree for witchcraft but it’s not impossible photo by Lacey and Troy’s Weird Adventures
It would appear the hype really hit all time highs in the 70’s and 80’s when a writer at Kansas University found a bunch of people telling different stories they’d heard and personally experienced. Add a story ran by Life Magazine stating that the Pope wouldn’t fly over Stull (which everyone denies) anytime he’s in the states and you’ve opened the door to chaos. Every Halloween the cemetery would be full of drunken ghost hunters wanting to crash the Devils party. Locals had finally had enough over the years and law enforcement started really cracking down.
That led to people sneaking inside just to stand in the old church and drink beer (which now had no roof) or make out with their lovers under the old witch hanging tree. It was claimed that despite not having a roof when it rained in Stull the inside of the roofless church remained dry and rain free. When laying by the witch hanging tree one man claimed something grabbed his arm. Reports also came in of a wolf looking little boy with glowing eyes watching people from behind a tree. If you look online you can find a ton of great stories about the place.
Lacey and I located the foundation of the old church which was demolished into rubble. Photo by Lacey and Troy’s Weird Adventures
One day the church which sat vacant since 1922 was mysteriously torn down. That brought all of the demon hunters out of the woodwork with speculation. Come to find out it wasn’t demolished to cover the stairway to hell, but instead one of the owners feared getting sued when it collapsed. The old witch hanging tree was removed and immediately burned before anyone could know or collect a piece as a souvenir. Why would a town work so hard at taking extreme measure to rid of its two most notorious landmarks? Why wouldn’t they let sanctioned visits to the Cemetery to prove nothing is going on?
Random grave marker with no identification. Could this be the grave of the Devil’s child? Is this where the witch is buried? Photo by Lacey and Troy’s Weird Adventures
We went all around Stull Cemetery, we noticed that no matter how old the graves were or how long ago the buried were dead they had incredibly nice well taken care of headstones. And lots of flowers everywhere. They had a flag flying proudly. The pieces that remain from the old church still remain at the top of the hill. We picked up a small piece as a souvenir to go with the rest of our famous sites collection. (So if we mysteriously disappear or become the Amityville story, I guess that answers our question!) We seen a really nice well preserved cemetery that must have a great caretaker. This isn’t the run down, everything is dead place that I envisioned it would be.
One of the more famous piles of rubble in the entire country. The stairway to hell supposedly sits under that pile. Photo by Lacey and Troy’s Weird Adventures
So my question is why go to great lengths to dispose of the church and immediately remove the tree and take it off site to burn so that that no one can have a piece of the tree? They repeatedly deny the idea of the witch, the devil, and the child of Satan. In a community of 20 people that has a church and like two houses currently something doesn’t add up. What are they hiding? Could be they have a weird cult there and just protecting the past and their ancestors. Perhaps they currently still practice there. Maybe they’ve made some sort of deal with the devil and part of the deal included protecting his son. Perhaps they killed the witch in some sort of ceremony to give her eternal life with the devil. I got a feeling we aren’t totally finished in Stull, Kansas. Being the weirdos we are I think there is more to see in that town of twenty. Who knows…………maybe a night visit is in our future………
PS……..if you have stories of Stull Cemetery, please share with us.
Thanks for reading!
Travel with passion, travel with gusto
Lacey and Troy’s Weird Adventures
Lacey and Troy's Weird Adventures 