Union Cemetery

Easton, Connecticut

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Union Cemetery, which dates back to at least the 1760s, is the oldest cemetery in Easton, Connecticut. Previously referred to as "Old Cemetery" and "Baptist Cemetery", it is unknown where the name "Union" originated from. The cemetery, covering 5.2 acres, is located at the intersection of Sport Hill Road and Stepney Road. (Oddly, Route 59 - which is Sport Hill Road - takes a sharp right at the cemetery and becomes Stepney Road, while Sport Hill Road continues straight.) According to legendary paranormal expert, Lorraine Warren, Union Cemetery is the most haunted cemetery in the country. (She and her husband, Ed, wrote a book about Union Cemetery, called Graveyard.) Local authorities forbid anyone from entering the premises at night without a permit, and Mrs. Warren cautioned against the worldly and supernatural dangers of visiting the cemetery at night and alone.

Union Cemetery is "home" to the infamous White Lady, the most notable of several apparitions that haunt the area. She has been seen walking Stepney Road between Union Cemetery and Stepney Cemetery at night, appearing in a white, old-fashioned nightgown or dress. Some people claim to have run her over as she stands in the middle of the street, only to discover that no one is there, yet damage has been done to their vehicles. According to an article in the Easton Courier, the White Lady might be Ruby Wells Edwards, the 19-year-old bride of a jealous older man (Robert Edwards). A contemporary newspaper article (1923) stated that Robert Edwards, estranged from his wife and overcome with jealousy, surprised Ruby on a dark road in Easton, as she was on her way home from a friend's house. When she refused to reconcile with him, he shot her twice with a shotgun. He then fled into the forest and shot himself. It is thought that Ruby Wells Edwards and Robert Edwards are buried (separately) in Union Cemetery (or possibly Birdsey's Plain/Stepney Cemetery; Ruby's parents are interred in Stepney), but there is no record of either one in either cemetery. A photo of Ruby Wells Edwards and a copy of the newspaper article reporting her death is provided later on this page.

There are dozens of supernatural stories associated with the cemetery. Hundreds of (night-time) photos have been taken showing apparitions, ghost globules, psychic energy and other phenomena (if you believe). I have included a few of my own at the bottom of this page.

Union Cemetery has another claim to fame - it is the final resting place of Blues-guitar legend, Johnny Winter. His accolades are listed below, along with the photo of his gravesite.

See how Union Cemetery features in Connecticut's "Little Salem".

Estimated number of interments, as of January 2024: at least 1657.

Photos were taken 19 October 2008 and 17 October 2021.

A memorial in front of Union Cemetery: "1914 - 1919 Easton Remembers the Great War." The plaque lists 34 names - "These Served," and Marsten E. Banks, "The Fallen".

A view of the old part of the cemetery, closer to Easton Black Rock Church (formerly Easton Baptist Church).

The oldest still-intact burial in Union Cemetery:

"Here lyes buried the body of Mr. Ebenezer Hubbell who departed this life March the 6th 1761, in ye (the) 74th year of his age."

"In memory of Mrs. Sarah Hubbell wife of Mr. Ebenezer Hubbell who died May 20th 1788 in the 93d year of her age. An age which few Survive."

"Here lyes buried the body of Mr. Ephraim Selye who departed this life June the 28th 1763, in ye (the) 29th year of his age."

"Here lyes the body of Mr. Edward Lacey who departed this life June ye (the) 18th 1772, in ye (the) 61st year of his age."

"Here lyes the body of Mr. Nathaniel Lion who departed this life June the 29th 1773, in ye (the) 63rd year of his age."

"In memory of Mr. Isaac Bennitt who departed this life Dec.r 10th AD 1791, in the 82d year."

"In memory of Mr. Nehemiah De Forest who died Dec.r 9th 1801 this life in the 58th year of his age. The wise, the just, the pious, and the brave Live in their deaths, and flourish from the grave; Grain hid in earth repays the peasants care, And ev'ning suns set but to rise more fair."

A view from the old part of the cemetery, looking toward Sport Hill Road.

"Charles Elliott, son of Harvey and Polly Hubbell Feb. 26, 1825 Jan. 24, 1854."

Rebecca, wife of Charles Hubbell. Daughter of Turney and Jemima Foote. Died Dec. 15, 1845.

Front: "David S. Edwards / Died in New Orleans, LA / July 19, 1863 / Aged 34 yrs"

Below this inscription it says "1882"

Back: "John Edwards, died April 19, 1888,

Aged 86 years

Polly, wife of John Edwards,

died February 9 1898, Aged 36 years

Polly, wife of John Edwards,

died June 9, 1882, Aged 84 years"

Johnny Winter was a Blues-guitar legend. He produced three Grammy Award-winning albums by Muddy Waters and was nominated for several Grammy Awards for his own work. (He posthumously won the Grammy Award for Best Blues Album for Step Back, which also won the 2015 Blues Music Award for Best Rock Blues Album.) In 2015, at the Maple Blues Awards, Winter was awarded the B.B. King International Artist of The Year Award. In 1980, Winter was on the cover of the first issue of Guitar World. In 1988, he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, the first Caucasian performer to be inducted. In 2003, he was ranked 63rd in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".

A view from the newer part of the cemetery, facing Easton Black Rock Church.

Springtime at Union Cemetery. Photos taken in April 2021.

Union Cemetery, circa 1915. The road in the photo is Stepney Road. (The photo is from the book, Images of America: Redding and Easton, by Daniel Cruson.)

Union Cemetery, circa 1920. Looking north on Sport Hill Road. From the Historical Society of Easton.

Ruby Wells Edwards on her wedding day. She was shot to death by her husband in 1923. Supposedly buried in Union Cemetery, she is a possible candidate for the White Lady.

Article dated 1 June 1923, reporting the death of Ruby Wells Edwards.

This photo clearly shows an "orb" towards the top of the photo, closer to the right side. The cemetery gate is in the foreground, and some stones are visible beyond it.

A large "orb" can be seen in the first photo, in the upper right corner. Smaller "orbs" are visible toward the upper middle and mid-right of the photo. Lots of small "orbs" appear in the second photo. (The red lights on the right side of the photo are a car's brake lights.)

An unexplained, very bright light in the distance, hovering over some tombstones. It is not a light from a house, car or any type of device (such as a flashlight, cell phone, etc). When the light is enlarged (second photo), it resembles an upside-down, angry face with an old-fashioned collar. I sent this photo to Lorraine Warren and she replied with a letter, asking that I call her. During that conversation, she declared that this photo is "proof of life after death".