The haunted grave of Angeline Hoagland (+ 4 more creepy sites in AZ)
From graveyards to ghost towns, Arizona is home to many morbid tales—including that of Angeline Hoagland. Here’s her story and four other creepy haunts.
I recently discovered the difference between cemeteries and graveyards. Like most people, I assumed the words meant the same thing and thus were interchangeable. However, after listening to an episode of “30 Morbid Minutes” titled “Cemeteries vs. Graveyards: What’s REALLY The Difference?,” I learned that there are actually specific distinctions between the two. The main difference is that graveyards are run by a church and are located on church grounds, whereas cemeteries are usually operated by a council and are found in various locations.
Other things separate them beyond this, including guidelines regarding headstones, length of ownership, and memorial maintenance. If you’re similarly interested in the topic, click here to learn more about where cemeteries and graveyards overlap and where they differ. It felt important to go over that terminology before we dive deeper into Arizona’s haunted history, as I’ll be talking about both cemeteries and graveyards below.
Before I take you through some of the state’s most notable burial sites and ghost towns, though, I’m going to ask you to gather ‘round the campfire to hear the story of Angeline Hoagland, whose grave has been the source of spine-chilling observations for over 136 years.
Angeline Hoagland has reportedly been haunting Old Black Canyon Highway since 1889
In the mid-1880s, David Hoagland and Catherine Stewart Magee Hoagland traveled from Texas to put down roots along Arizona’s Lynx Creek. The married couple was presumably drawn to the area, as countless others had been, because of the gold rush. In 1886, they had a daughter, Angeline Hoagland, who sadly passed away in 1889 before reaching her third birthday. The Sharlot Hall Museum of Prescott notes that Angeline died after falling ill, as was common for many children during this time.
For unknown reasons, she wasn’t buried in a cemetery and was instead laid to rest near the creek, in an area that has since become the Old Black Canyon Highway. Over the years, Angeline’s story continuously touched the hearts of settlers, gold miners, and cowboys. The Arizona Department of Transportation believes this is what caused her story to become ingrained in local legend—and what has ultimately led people to believe that her grave is haunted. Many have claimed to see Angeline’s restless spirit wandering close to where she was buried.
When noting these ghostly sightings, reports emphasize a bright, spectral light which appears in the shape of a small child. Alan Brown, the author of “Haunted Southwest,” says there’s a realistic explanation for this, though. Due to the grave’s placement on Old Black Canyon Highway and the type of luminous stone used for Angeline’s grave marker, this “spectral” light is actually just the tombstone glowing in the headlights of passing cars. Though this particularly eerie detail can be explained away, another odd occurrence is harder to debunk.
Visitors claim that the ground shakes if you attempt to enter the iron fence surrounding Angeline’s grave. Sadly, the tombstone was vandalized at one point and removed for several years before being restored in 1993. It was at this time that the fence was erected as a way of protecting the property and the peace of the long-departed girl. Perhaps that’s where tales of the ground shaking originated—from those who wished to prevent further vandals from wreaking havoc.
Territorial historian and Arizona poet laureate Sharlot Hall was so moved by Angeline’s story that she decided to write and dedicate a poem to her. That poem was then engraved onto Angeline’s headstone when it was replaced in the 1990s. The poem reads:
“Here lies our baby Angeline
For which we weep and do repine.
She was all our joy and all our pride
Until the day our baby died.
We hope in heaven again to meet
And then our joy will be complete.
But until our Maker calls us there
We trust her to His righteous care.”
Angeline’s grave, whether haunted or not, can be seen when driving down Old Black Canyon Highway from Prescott. The tombstone and surrounding fence can be seen on your left as you’re passing Lynx Creek. If you plan to drive by or pay Angeline a visit, though, please remember to be respectful.
4 more creepy sites in Arizona
1. Greenwood/Memory Lawn Mortuary and Cemetery, Phoenix
According to Spirit of Arizona Tours, Phoenix’s Greenwood/Memory Lawn Mortuary and Cemetery is believed to be haunted. Reportedly, there was a child named Maria who passed away in the 1930s, and the young girl’s ghost has been seen near her grave in Greenwood/Memory Lawn Cemetery by several visitors over the years. Those who have allegedly come across the apparition say she appears to be crying over a doll she lost.
Whether you buy into that theory or not is entirely dependent on your relationship to the supernatural and what you choose to believe. Several notable Arizonans, like founder of the Arizona Republic newspaper John T. Alsap, are buried in the cemetery, though, which is the oldest and largest in the city.
2. Evergreen Mortuary and Cemetery, Tucson
Tucson’s Evergreen Mortuary and Cemetery was founded in 1907, and some of the city’s original settlers are buried there. Evergreen stretches over 110 acres, and despite being extremely picturesque, Only In Arizona says it’s one of the most haunted spots in Tucson. People have reportedly heard children playing and laughing when no one else was around, and one woman claims an unseen entity pulled her hair.
Visitors have also noted periods of complete silence while walking through the cemetery, where even birdsong and the sound of wind blowing through the trees were absent. That sounds peaceful to me , but I can understand why it would be a little spooky to walk around Evergreen’s grounds in total silence.
3. Boothill Graveyard, Tombstone
Tombstone is one of the most infamous towns in the Wild West thanks to the “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral” and the 1993 movie “Tombstone” that immortalized (and dramatized) the event. Located in this historic area is an equally notorious burial site known as Boothill Graveyard. The name stems from outlaws being “buried with their boots on,” though women, children, ranchers, and lawmen were also buried there between 1878 and 1884, until the West Allen Street cemetery was built. Over the years, visitors have reported seeing strange lights and shadows, as well as hearing spooky, unexplained sounds.
Given that some of the most legendary outlaws are buried here, it makes sense that their restless spirits have lingered long after they died. Billy Clanton, a member of the gang “The Cowboys,” who lost the “Gunfight at the OK Corral,” is buried in Boothill, along with members Tom and Frank McLawry. Clanton allegedly rises from his grave every night and wanders around Tombstone with his pistol at his side. Another phantom, the “Lady in Red,” is also seen wandering the grounds of Boothill, along with other unidentified apparitions.
To learn more about all the ghosts in this graveyard, click here.
4. Dos Cabezas, Cochise County
Cochise County is home to the famed Dos Cabezas ghost town. During the 1870s, a stage depot and settlement were built here to house those seeking silver and gold in the nearby Dos Cabezas Mountains. The area’s prosperity slowly started to dwindle following the financial crash in 1929, and it was officially considered a ghost town after the post office closed in the 1960s. Remnants of old buildings and residences are still visible in Dos Cabezas, as is a cemetery on the western side of the town facing the hills.
The cemetery is privately maintained by the Dos Cabezas Pioneer Cemetery Association, though you can volunteer for their annual clean-up day if you’d like to learn more about the ghost town and pay your respects to its earliest pioneers.
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