Episode 62: Midnight at 100 Steps Cemetery
You’ve heard me say it time and time again. It’s very unusual for a cemetery to be haunted.
Episode Transcripts
You’ve heard me say it time and time again. It’s very unusual for a cemetery to be haunted.
I know that seems a bit counterintuitive. But if you were here back when we released episode 14, then you may recall the reason why. Ghosts typically don’t want to haunt their own graves, they’d rather be somewhere a bit more exciting.
Perhaps it’s a place of work. Maybe it’s their childhood home or their school. It could even be as simple as their first car or a piece of furniture that holds sentimental value. But regardless of what it is they are haunting, ghosts tend to cling to what they knew in life instead of where they are in death.
Now this is not to say that a graveyard can’t be haunted. I mean, you and I know all too well that there are always exceptions to the rule. And of course that’s especially true when it comes to the paranormal and the laws of life and death.
Pause
That my friends brings us to the subject of this week’s episode. To a place of rest that’s somehow also a place of, let’s say, high spiritual importance.
Of course, it may not seem like it on the outside, or even from six feet below the surface. But trust me when I say that Carpenter Cemetery is concealing a sinister secret—one that’s all too easy to overlook.
I’m Courtney Hayes and you’re listening to haunts; stay tuned…
Situated on the outskirts of Cloverland, Indiana, this haunt is one that goes by a few different names. There’s the aforementioned Carpenter Cemetery, for one. Then of course there’s the apt title, the Cloverland Cemetery. But for most, it’s known simply as the 100 steps cemetery—named for the sprawling staircase that canvasses its grounds.
Pause
Now in the light of day, Cloverland would likely appear to be an ordinary—albeit uniquely designed—cemetery. It would seem almost peaceful, with the staircase running through its center acting as a sure path for visitors who don’t want to step unknowingly onto someone’s grave.
Yep, as strange as it is to say, Carpenter Cemetery is quaint, if even charming. But of course, I wouldn’t be mentioning it now if that was its only claim to fame.
Pause
You see, as day turns to night, Cloverland goes from a peaceful resting place to a downright nightmarish landscape. One that comes with a chilling legend, that makes this one of the most frightening haunts in all of Indiana.
At night, Carpenter Cemetery transforms into a place that you quite literally wouldn’t want to be caught dead in. Pardon the pun, but it’s true.
Especially considering that, according to the legend, at least, the 100 steps cemetery is home to an actual staircase to heaven. One that runs from the pearly gates, through overland, and from there, into the depths of hell.
Okay, so that’s quite the claim to make. I mean a stairway that seemingly leads to nowhere in the dead center of a cemetery of all places would surely be an eerie sight to see. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s haunted or cursed, does it?
Well, the skeptic in me feels like the answer to that question is a flat-out no. Sure, it’s eerie like I said but it’s probably only that. But then again, there is a bit of a local rumor that says otherwise.
Pause
You see, the 100 steps cemetery is allegedly haunted by the ghost of its old caretaker. And as I’m sure you probably guessed, this spirit is said to lurk at the top of these stone steps.
Now not only does this caretaker watch over Carpenter Cemetery during his afterlife. He also harbors, let’s call it, a wealth of knowledge—one that has attracted believers and skeptics alike out to overland.
Pause
I should explain, in the event that a visitor finds themselves out in Carpenter Cemetery at midnight, they must ascend the 100 steps to the top of the staircase, counting their paces along the way. At the top, they will find the ghost of the old caretaker who in turn will show them their future—specifically a vision of their own death.
I know that’s more than enough to scare even the most seasoned of paranormal investigators. But just you wait, because the legend doesn’t end there.
Apparently, after witnessing the grisly details of their own demise, the visitor will need to turn back and descend down the staircase—counting each step as they go. And if they don’t count the same number of steps exactly, then they know the vision to be true.
Pause
Okay, that might sound simple enough, but take a moment and put yourself in that position. Your adrenaline’s pumping after witnessing your own grim fate and then you’re asked to carefully count the steps out of that nightmare while a ghost stares daggers into your back from above.
Let’s face it, that alone would likely break anyone’s concentration. So regardless of what number you get at the end, there would always be that nagging thought in the back of your mind. Maybe the vision is true but then again maybe it isn’t.
So like most of the stories we discuss on this podcast, the legend of the 100 steps cemetery has a few different variations. Of course, for the most part, each version follows the same general story.
Walk up the stairs at midnight, witness a terrifying vision, then walk back down the steps to see if it’s true. But it’s what you might find at the bottom of the stairway that tends to vary depending on who you ask.
Pause
Now if you reach the bottom and find that you’re a few paces off from your trek up the staircase, then lucky you. You get to go home and wait for time to decide whether or not the vision was true. That much was consistent throughout pretty much every version of the legend that I came across.
But let’s say for a moment that the vision was false—that your paces match up exactly on the way up and on the way back down. What happens then? Well, to be honest, that’s where things get a little hairy.
Pause
One version of the story claims that you might just sink into the steps ever so slightly. Where you will remain trapped while the sound of disembodied voices slowly encroaches upon you.
Another source claims that an army of hands will sprout up from the ground and attempt to trip you on the way back down the stairs. Oh and should they succeed, you’d fall—plummeting into the pits of hell itself.
Okay so if you were listening closely when I first brought up the legend earlier on in the episode, you may have heard me say that midnight visitors must ascend the staircase for this date with the old caretaker. Meaning that they have no choice in the matter.
And I do mean that literally. Because should they fail to abide by this rule, they would be forced to face the wrath of the caretaker's ghost.
Pause
Let me explain further. There are a fair few who have ventured out to 100 Steps at midnight—only to decide that they didn’t want to know the details of their own death.
I can't say that I blame them. But trust me on this guys, things are a bit tricky when it comes to this particular haunt.
You see, instead of taking the walk up the staircase and visiting the caretaker as they had planned, many investigators simply explore the cemetery at the ground level—likely thinking that this will outwit the supernatural forces at work inside Cloverland. Well, that is until they realize they are not alone.
Pause
Evidently, those who have taken this approach have been pushed, shoved, or otherwise tackled to the ground to the ground by an unseen. Some even claim that they were left with red handprints on their bodies for days after having this unsettling experience.
So yeah, I guess when it comes to Carpenter Cemetery the old saying rings true. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.
So I think by now it’s pretty obvious, that this story is teaming with fire and brimstone. It’s the kind of tale that could make saints and sinners alike bow their heads in prayer. And really, that’s all thanks to 100 Step’s alleged connection to the underworld.
You see, Cloverland Cemetery with its adjoining staircase is thought to be 1 of 7 gates to hell. With the remaining 6 sitting right there in the Wabash Valley of Indiana.
Pause
So the legend goes that together these 7 gates have the power to open up a doorway to the underworld. Meaning that Cloverland, Indiana, and the surrounding towns are likely overrun with spirits and even agents of the damned.
Now I’m not entirely sure why the 7 gates to hell would be left unattended in a seemingly quiet pocket of Indiana. And for what it’s worth, this isn’t the only state with legend that runs along these lines.
But even still, it’s long been thought that there are in fact, earthbound passageways into hell and Hades. I mean, even the Bible makes reference to this on a few occasions. And if that’s true, well then they would have to be hiding somewhere.
The question is, where could they be hidden? And for that matter why not in this quiet pocket of the Midwest where they could so easily be overlooked?
Sources
https://www.visitindiana.com/blog/post/haunted-cemetery-in-indiana/
https://www.thebraziltimes.com/story/2969567.html
https://trippingonlegends.com/2021/04/18/100steps/
https://ultimateunexplained.com/100-steps-cemetery-indiana/
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTL1b11df/
https://www.warren.k12.in.us/o/the-owl/article/140543
https://www.warren.k12.in.us/o/the-owl/article/140543
https://www.warren.k12.in.us/o/the-owl/article/140543