Haunted Joplin: Peace Cemetery (ARTICLE/AUDIO)
Haunted History of Joplin’s Forgotten Cemetery
Have you ever been alone somewhere when you felt that tingling sensation on the back of your neck? Or ever seen a shadow in the corner of your eye but when you looked nothing was there? Do you get a creepy feeling when you hear the wind howling through the window or a door creaking open? Most of us have probably experienced something that has given us an uneasy feeling and even if it could be explained away rationally, there is a little part of us that still wonders,“What if..?”
This is The Haunted Toad. What you are about to read is based on historical events and testimonies from those who have experienced supernatural event sin theJoplin area.
I could feel this deep tingling sensation in my chest of excitement and a little nervousness. I don’t know what I believe when it comes to this stuff, but our dark curiosity led us here and I couldn’t wait to explore the place we had heard rumors was The Most Haunted spot in Joplin… We knew it was nearby, but didn’t know exactly where.
We set out just after sunset but the sky grew eerily dark in a hurry, and before we knew it we were surrounded by tall trees on either side of the road and noticed a caliginous fog developing over the painted yellow lines before us. Right about the time we began to comment on our mutual feelings of unease her car began to clatter, headlights flickering and acceleration sporadic so she turned on her hazard lights…
What was happening?
Was her car about to die?
Here?
“GPS signal lost.” the robotic voice announced, we looked down at the phone, battery life low... We couldn’t see where we were, but she was afraid to stop, that her vehicle might stall and not start up again. Although she hadn’t experienced anything like this with her car before. Now our hearts were pounding, was something else at work here? Where were we exactly? Her phone’s service cut out, my phone was dying...
We knew we couldn’t stop now, no one would know we were out here! It was so hard to see beyond the fog and darkness, but just as she pushed harder on the gas pedal to make it up the shallow hill we caught a glimpse of it…
Pale stone slabs jutting up unevenly from the sun bleached grassy mounds on one side of the road, some of them cracked or fallen. The soft glow of the flickering headlights through the fog were not enough to make out the blurred names and dates that had been washed away with rain and time. Without stopping, we could barely see the decimated concrete entrance with the name of the place we were looking for inscribed on one of the blocks, this was it…
Peace Cemetery
Our hearts leapt into our throats, this was the place we heard about but we were too afraid to stop. Accelerating faster now, it wasn’t until we got about a half-mile away when the fog began to clear and her headlights stopped flickering. The car was running fine and when we reached the next turn safely we looked at each other, only the dim green glow from her console lighting our faces, increasing the sense of being haunted. “That was it.” We thought, we didn’t have to say it, we could read it on each other’s faces. It was as if this place was aware of our presence, and it felt... supernatural.
The next free afternoon we had we took the now more familiar drive to the cemetery, although barely recognizable in the daylight. Recently taken care of by a group of paranormal enthusiasts, Peace Cemetery had otherwise been completely abandoned and overgrown. You could see where road construction had paved right over forgotten graves because a few headstones were barely sticking out from underneath the poured concrete.
The part of this spooky little cemetery that had the most access was at the bottom of the steep gravel entry road that twisted itself to a stop in front of a small family plot. Maybe it is the heavy shade from the enormous tree craning over the graves tangled in its roots, but even on this bright and sunny day, this stygian corner of the cemetery seems darker. Mysterious shadows lurking behind the trees that guard and grow around souls consigned to oblivion.
Despite the warm sun on my shoulders, I feel a prickly shiver of cold reach up my back and whisper into my burning ears, “You shouldn’t be here…”
You can see where the rain tends to collect most on this small gated family plot where grass no longer has a chance to grow. We step further in, now fully aware of the slimy crunching sound of dead twigs and mud beneath our feet, as we examined the names on the mossy memorials, looking for one grave in particular... It wasn’t too hard to find, piles of rocks lay on top of an unmarked grave just outside of the ill-fitted gate…
This is the final resting place of Billy Cook Jr.
His shadow crept across the pavement, thumb out, waiting for the next car to slow to a stop for him. He seemed harmless enough, just a guy down on his luck and in need of a ride. But now, even 70 years later, his shadow still lingers over the road and reminds people of the horrifying risks of picking up strangers.
“So where ya headed?” they might have asked, possibly noticing Billy’s crooked eye glaring back at them, (it never closed fully so he was always watching). Billy’s hand rose with a snub nose revolver gripped so tightly you could see his tattooed knuckles that read “H A R D L U C K” turning white.
After spending most of his young life in prison he vowed to “live by the gun and roam” and hitchhiked across the country. “Cock-eyed Billy” carjacked and held 10 poor people hostage. Few escaped, but some weren’t so lucky.
He slaughtered a young family of 5 and their dog, dumping their bodies in a 100-ft deep mining shaft in Joplin. The tortured soul claimed he did it
“Because I hate everybody’s guts and they hate mine.”
Billy was held accountable for his crimes and ultimately executed by gas chamber in San Quinton, CA. When his body wasn’t collected right away it is rumored that Billy was put on display where people could pay to see the dead killer before he was transported to Joplin for burial in Peace Cemetery.
His body was met there in protest, and the family was forced to bury him in the secret of the night in an unmarked grave near their family plot, much to the disapproval of the public who didn’t want a murderer’s body so close to the wholesome families in their cemetery.
While Billy is certainly the most famous resident of the cemetery, his burial plot isn’t the most reported “Active” amongst the other graves. There are some unmarked civil war military graves where people visiting have experienced mysterious phenomena. People have seen shadows darting from tree to tree, hear screams or gunshots echoing in the woods nearby...
One visitor was reading the names of the remaining headstones when she distinctly felt two large hands on her mid-back shoving her forward where she almost stumbled into the fractured testament facing her. When she looked around after quickly regaining her balance she couldn’t see anyone or thing nearby. So who shoved her? A nauseated feeling washed over her and goosebumps covered her body, shuddering at the thought of it being someone beyond the grave toying with her. In that instant, she knew she wasn’t welcome there and left immediately. She hasn’t returned since.
Others have left the not-so-peaceful cemetery with scratches or inexplicable bruising which honestly might make sense when you consider the history of this location.
The Massacre at Radar Farm on May 18th, 1863.
The 1st Kansas Volunteer Infantry laid aside their weapons while collecting food rations and were ambushed by Jasper County Confederates. Eighteen Union Soldiers were killed, and fifteen of them were some of the first African American soldiers.
It was said that though some of the unarmed soldiers tried to surrender, the confederates still butchered those who couldn’t escape fast enough on horseback.
Later that night, the dead bodies of the soldiers were mutilated and left to rot. Shortly after, more forces arrived in retaliation and destroyed the homes and businesses of those who sympathized with the confederates responsible for the massacre including John Bishop, a neighbor of the Radar’s and thought to have a part in the gorilla confederates attack. Bishop was taken from his home to be executed and burned along with what was left of the massacred union soldiers in the Radar barn. Some claimed he was still alive and screaming when the pile of bodies was set ablaze, and when he tried to escape he was shot again just before he reached the barn doorway, falling back into flames and forgotten history.
The barn wasn’t the only building in flames, the whole city of Sherwood was burned to the ground, including Peace Church itself, where only the small forgotten graveyard stands wearily attesting of its existence.
So, if you visit the area now and listen closely you may hear the century old echoes of battle cries from those involved in the great Jasper County massacre of 1863... but be careful, they might come for you next!
Read some more really interesting spooky stories about Joplin in Lisa’s books that can be found on Google Play and Kindle , or get a hard copy from your local bookstore !
Learn more about Joplin’s fascinating History by visiting the new Joplin Library .
More information about the testimonies from individuals who do not wish to remain anonymous can be found in the links below. Some stories may have been embellished for dramatic effect. Everything in this dramatic piece is based on historical events. To learn more about the true story of the Radar Farm Massacre and the archeological history about the lost city in Jasper county visit these links:
Learn more and support the historical research and memorial by following this page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1695239760720104&epa=SEARCH_BOX
News article about the lost city: https://www.lakenewsonline.com/article/20151209/news/151208912
Interesting history about the bushwackers who resisted the Union Army: https://civilwaronthewesternborder.org/encyclopedia/bushwhackers
See pictures and read an article about Billy Cook Jr. here: https://time.com/3879488/billy-cockeyed-cook-portrait-of-an-american-spree-killer/
You can now watch the 1953 HitchHiker noir on Youtube for free!
Royalty free music from the movie and quoted warning were used in this recording.
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