Self-Guided Visit
Daytime Historic Cemetery Visit
A respectful daytime walk through a small nineteenth-century river-bluff cemetery known for its counting-the-graves folklore.
- Duration:
- 30 min
Aerial survey · USDA NAIP · public domain Cemetery / Burial Ground
Batson Cemetery
A historic 1850s cemetery on a bluff above the Salamonie River in rural Wells County, long the subject of a 'thirteen graves' counting legend, a glowing grave, and a phantom caretaker.
Near Willow Road, off State Road 3 (Jackson Township), Warren, IN 46792
Research updated May 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
No admission. This is an active historic cemetery, not a tour venue.
Access
Limited Access
Sloped hillside cemetery on a river bluff; uneven ground and old stone.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1855 · Mid-nineteenth-century river-bluff cemetery with roughly 400 burials · Land donated to a cemetery association in the early 1920s by the Batson family · Documented by Wells County and Allen County genealogy collections
Batson Cemetery occupies a wooded bluff above the Salamonie River in Jackson Township, Wells County, in northeastern Indiana. According to local historian Ted Shideler, the cemetery's signage dates its establishment to 1855, though the oldest legible marker he located belonged to Andrew Jackson Batson, an infant who died in 1840. The grounds hold roughly 400 burials, the last of which was William Andrew Sills, who died in 1957 at age 82.
The cemetery takes its name from Henry Batson, who owned the riverside land. In the early 1920s his daughter donated the parcel to a newly formed cemetery association, formalizing the burying ground that families in the area had already been using for decades. The Wells County Public Library and regional genealogy collections, including the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center, document the cemetery and its interments.
The site's enduring local fame, however, comes from folklore rather than its ordinary history. A central tradition concerns a set of stones that visitors count as 'thirteen graves,' with the number said to change when counted in reverse. Shideler's research suggests these are not graves at all but uneven rows of convex stone laid in a rough corduroy pattern, likely installed to stabilize horse-drawn hearses on the steep hillside.
Vandalism has been a persistent problem at the remote site, and it has been placed under surveillance with active enforcement against nighttime trespassing. Visitors are asked to come only during daylight and to treat the historic burying ground with respect.
Sources
- https://tedshideler.com/2025/06/15/wells-countys-haunted-batson-cemetery/
- https://www.genealogycenter.info/photos_wellsbatson.php
- https://wellscolibrary.org/cemetery-list/
Disappearing-grave counting anomalyA grave that glows at nightApparition of a ragged old caretakerFull-moon figure with a hatchet (later folklore)
The best-known Batson Cemetery legend is the 'thirteen graves' count: visitors say that thirteen unmarked stones can be tallied on the way in, but counting them again on the way out yields a different number, with one grave seeming to vanish. Local historian Ted Shideler, who grew up nearby, recounts inconsistent counts ranging from twelve to fourteen across repeated attempts, and proposes that the 'graves' are actually rows of convex paving stone laid to steady hearses on the hill rather than true burials (https://tedshideler.com/2025/06/15/wells-countys-haunted-batson-cemetery/).
A second tradition describes one particular grave that glows when seen from the road at night. A third holds that a ragged old man — taken to be a caretaker — appears in the cemetery after dark; lore connects him to a nearby school that was demolished long ago, said in some tellings to have been a school for the blind. Shideler found no evidence of a school for the blind within the cemetery's bounds, though historical maps from 1881, 1901, and 1905 show ordinary township schools that once stood relatively close by.
Later additions to the folklore, circulated through regional legend catalogs, include a boy with a hatchet seen on full-moon nights and a girl among 'the thirteen' said to appear to a visitor who throws a rock at a certain grave. These embellishments are not supported by any historical record and are presented here strictly as folklore attached to a real and well-documented cemetery (https://www.genealogycenter.info/photos_wellsbatson.php).
Notable Entities
The old caretakerThe girl among 'the thirteen'
Plan Your Visit
1 way to experienceSources & Further Reading
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Batson Cemetery family-friendly?
A quiet historic cemetery suitable for daytime family visits with supervision. The folklore is mild. Note the active no-trespassing enforcement after dark and treat the grounds with respect. Overall family fit: Moderate.
How much does it cost to visit Batson Cemetery?
No admission. This is an active historic cemetery, not a tour venue. This location is free to visit.
Do I need to book in advance?
No advance booking is required, but checking availability is recommended.
Is Batson Cemetery wheelchair accessible?
Batson Cemetery has limited wheelchair accessibility. Terrain: Sloped hillside cemetery on a river bluff; uneven ground and old stone..