Aerial survey · USDA NAIP · public domainA 90-acre historic cemetery southwest of Chillicothe where a grave marker for a woman named Elisabeth is said to have moved on its own and shadowy figures are repeatedly reported.
Grandview Ave, Chillicothe, OH 45601
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free public access during daylight cemetery hours.
Access
Limited Access
Expansive historic cemetery with sloped terrain, gravel paths, and uneven ground between graves.
Equipment
Photos OK
Ross County History · Chillicothe Historic Burial Ground · Ohio Capital History
Grandview Cemetery occupies approximately 90 acres on the southwestern edge of Chillicothe, the city that served as Ohio's first capital before Columbus assumed that role in 1816. Ross County, where Chillicothe sits, was among the earliest settled regions of the Northwest Territory, and the cemetery reflects that layered history in the variety of burial styles and periods represented across its grounds.
The cemetery encompasses sections with graves dating from the early 19th century alongside later plots from the Civil War era and the 20th century. The terrain is gently rolling, typical of the Scioto River valley landscape in this part of central Ohio, with older sections in the interior and more recent burials arranged outward from the historic core.
Grandview Cemetery is not currently the subject of formal historical designation, but its age, size, and association with the city's founding era make it a significant landscape feature in local historical terms. It remains an active cemetery operated for the ongoing use of the community.
Sources
The shadowy figures at Grandview Cemetery are the most consistently reported phenomenon at the site. Visitor accounts compiled by regional sources describe dark shapes moving through the older sections of the cemetery, typically at dusk or after dark. The figures are described as human in outline but lacking distinguishing features, and they disappear before they can be approached.
The Elisabeth legend is specific enough to have become the site's signature story. According to local accounts, the grave of a woman identified only as Elisabeth was originally located near the front entrance of the cemetery but was at some point found near the rear, with the stone apparently in place in its new position and no evidence of disturbance around the original location. The mechanism of the claimed relocation is not explained in any account, and the historical identity of Elisabeth—whether she was hanged, as some versions of the story claim, or died by other means—has not been verified through Ross County records.
Ohio Exploration Society, which has produced paranormal documentation of numerous Ross County sites, has contributed accounts from Grandview Cemetery that corroborate the shadowy figure reports from independent visitors.
Notable Entities
Explore this roughly 90-acre historic cemetery southwest of Chillicothe. The site is known locally for reports of shadowy figures among the older sections and for the legend of a woman named Elisabeth whose headstone is said to have relocated from the front to the rear of the cemetery.
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