Aerial survey · USDA NAIP · public domainA granite-sphere-topped Victorian tomb in historic Magnolia Cemetery, Katy, whose eerie epitaph sparked generations of witch folklore around the 1911 grave of German immigrant Barbara A. Snyder.
Franz Rd, Katy, TX 77493
Research updated May 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free public access to Magnolia Cemetery.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Cemetery grounds. Generally flat with gravel/grass paths.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1900 · Katy's oldest public cemetery — a register of the town's founding families · Barbara A. Snyder (1834–1911) documented in genealogical records via WeRemember.com and USGenWeb archives
Magnolia Cemetery is the historic heart of Katy's burial heritage, established circa 1900 on Franz Road in Old Katy. The cemetery contains graves of the town's founding families, Civil War veterans, and early German and Czech immigrant settlers who shaped the Katy prairie community.
Barbara A. Snyder (December 27, 1834 – November 7, 1911) was a German immigrant who died in Houston and was interred at Magnolia Cemetery. Her grave is marked by a large granite sphere — estimated to weigh approximately 200 lbs — seated in a recessed base atop her monument. Snyder had no documented association with witchcraft or the occult; her 'witch' reputation derives entirely from a Victorian-era epitaph verse carved into her tombstone.
The epitaph reads: 'Remember me as you pass by, As you are now, so once was I; As I am now, you soon shall be, Prepare for death and follow me.' This memento mori verse was a common motif in 19th-century American and European funerary culture, intended as a solemn reminder of mortality, not a supernatural warning. Similar inscriptions appear on thousands of Victorian gravestones across the country.
The granite sphere became the focal point of a local urban legend that grew through the 20th century, drawing teenagers and curiosity-seekers. The Katy Police Department eventually removed the sphere from the grave site to protect both the monument and visitors from the vandalism and late-night behavior the legend was generating. The sphere remains in storage at the Katy Police Department as of the most recent reporting.
Sources
The legend of the 'Witch's Grave' has circulated in the Katy area for generations. The story typically holds that the woman buried beneath the granite sphere was a witch, and that the sphere is haunted — witnesses have claimed to see it levitate, glow, and fall from its base on its own. Some versions of the legend warn that reading the tombstone inscription dooms the reader to bad luck for life.
Historical research, covered in Katy Magazine and HCC Egalitarian, confirms that Barbara A. Snyder was a German immigrant with no documented connection to witchcraft. Her 'witch' reputation derives entirely from a Victorian memento mori verse on her headstone — the style of epitaph that was common on American graves of the 1870s–1910s era.
Paranormal investigator Paul Amos conducted an EVP session at the grave and found nothing anomalous, stating: 'I think it's just a fun legend.' The Katy Police Department eventually removed the granite sphere from the site to prevent vandalism and late-night visitor incidents; it is currently stored at the police station. Visitors can still see the Snyder monument, but the sphere is no longer in place.
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Visit the grave of Barbara A. Snyder (1834–1911) in Magnolia Cemetery — the original site of the granite sphere. The sphere itself has been removed and is stored at the Katy Police Department. The tombstone's Victorian epitaph, a common 19th-century memento mori verse, remains and is the source of the 'witch' legend.
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