The Glowing Graveyard

Nebraska · United States · Cemetery

Headstones that light up under a full moon north of Columbus, and the bridge beside them.

North of Columbus, Nebraska, well out past the last of the town, there is a small burial ground that people drive out to on nights when the moon is full. The stones glow. This is not disputed by anyone, including the people who go there, and the explanation is in the rock: the older markers are limestone, full of crystalline grain, and under a bright moon they take the light and give it back. Knowing why does not make the first sight of a field of shining stones any less strange.

The bridge next to the cemetery is where the real folklore lives. The story is that a school bus full of children went off it and everyone aboard was killed. Nobody has ever produced a date, a newspaper account or a name, and this same story is told at bridges in Nebraska, Texas, California and half the states between, which tells you what kind of story it is.

What it comes with are instructions, and instructions are the reason these legends survive. Dust the back of your car with baby powder, roll onto the bridge, put it in neutral and switch off. The car is supposed to move. When you get out and look, there are supposed to be small handprints in the powder. Some people find that their car will not restart in the middle of the span. It is worth going out there once, in the dark, with the powder, if only to learn how badly you want the handprints to be there.

FAQ

Where is The Glowing Graveyard located?

The Glowing Graveyard is in Nebraska, United States.