Chapel of the Cross
This brick chapel is a Gothic-style masterpiece, complete with a pointed arch front doorway and with sharply-tipped windows. This chapel was built by Mrs. Margaret Johnston, in memory of her husband, and was finished in 1855, complete with French stained glass windows, a pipe organ, a baptismal font made from one stone, altar and communion rail.
One hundred and fifty years later, Chapel of the Cross is going strong as a congregation, actively practicing their Christian faith, offering opportunities to serve Christ and grow in the Christian faith.
MANIFESTATIONS:
Chapel of The Cross and its graveyard are locked up tightly at 6 p.m. to not only prevent vandalism, but to give the ghosts their privacy. Stories of the past explain some of the hauntings of this place, which is still a place for the spiritually restless.
1) A young woman in her early 20s, is seen crying inconsolably near a young man's grave, a Henry Vick. She vanishes when the living approach her. In 1857, the daughter of Mrs. Margaret Johnson, Helen was totally in love and engaged to be married to a Henry Vick, who was killed in a duel just a few days before the wedding. Helen spent hours at his grave, crying, talking to his grave stone. She finally was able to cope, after a trip to Europe, and later married a minister. A part of her never was healed; her longing for her dear Henry. It's possible that what is seen is an emotional impression of this extremely painful time for grief-stricken Helen, or it could be her- still weeping and grieving, unable to let go and go to the other side.
2) The Organ has been played late at night, when everything was locked up tight. The reason is unknown.
3) Non-stop, manic giggling fills the air at times, and blood stains appear now and then on the Chapel's stone floor. An apparition is seen going straight through the front wooden door and the locked iron gate protecting the door. Many years ago, the caretaker, in charge of Chapel Of The Cross, mentally snapped, and chopped off the head of his mentally unbalanced wife, right there in the Chapel. After clearing up the bloody mess, the caretaker hung himself on the Chapel's rafters.
4) Two apparitions were seen opening up the wooden door, going right through the locked iron gate, which protects the door, and climbing up a tree to sit together for a time before melting into thin air. Maybe, these two spirits could be Helen and Henry, trying to live together on earth. No one knows who they are for sure.
STILL HAUNTED?
Yes. The Chapel of The Cross and its graveyard are locked at night so the restless spirits mentioned above can have their privacy without being disturbed by the living.
All Ages - Family Fun Event
Chapel of the Cross PHOTOS
674 Mannsdale Road, Madison, Mississippi, 39110
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