The Burial of Octavia Spencer

Blue Ridge Mountains

Here is a classic Appalachian ghostlore story. 

Octavia Spencer died of a mysterious illness, after giving birth in the 1890s.

Her son died within days of being born, and Octavia went into a deep depression. Her husband and family were unable to help her, so a doctor was called in.

By the time this man arrived, he found Octavio in a dream-like state, similar to a coma. Frustrated, the doctor was unable to determine what was happening.

Within hours his patient appeared to stop breathing, and the mourning husband following the hill custom quickly arranged to bury Octavia that same day--on top of the mountain.

Several days later, the doctor found himself treating several patients that exhibited the same symptoms as Octavia’s.

They all had a strange "sleeping sickness."

Their breathing turned shallow as well. But within a day they began to wake up. 

It dawned on the doctor that he had made a terrible mistake. He immediately demanded the husband arrange for Octavia’s body to be exhumed.

When her coffin was opened, it became apparent that she had died of asphyxiation.

To everyone’s horror, there were signs Octavia had struggled before her death. The wood lid of her casket was shredded with claw marks, she had tried to escape.  

In shock, the doctor and husband looked upon Octavia's face, which was frozen in a mask of terror.

Her body was then reburied in the family plot in Pikeville, Kentucky. The husband tormented with guilt had a tall stone statue placed upon her grave.

For over a century, witnesses have claimed there is unusual activity near Octavia’s grave.

Many locals have reported hearing hysterical cries at night. Others who are brave enough to stand near her grave state they heard scratching sounds.

Once a year, on the anniversary of Octavia's death, it is said, this statue rotates--turning its back on Pikeville.

Buried Alive

In the past without the medical advancements we have today people were pronounced dead and buried when they were just unconscious. This happened enough that people actually feared being buried alive.

At one point there was even an industry that provided coffins with ways for a person to communicate if they were pronounced dead and buried by mistake.

Edgar Allan Poe and several other writers of his time wrote stories about this “real life” fear. Imagine reading one of these stories if you feared this or knew someone that had been buried alive.

In Daniel Cohen’s book, The Encyclopedia of Ghosts he shares several stories about people who suffered this awful fate. Here are just two.

A Long Happy Life

During a typhoid epidemic a young woman from an affluent family became ill. To the great sadness of the family the various physicians they called in all stated that they could do nothing for the young women. The last doctor told the family they best prepare for her death.

Her beloved older brother was traveling for business on the continent when he heard of her impending death. He rushed home to find she had already died and he was told that her funeral had been held just hours before his arrival.

Overwhelmed with grief he made his way to the cemetery. He found two gravediggers just finishing covering his sister’s grave with dirt. He wanted to say goodbye by looking upon her face one last time. He asked the gravediggers to uncover the coffin but they flatly refused.

A crowd gathered as he pleaded passionately with these men. Two onlookers took pity on him and volunteered to do the deed. As they pried the lid off the coffin the crowd pushed forward in morbid curiosity.

The brother looked down upon his sister’s face and tears clouded his vision. A grasp arose from the crowd for most had seen what they had assumed was a “dead corpse” now moving. Within moments the entire group heard soft moans.

The brother now confused looked at the people who surrounded him and was surprised to see them all jump back as one. He turned back to the coffin to see his sister sitting up.

She had just been unconscious and the family taking the doctor’s advice had buried her quickly in an attempt not to spread the disease.

The sister recovered completely--she married, had a large family and lived to attend her beloved brother’s funeral.

A Terrible End

The two men had been best friends since childhood. They opened a feed store together and they lived near each other after they both married.

One Sunday John was riding to the next town when something spooked his horse. John was thrown from the horse and hit his head on a rock.

The country doctor who attended him at the scene pronounced him dead. He was carried home in a wagon and buried near the orchard on the family farm.

The day after his funeral his best friend started to have a vivid nightmare.

In this dream John stood before him and asked, “Why did you let them bury me? I was not dead.”

The friend replied, “But you were dead.”

John disgusted at this response stated, "No I wasn’t. If you don’t believe me--check out my coffin--you will find the proof you need."

For the next several nights John appeared in his friend’s dreams and continued to argue with him.

The friend at his wits end finally went to John’s grave and dug it up. He found him face down--he of course had been buried face up.