08/29/2026
The past couple of weeks, work has had me driving up through Yazoo City, so of course I had to make a little detour to Glenwood Cemetery to find the famous “Witch’s Grave.” 👀🪦
Yep, that’s right… Mississippi has its very own witch’s grave! 😂
The Yazoo Herald Visit Yazoo
According to the old Yazoo City legend, a mysterious woman who lived along the Yazoo River was chased into the swamp and supposedly became trapped in quicksand. Before she died, the story says she cursed Yazoo City and swore that in 20 years she would return and burn the town to the ground.
Twenty years later, on May 25, 1904, a devastating fire swept through Yazoo City, destroying more than 200 homes and nearly every business. According to the legend, the chains around the woman’s grave were found broken afterward, and people believed she had escaped and fulfilled her curse.
Now, whether you believe the legend or not, standing there looking at that old grave surrounded by those heavy chains was pretty darn cool. 😂
But honestly, the witch’s grave wasn't even my favorite part of the visit.
I found myself wandering through the cemetery, reading all the old markers and wondering about the lives behind them. Who were these people? What did they do? Who did they love? What were their lives like? What stories would these old stones tell if they could talk?
And THAT is what I love about old cemeteries. ❤️
Glenwood Cemetery dates back to the 1800s and holds generations of Yazoo City's history, including Civil War-era graves and the grave of Mississippi author Willie Morris, who is buried only 13 steps from the Witch’s Grave.
It was beautiful, peaceful, historic… and just a little spooky. 👻
Mississippi has so many stories tucked away in places we drive past every day without ever realizing what happened there.
Sometimes you just have to stop, get out of the car, and go looking for them. ❤️
