Oakwood Cemetery

Raleigh, NC

Located in downtown Raleigh amongst streets of fancy houses stands an equally fancy graveyard. It’s the oldest cemetery in Raleigh, super sprawling and old and gothic-looking. You’d think it would be crawling with ghosts, but I have yet to be even a little haunted here. One time in high school I literally verbally dared ghosts to haunt me, and still nothing.

The cemetery’s ghostiest thing is the Spinning Angel: a big-ish stone angel that stands on the grave of Etta Ratcliffe at the northwest corner of Oakwood. The angel is supposed to do a few things, spinning-wise: some reports say that at midnight on Halloween she spins around twelve times, others say that the statue moves to keep an eye on those who pass by her.

There’s no doubting the statue is creepy. She’s got hollow eyes, a vague smile, and she does have the vantage point to see you from a good half of the cemetery, if she so desired. My mom gave me a heart attack the first time we went to Oakwood together when she walked right up to the angel and put her hand on the statue’s hand. I was fully ready to watch my mom get devoured by a demon statue on the spot, but we both survived.

Rating: 2/5 Very Stationary Angels

Prognosis: Honestly, Oakwood Cemetery is far more peaceful than spooky.