Haunted Locations: Kapunda Cemetery
Over on Facebook I've been uploading a lot of photos from our various trips and touching on some of the more unusual places we've visited. I've also been looking at some of the haunted places we've gone into and through, so as not everyone is added to our friends list I thought I'd copy/paste some of the commentary and photos to here for all to see. First up, one of the haunted places we've attended, Kapunda Cemetery.
The Kapunda cemetery has a strong history as being fairly haunted and it didn't disappoint us in the slightest. The cemetery lies in the shadows of the ruins of the Kapunda Reformatory. The Reformatory was built in the 1800s and was used to house children who broke the law, no matter how minor the law might have been. It was also used to house orphans, the intellectually disabled and other otherwise difficult members of society, generally people considered to be insane or just misfits. Instead of ADD people back then had the Reformatory.
The Reformatory was the site of an investigation which still makes the locals shitty if mentioned. It was hailed as being a very haunted place indeed and instead of celebrating this notoriety the locals instead pulled the Reformatory down.
So who is the ghost? No-one really knows but the word VERA was seen scratched into the walls of the Reformatory more than once and it has appeared in the dirt of the cemetery. A figure of a girl with a lamp has been seen prowling the cemetery and the same figure has been seen walking from the Reformatory to the cemetery.
A girl named Vera was confirmed as being an inmate of the Reformatory. Sadly, like so many others of the time, she died inside the walls. We didn't find her grave but more than one person has stated that she often rises from it.
So, what happened to us? read on, McDuff...
The main entrance to the cemetery. In the background you can see a palm type tree - that's the site of the Reformatory.
This is the site of the Reformatory. All that's left now is a few bricks. The Reformatory lay between the trees - you can see the faint outline of the foundations.
As we moved about the cemetery we started to get the sensation that we were being watched. Nothing new there, we get that sensation often in these places. However the cemetery is about 10 kilometers from the town itself and not a house in sight.
About this time Lyndal had stopped taking photos and had given me the camera. As we stood we could both hear the clear sound of someone walking behind us. We turned, no-one there. I wandered over to where it was, nothing. We went back and again heard people walking - now, the important thing is that there was no wind and no-one anywhere near us. The sound was clearly footsteps so I pointed the camera behind us and began to snap. As soon as we looked or I took a photo the sound stopped.
This is one place where we heard footsteps. We could hear them as I took the photo.
Same here. The footsteps were strong by this point as if someone with heavy boots was coming towards us. By this point my hackles were raised and we both began to feel very uneasy. Again, the camera shows nothing, but again, we could hear footsteps while this photo was being taken, they seemed to come from the tree.
One last photo of the trees where the footsteps were being heard. By this stage we decided that we'd probably pissed off whatever was wandering around in broad daylight so we left. We'd taken pile of photos, but these ones are the ones where the ghosts were out and coming for us.
I could feel the presence of something in the cemetery, but then I feel that in many such places. It was very strong here, as strong as any cemetery, and it wasn't a benign presence. I firmly believed that whatever was there might have wanted to cause us harm if we'd hung around much longer. We both heard the footsteps and I definitely want to go back and see if I can't root the bastard out. Lyndal was so spooked that she stalled the car and then raised some dirt as we sped off. Fun!
The Kapunda cemetery has a strong history as being fairly haunted and it didn't disappoint us in the slightest. The cemetery lies in the shadows of the ruins of the Kapunda Reformatory. The Reformatory was built in the 1800s and was used to house children who broke the law, no matter how minor the law might have been. It was also used to house orphans, the intellectually disabled and other otherwise difficult members of society, generally people considered to be insane or just misfits. Instead of ADD people back then had the Reformatory.
The Reformatory was the site of an investigation which still makes the locals shitty if mentioned. It was hailed as being a very haunted place indeed and instead of celebrating this notoriety the locals instead pulled the Reformatory down.
So who is the ghost? No-one really knows but the word VERA was seen scratched into the walls of the Reformatory more than once and it has appeared in the dirt of the cemetery. A figure of a girl with a lamp has been seen prowling the cemetery and the same figure has been seen walking from the Reformatory to the cemetery.
A girl named Vera was confirmed as being an inmate of the Reformatory. Sadly, like so many others of the time, she died inside the walls. We didn't find her grave but more than one person has stated that she often rises from it.
So, what happened to us? read on, McDuff...
The main entrance to the cemetery. In the background you can see a palm type tree - that's the site of the Reformatory.
This is the site of the Reformatory. All that's left now is a few bricks. The Reformatory lay between the trees - you can see the faint outline of the foundations.
As we moved about the cemetery we started to get the sensation that we were being watched. Nothing new there, we get that sensation often in these places. However the cemetery is about 10 kilometers from the town itself and not a house in sight.
About this time Lyndal had stopped taking photos and had given me the camera. As we stood we could both hear the clear sound of someone walking behind us. We turned, no-one there. I wandered over to where it was, nothing. We went back and again heard people walking - now, the important thing is that there was no wind and no-one anywhere near us. The sound was clearly footsteps so I pointed the camera behind us and began to snap. As soon as we looked or I took a photo the sound stopped.
This is one place where we heard footsteps. We could hear them as I took the photo.
Same here. The footsteps were strong by this point as if someone with heavy boots was coming towards us. By this point my hackles were raised and we both began to feel very uneasy. Again, the camera shows nothing, but again, we could hear footsteps while this photo was being taken, they seemed to come from the tree.
One last photo of the trees where the footsteps were being heard. By this stage we decided that we'd probably pissed off whatever was wandering around in broad daylight so we left. We'd taken pile of photos, but these ones are the ones where the ghosts were out and coming for us.
I could feel the presence of something in the cemetery, but then I feel that in many such places. It was very strong here, as strong as any cemetery, and it wasn't a benign presence. I firmly believed that whatever was there might have wanted to cause us harm if we'd hung around much longer. We both heard the footsteps and I definitely want to go back and see if I can't root the bastard out. Lyndal was so spooked that she stalled the car and then raised some dirt as we sped off. Fun!
Comments
Its the creepiest thing going out there because we pulled in by the closed gate and sat there with the headlights off just watching for awhile until we suddenly saw these small beams of light getting closer to us. My friend started freaking when one came incredibly close to the car so we flashed on the headlights and there was nothing there...but the gate was now open.
We hung around for a few more minutes until we all started feeling abit uneasy and scared and then suddenly one of my friends pointed towards the trees and as we glanced towards it we saw a figure just watching us.
We sped off soon after that.
Decided to read up abit more on it tonight and just wanted to share my story.
My friend has also been there before and seen things and woken up in the morning with strange bruises.
Its a creepy place for sure.
Go back there at night, its worth it.
Ruby died in Kapunda Hospital as a result of events at St Johns. The place was closed the day after her death and all the girls either sent into Service or transported to Redruth Gaol.
Ruby was buried in an unmarked grave. The one that bears her name is not hers. It was 'discovered' as part of the Catholic Churches attempt to cover-up the issues which remain there. She is however, buried close to that end area of the Cemetery.
Investigation into the Reformatory have continued well past the time of the Channel 9 documentary with Warwick, though he remains marginally involved.
The Reformatory remains 'home' to many ghosts, not just Ruby or Fr John Martin. Back when Mother Mary McKillop first established the Reformatory, it was already known to be haunted. Mother Mary herself refers to this in a letter to one of her Sisters. An extract from hat letter appears in a story about her life.
Be careful if you wander around the area at night. It's not the ghosts who are likely to cause you injury, but the broken bricks and concrete slabs.
There was another time where my boyfriend and his mate were driving away from the cemetery and it was a very foggy night as it is up that way when it gets really cold, so he had to drive pretty slow. as he was driving down the road he could see some one on the side of the road, he thought, ok what the hell is he doing. slowing down and stopping as he passed the man he could see the man was gray and white as if from a movie and he was wearing clothes as if he were a miner. my boyfreind describer him as if he looker 2D like a photo, or a realistic cartoon. and as they stopped the man ran off and dissapired. both my boyfriend and hes mate saw the same thing. to know if it was ture or not only they would know, but i dont think he would make that up. anyways thasts about all the info i have bout kupunda, i know theres defently something there, dont know wat it is, but theres something.
My husband and I went to the St Johns cemetery on the 18th April 2009 and saw nothing. My husband knew nothing prior to the visit, as I didnt want to bother him with my 'heeby geeby' details, but he was mesmerised by Ruby's grave - especially considering someone has taken great pains to paint it and its fence and placed a pink ribbon on the headstone. He knew nothing of the details but was mesmerised by it. When we left he was whistling greensleeves of all songs and had no idea why!
However, the weirdest thing is that I was attacked by a swarm of gnats as soon as I walked in. It was a very still night and I didnt really think anything of it at the time, however, I now have hundreds of bites all over my face and on my scalp and neck. The doctors cannot explain it and have never seen anything like it. Im hoping they wont scar, but a week from the event and Im still suffering and my face is still covered in enormous welts and bites.
Why my husband and I had such different experiences is a mystery and why I was attacked so severely... well I dont know. Maybe 'they' thought that was the only way they could scare me! Who knows. But please be warned - if you see those tiny little flies that usually attack rotting flesh or fruit, please please run for you life!
We used to go down there a throw bottles(glass) at the wall and they wouldn''t break... we would be throwing them as hard as possible- thirty or fourty times...they'd only brek once they hit the floor! it was creepy!! but they took down that wall because the build up of rubbish by the wall!!
If anyone has facebook join this page. Very interesting.
me and my boyfriend have recently returned now being bulldozed still has the same awful feeling, to make matters worse my boyfriends car brok down by the gates to the reformatry.
something is there and does not like people bothering it. i will most prob never return there!!!!!
If you want a time line of events or more history, The south Australian based paranormal investigators "Eidolon Paranormal" have a pretty good history thin on their website and run some sites about St. Johns on Facebook... try www.eidolonparanormal.net or http://www.facebook.com/#/group.php?gid=238949719729&ref=ts (ST. Johns on facebook)
Apologies if your are offended.
I have a copy of her Birth Certificate and your Family Tree. Copies of all found documents - including the Entry of her admission to Kapunda Hospital,her Death Certificate and the Baptism Certificate etc - oddly, she was rebaptised whilst she was in there -were given to your family members who lived in Kapunda during the period of my research. The photograph of her, supplied by your family, was also returned.
Ruby and Olive, as you will know, were fairly common family names in your clan. Murray was often added to the names if people were born around the Murray River. Ruby, being born at Lake Victoria, fits the era of that occurrence.
Unlike many others, I do actually know a fair bit about Ruby, her parents and the circumstances of her life. The tragedy of all this, is that she has still not found rest.
My wife and I have made the trip to St Johns nine times in total, ranging from day trips, through to early morning visits. Our main interest being EVP work, however there is nothing to report, NADA!
We actually found the place peaceful, and think the history is more of an attraction than anything else. "The locals are shitty", I'm not surprised, after the damage we witnessed, who wouldn't be? Finally we decided to give the place a miss, because A; we never found one scrap of material that would suggest any paranormal activity FOR US, and B; we didn't want to be associated with the vandalism and hoon behaviour that has been reported. Others have more to tell of course!
I found a picture scratched into the sandstone wall of one of the little rooms that were still standing then , it was a picture of an old pram with big wheels and a parasol umbrella. It had initials but I cant remember them, place was really weird, grass was moving but no wind ?? gave me the creeps
Owen Traver born 1784 died 1872
any photos of the Travers final resting place would be much appreciated. go on you know they want you to...ooooohhh
so as my friend was driving up to the front of the cemetary to park, she didnt look where she was going and her car fell into the ditch. we started to freak out because my friend (the driver) couldnt get out. after climbing out of the passenger door, the teenagers helped us push the car out. still cant believe that happened haha.
Got rocks thrown at us everytime we asked if they wanted us here
We wore recording and we herd of voice sounded like he was speaking Latin
There wore hand prints on the car and there wore baby crys all night there wore foot steps everywhere and people running
Seen black figures and people moving around but no one was there
Weird and freaky place at night :O
thanks, Lachy
Hi
I was there in 1988 , there was still a lot of buldings left, we found scratched pictures of old prams with big wheels and parasols on the sandstone walls, the local girl I was with told me stories about dead babies etc buried on the site , There was an old well, I felt weird when i tried to look down it , I went back years later but it was all flattened , maybe the church didnt want it revealed ??
Garry