Nearby cemetery cause of haunted Horizon?

Mattie Beck, Staff Writer

The haunting of Horizon Village speculation has spread like wildfire, with people sharing more and more stories every day on their own supernatural experiences.

Ginny Gross, a staff member at the Oshkosh Public Museum, shared some information on what may be causing spirits to lurk through the halls.

She said that while there was not a graveyard directly under Horizon, there was one close enough nearby to warrant a possible haunting.

“The cemetery on the corner of Wisconsin and Algoma was called Locust Grove Cemetery,” said Gross.

For reference, that intersection is located about a block away from Horizon, and therefore, the graveyard location was fairly close to the current residence hall.

“As the city grew, and then became incorporated in 1853, the cemetery location was good real estate for other uses,” said Gross.

The land where the cemetery stood was sold for real estate, and bodies were soon moved to a new cemetery, which is the present day Riverside Cemetery, according to Gross.

While bodies were moved, it is unknown how they were moved or who moved them, said Gross.

Another interesting fact is that while almost all the bodies were moved, apparently a few were left behind to be discovered later in time.

“We know from newspaper accounts in the late 1800s that at least 2 bodies were not moved, as remains were found when the sewers were being dug on Elmwood Avenue,” said Gross.

It is very interesting to learn that while most bodies were moved, some remained, leading one to wonder if there may be more bodies lurking below the buildings.

With this information, though it does not directly prove that this is the reason Horizon may be haunted, it still gives insight into the spooky past of some of the buildings around here.

Even if it can’t be proven that Horizon is haunted, this information does sound like the plot of a horror movie, which leads one to believe that maybe ghosts are lurking throughout the halls of Horizon Village.