The Violation of the Dead

By: Sam Little with the aid of various websites

In recent weeks my small home county has been rattled by what I consider the worse and most disrespectful Halloween prank ever pulled here. In a small area known as Kimper a man ventured out into his yard to find a dirty old coffin setting on his property. A call to the authorities and a little while later and it was revealed that the body inside was a woman who was most likely originally buried over 50 years ago. Needless to say this is a most shocking and sadistic act and it has shook the entire Eastern Kentucky area up. Sadly this is not the first time a grave has been disturbed in the area.

While not a prank, there have been a few cases in which a grave has been disturbed. At one point family cemeteries were very common here just as they were throughout the US. The city of Prestonsburg had decided to make the city more modern but space was limited so the graves of many people were to be moved to what would be called the Auxier Relocated cemetery. According to several resources who have asked that their names be left out of this report many of the so called graves are nothing more then moved topsoil and grave markers as the costs of moving the bodies was to much. In terms of morality obviously this disrespect of the dead is appalling, but what does it mean for paranormal research?

It as long been assumed that in the event of a disturbance to a burial site that the result could be a haunting. That thought is one that many researchers feel to be a valid and acceptable one. No one location gives this idea more credit than that of the Black Hope Curse.The following is compiled of excerpts from various websites and stories related to the case.

In 1980 Ben and Jean Williams brought a new home in Newport a subdivision just outside Houston, Texas. They moved in with their young granddaughter expecting to have all the satisfaction of living in a house that was built to their specifications. The neighborhood was beautifully designed and the house roomy and comfortable with the entire modern convinces they could want. But almost from the first day they began to have experiences that one would expect more in a drafty castle than in a brand new suburban house in southeast Texas.

At first it was just a feeling. The prickle at the back of the neck you have when being watched. An atmosphere became prevalent, a general gloomy darkness was experienced in some parts of the home and cold spots were noticed. As if something was trying to get their attention toilets began to flush by themselves and electrical problems that could not be explained occurred again and again. Strange shadow figures would dart about the house and in many cases these shadows would form on darkened walls and reach for the residents.

The family began to have other more serious problems. Poisonous snakes began to find their way onto the property and into the couple's home. Their daughter became seriously ill. Their neighbors reported similar incidents and problems with their own homes, but none of them could offer any explanation. Regardless of what the were seeing and feeling the family did not wish to abandon the home they had worked so hard to aquire.

When they moved in they had noticed that a tree in the back yard had strange markings carved into it. The terrain in the subdivision seemed oddly dotted with what looked like sinkholes. They could not shake the feeling that some clue or history of the area was being withheld from them. Unintentionally a neighbor discovered the horrible truth. Workers digging a swimming pool in the back yard unearthed the remains of two people. This was more than enough to stir the little community up.

Facts began to slowly emerge. They were able to locate an elderly man named Jasper Norton who as a youth had worked as a grave digger. Not only could he help identify whom the graves belonged to, but he also told them how they came to be there. The subdivision was built over the graves of an abandoned cemetery that had been called "Black Hope." Buried in pauper and often unmarked graves were the remains of at least 60 people most of whom had been former slaves.

Horrified by the incidents that now seemed to be intensifying, and disgusted at the thought of having even unwittingly desecrated a graveyard many of the residents left the area, some taking a huge financial loss and simply abandoning their homes. Jean Williams was convinced that the carved markings on the tree in her back yard were in actuality a makeshift grave marker. As the Developer continued to dispute that the area had been a cemetery, Jean attempted to prove her case by digging around the strangely marked tree. Her daughter Tina, age 30, tried to help but collapsed and died of a massive heart attack. Jean and Ben devastated by their loss, and convinced the property was at least partially to blame also fled the subdivision.

The William's neighbors sued the Developer and were awarded a large cash settlement by a jury, but the judge in the case set aside this decision and none of the residents of the Newport subdivision received any money in compensation for their losses. Many of the former residents now have rebuilt their lives, and are no longer plagued with the problems they experienced while living unintentionally over the graves of the Black Hope Cemetery.

Many have felt that the movie "Poltergeist" is a direct result of this account. One can see the similarities within both. The Black Hope Curse has been made into TV movies, feature films and even book after book. The case remains a stable in the field of paranormal research and has been placed up there with Amittyville, Villasca, and even the Borley Rectory. The next time you venture into a graveyard remember to be respectful or the dead just might teach you a fatal lesson. Happy Hunting!!!!