Salem witch hunt or ghost busters?

July 27, 2007

On a recent trip to Salem, my husband and I decided to visit my family’s (pioneer) cemetery at Spring Valley.

In the mid-1800s my great-great grandfather donated the land for the church and cemetery and helped build the church. He, along with numerous other family members, are buried there.

I’ve been going there since I was a child. However, unbeknownst to me, during my absence from Salem, the church and cemetery at Spring Valley has recently gained notoriety as a haunted place.

Our story begins when we arrived at the Spring Valley cemetery. The gate was closed so we parked on the road and hiked in. We carried a picnic lunch, a blanket and some flowers.

A few minutes after arriving, an extremely belligerent, verbally abusive little man stormed the hill and shouted, “The gate’s closed! I called the police and they’re coming to arrest you!” Let’s call him the (self-appointed) Gatekeeper.

Being a family descendant, I had always had permission to visit at any time. I attempted to explain my connection and associated permission to the Gatekeeper, who called me a “filthy liar and a vandal.”

We waited for the deputy (let’s call him the Key Master), since we didn’t think we should leave the scene of the “picnic crime.” The (deputy) Key Master finally showed up and cited us for trespassing in the second degree. We felt totally slimed!

A very nice assistant D.A. in Polk County who was assigned our case apologized for the Gatekeeper’s behavior and we have officially been exonerated of all trespassing (and ghost busting) charges but it seems that the Polk County Key Master’s time would be better spent chasing real criminals.

JoAnn Kolbus, Watkinsville, Ga.