Friday, January 6, 2012

Del Rey Cemetery, Sanger, CA



Del Rey Cemetery, also known simply as Sanger Cemetery, is the final resting place for the good people of Sanger, California, in southern Fresno County.  

Local lore holds that whispering can be heard when nobody is present, and a strange moaning sound has been reported.   Many visitors have also reported cold spots, which may move.

Stories hold that one of the tombstones glows at night, though what this signifies is unknown.



Commentary:  This is, in most respects, a fairly standard haunted cemetery story.  The whispered voices, the shadow figures, etc.

One feature that is odd, though, is the glowing tombstone.  This is an interesting claim that shows up in a few different haunted cemetery stories throughout the U.S., most notably in Benton Kentucky and in Springtown Texas.  In many cases, it has been found that the tombstone is reflecting light from passing cars or a nearby stable source (such as a house, streetlight, etc.).  In other cases the tombstone is rumored to be somewhere, but the specific tombstone is never mentioned in any of the stories, leading would-be witnesses to wander the cemetery trying to find it. 

Although the folklore of the glowing tombstone seems to be more common in the American south and midwest, this is a good example of it from California.

I recently visited the cemetery, and the photos included on this page are from my visit.







Sources:  The Illustrious Internet, The Illustrious Internet, Weird Fresno