9 Haunted Cemeteries In New Hampshire That Locals Say Are Too Creepy To Ignore

I have always been drawn to old cemeteries. There is something peaceful about them, but there is also something unsettling.

The quiet. The old stones.

The sense of lives lived and ended long ago. New Hampshire has a collection of cemeteries that locals say are too creepy to ignore, and I have visited several of them.

Some are hidden in the woods, overgrown and hard to find. Others sit right in the middle of towns, but most people drive past without ever stopping.

The stones tell stories. Here lies a woman who died in childbirth.

Here lies a soldier who never came home. Here lies a child who only lived three days.

I visited one cemetery where locals say a ghost appears on certain nights. Another has a grave that is always covered in fresh flowers, even though no one knows who leaves them.

I do not know if the legends are true. But standing in these New Hampshire cemeteries, surrounded by history and silence, I understand why people believe.

1. Pine Hill Cemetery (Blood Cemetery), Hollis

Few cemeteries in New England carry a nickname quite as chilling as “Blood Cemetery,” and Pine Hill Cemetery on Nartoff Road in Hollis, NH earns every syllable of that reputation. The name itself comes from Abel Blood, a man buried here in the 1800s whose gravestone features a carved hand with a pointing finger.

Locals swear the finger points skyward during the day and shifts downward once night falls, a physical impossibility that has fueled debate for generations.

Standing near Abel’s stone, I could feel the air grow noticeably heavier, almost as if the atmosphere itself was pressing back. Reports of a strange substance seeping from the engraved hand on the stone are well-documented among paranormal enthusiasts who visit regularly.

Some have even described a firm, invisible push near his grave, as though something unseen wanted to make absolutely certain you knew it was there.

Beyond Abel, the cemetery holds the memory of a 19th-century family, including a young boy whose spirit is said to wander Nartoff Road after dark. Drivers have reported seeing a child appear suddenly in their headlights, only to vanish the instant they stop the car.

Cold spots materialize without warning, disembodied whispers drift between the trees, and skid marks on the nearby road tell their own wordless story. Pine Hill Cemetery is not just a local legend; it is a full sensory experience that stays with you long after you have driven away from Hollis.

2. Gilson Road Cemetery, Nashua

Gilson Road Cemetery in Nashua sits quietly at the intersection of Tanglewood Drive, and its modest size is wildly misleading given the volume of paranormal reports attached to it. Walking its perimeter, I was struck by how the surrounding woods seem to lean inward, as though the trees themselves are listening.

Locals have long described hearing whispered voices near the treeline, sometimes forming words as direct as “get out,” which is not exactly the warm welcome most cemeteries offer.

Glowing orbs, unexplained fog banks, and mysterious lights have all been reported here on nights when the sky is perfectly clear. A woman in a white dress is one of the most frequently spotted apparitions, seen drifting among the graves and occasionally wandering Gilson Road itself.

Figures dressed in 18th-century clothing have also been observed, standing still among the headstones before fading without a trace.

One gravestone belonging to a child features a perfectly round, inexplicable hole that has sparked endless theories among those who study the site. Some historians believe the land may have served as a Native American burial ground long before colonial settlers arrived, and that disturbing it stirred something that never quite settled back down.

A few investigators have even reported sudden shoves from invisible hands. The image of a man in antiquated 1800s clothing, spotted sitting on the stone wall before vanishing entirely, remains one of the most vivid accounts associated with this compact but deeply unsettling Nashua cemetery.

3. Vale End Cemetery, Wilton

Vale End Cemetery in Wilton has a star, and her name is the Blue Lady. Mary Ritter Spaulding, who passed away in 1808, is said to manifest as a shimmering column of blue light hovering just above her gravestone, a sight that sounds almost too extraordinary to believe until you hear it described by multiple independent witnesses.

On rare occasions, she reportedly appears as a full apparition in period dress, moving gracefully through the rows of ancient stones.

Beyond the Blue Lady, this cemetery has accumulated a remarkable variety of supernatural reports that go well beyond a single glowing spirit. There are accounts of malevolent presences stirring the air near certain graves, and even sightings of small, troll-like creatures from local folklore known as pukwudgies.

That particular detail adds a distinctly regional flavor to the haunting, rooting it firmly in New England tradition.

Paranormal investigators frequently bring electronic equipment to Vale End, and the results are consistently dramatic. Fully charged batteries drain within minutes of entering the grounds, a phenomenon that has been reported so often it is now considered a signature quirk of the location.

The whispers of Revolutionary War soldiers are also said to linger among these stones, adding a layer of patriotic sorrow to the already complex spiritual atmosphere. Wilton may be a small New Hampshire town, but Vale End Cemetery punches far above its weight when it comes to delivering genuinely unnerving experiences to anyone bold enough to visit.

4. Point of Graves, Portsmouth

Point of Graves on Mechanic Street in Portsmouth, NH, positioned directly across from Prescott Park between Marcy Street and the Peirce Island Bridge, holds the remarkable distinction of being the oldest surviving cemetery in New Hampshire. Walking through it feels less like visiting a graveyard and more like stepping onto a stage where centuries of human drama have played out.

The carved winged skulls and weeping willows etched into the slate headstones are works of art as much as they are memorials.

A distinct sensation of being followed is one of the most commonly reported experiences here. You turn around expecting to see a fellow visitor, and instead find only quiet rows of stone stretching back toward the river.

The graves of children carry a particularly heavy emotional weight, a grief so palpable that even the most skeptical among us tends to walk a little more softly past them.

The tomb of Dr. Vaughan adds a genuinely astonishing historical twist to the supernatural reputation of this site. Initially believed to contain three individuals, it was later discovered to hold the remains of 28 people in a hidden chamber beneath the original burial.

Elizabeth Pierce is another notable presence; some report feeling a gentle shove near her grave, as though she is nudging visitors to pay closer attention. The rhythmic sound of the Piscataqua River lapping nearby creates a haunting soundtrack that perfectly complements the layers of history and lingering energy packed into this remarkable Portsmouth landmark.

5. Woodland Cemetery and Sumner Knight Chapel, Keene

Keene is known for its charming downtown and record-breaking pumpkin festivals, but Woodland Cemetery holds a very different kind of local fame. The Sumner Knight Chapel at the heart of this cemetery has earned a rock-solid reputation as one of the most active paranormal hotspots in New Hampshire, and the stories attached to it are genuinely hard to forget.

An unhappy, stern spirit is said to dwell within the chapel walls, one that makes its displeasure known in ways both subtle and startling.

Wandering the grounds near the chapel, I kept my ears open for the giggling that locals describe hearing from the spirit of a little girl who reportedly plays among the tombstones and peeks from behind the larger trees. Her presence feels more mischievous than menacing, a playful counterpoint to the chapel’s heavier, more forbidding energy.

The contrast between the two presences gives this cemetery a uniquely layered atmosphere.

The most talked-about phenomenon at Woodland Cemetery is undoubtedly the soap taste. Utter a curse word near the chapel and, according to numerous accounts, you will immediately experience the unmistakable taste of soap in your mouth.

Whether you chalk it up to a ghost with strong opinions about manners or something else entirely, the consistency of the reports is remarkable. Ghost photographers flock here hoping to capture orbs and other visual anomalies on camera, and this Keene cemetery rarely disappoints those who arrive with an open mind and a fully charged camera battery.

6. Old Center Cemetery, Andover

Old Center Cemetery in Andover has earned a classification that most burial grounds never achieve: one of the creepiest in the world. That is a bold label, but the stories attached to this place make a compelling case for it.

A mysterious woman has been repeatedly seen in the back left corner of the cemetery during nighttime hours, her long hair and flowing robe creating a silhouette that stops observers cold. She raises her hand and gestures for you to approach, then disappears entirely the moment you take a step toward her.

What makes her appearance particularly unnerving is the robe. It moves as though caught in a steady breeze even when the surrounding air is completely still, a detail that witnesses consistently mention and that no rational explanation has managed to address satisfactorily.

The combination of the beckoning gesture and the impossible movement of the fabric creates an image that is genuinely difficult to shake once it has lodged itself in your imagination.

Ben Hargrove adds a darker, more theatrical chapter to the cemetery’s story. Local lore describes him as a man who allegedly made a pact with the devil, a tale supported by a neighbor’s account of witnessing Ben’s home bathed in a fiery orange glow during the supposed signing.

His ghost reportedly appears outside the cemetery walls, sometimes attempting to flag down passing cars before vanishing abruptly. Whether his ashes rest inside or outside the consecrated ground remains a matter of spirited local debate in this quiet corner of New Hampshire.

7. Forest Hill Cemetery, Derry

Forest Hill Cemetery at 47 East Derry Road carries its beauty and its strangeness in equal measure. By day, the tree-lined internal roads and ornate Victorian monuments make it feel like a peaceful outdoor museum.

After nightfall, the atmosphere shifts considerably, and the reports that come out of this Derry cemetery are as vivid as any in New Hampshire. A young girl in Victorian dress, described as hauntingly beautiful yet bearing visible disfigurement, is said to wander the cemetery roads after dark, her white dress and pink ribbons catching the moonlight.

The image she cuts is deeply poignant, a figure frozen in the fashion of a long-ago era, still moving through a world that has entirely passed her by. Whether you interpret that as sad or frightening likely depends on how comfortable you are with the unexplained.

Either way, the consistency of her description across multiple independent accounts gives the story a credibility that is hard to dismiss outright.

Alice D. Morse, who passed away at a very young age in 1876, rests within the Morse Family plot here, and her presence contributes to the rich tapestry of spectral narratives that define this place.

Forest Hill is described locally as a canvas for tales of quirky characters, tragic romances, and ghostly visitors, each mossy headstone holding fragments of lives that still seem to resonate through the trees. Walking its pathways, I felt the layers of time pressing gently but persistently against the present, a sensation unique to this corner of New Hampshire.

8. Old North Cemetery, Concord

Concord is the capital of New Hampshire, a city of government buildings and tree-lined streets, but Old North Cemetery tells a quieter and considerably more unsettling story about the city’s deep past. The cemetery on Pleasant Street holds the remains of people who lived through some of the most turbulent chapters in American history, and that accumulated weight of experience does not simply evaporate.

Many who visit after dark describe an unusual stillness that feels fundamentally different from ordinary quiet, a hush that seems to come from within rather than around you.

Mysterious lights moving among the headstones when no living person is present have been reported here with enough regularity to make them a defining feature of the cemetery’s paranormal reputation. Others have described hearing sounds rising from beneath their feet, as though the ground itself is restless and unwilling to stay silent.

The sheer age of the site, combined with the number of lives recorded within its boundaries, creates an almost tangible sense of accumulated presence.

The gravestones themselves are extraordinary artifacts, carved with winged skulls, hourglasses, and weeping willows, each motif reflecting how earlier generations thought about mortality and what might lie beyond it. Standing among them, I found myself genuinely moved by the artistry and the intention behind each carved symbol.

Old North Cemetery is not simply a haunted destination; it is a place where New Hampshire history breathes, where the past asserts itself through atmosphere, architecture, and the occasional inexplicable sound drifting up from the ancient ground beneath your feet.

9. Haverhill Corner Cemetery, Haverhill

Perched on a quiet hillside in Haverhill, the Haverhill Corner Cemetery offers one of the most dramatically scenic and genuinely eerie cemetery experiences in the entire state. The elevated position means the wind moves through it constantly, carrying sounds that are difficult to identify and even harder to ignore.

Local accounts describe an overwhelming sense of being observed from the moment you pass through the entrance, a feeling that does not diminish as you move deeper among the stones.

The cemetery dates back to the colonial era, and the headstones reflect that age beautifully, their carved faces worn soft by centuries of New England weather. Several graves belong to Revolutionary War veterans, and the area around their markers is frequently described as particularly charged, as though the energy of conflict and sacrifice still clings to the ground above them.

Some visitors have reported hearing faint drumming sounds on still nights, a rhythmic pulse with no identifiable source.

What makes Haverhill Corner Cemetery stand apart from others on this list is the combination of its physical grandeur and its spectral reputation. The sweeping views over the surrounding valley are genuinely breathtaking, yet the atmosphere never quite lets you relax into simple appreciation.

A persistent cold spot near the oldest section of the cemetery has been noted by multiple investigators, and photographs taken there frequently reveal unexplained anomalies. This is a place where New Hampshire’s history and its ghost stories meet on genuinely equal footing, creating an experience that is as historically rich as it is deeply unsettling.