Achor Valley Cemetery

by Kaylah Stroup

Last Friday I woke up really late. I guess 9am by most people’s standards isn’t too late but that’s a day killer for me. I’m not really an early bird but, without a doubt, I’m most productive first thing in the morning and late at night. I knew if I just tried to start my day as normal I’d end up doing nothing so I figured it was the perfect time to take a day trip. I always try to keep a running list of places I’d like to hit on days like this. Try being the key word there. Frequently when I dedicate any time to researching places for this list I end up feeling defeated and like I’ve seen everything interesting within a days drive – which simply cannot be true.

I searched “haunted cemetery ohio” hoping it’d lead me somewhere new. Most of the results were websites I’ve already pored over time and time again. I did end up finding some ghost hunting blog that I had never seen before. Their “orb” photos were less than convincing but the post I was reading mentioned something about how if you liked old headstones this particular cemetery was a great spot to check out. I knew if I kept searching for other places I’d never leave the house Kind of like when you browse Netflix, you search for the perfect thing, find a few decent looking movies, and then end up watching nothing. Without looking for any more information on the cemetery, I packed my camera bag and hit the road.

It was an easy, breezy two hour drive. After crossing a one way bridge, which somehow seems perfectly appropriate on the way to a creepy old cemetery, I pulled into the driveway to find there was also an abandoned church on the property. SCORE! I was over the moon. From my car I could see that the church looked pretty boarded up. I may crawl through windows on a fairly regular basis but I will never damage property to gain entry to a building. I figured I would walk around the entire cemetery first, getting all my shots, before even checking to see if the church was accessible. I didn’t want any possible disappointment to ruin the high of this find, I was excited just to have it in the background of my shots.

Achor Valley Cemetery, ohio

Even if there hadn’t been an abandoned church on the property, the cemetery was worth the drive! There was a mix of old and new headstones, 1800s through 2000s! I’m not crazy about new ones but the old ones were to die for. Hah! Whoops! 

After I got all the photos I wanted of headstones I walked around the church to see if I could get a peek inside. I was so pumped to find that all of the pews were still there! I’ve been in a handful of abandoned churches and this is only the second with pews. Without them, and the stained glass windows it doesn’t feel so much like a church. It’s just another empty building, ya know? It was just a single open room with a large mural at the front but an awesome find nonetheless. As much as I’m pro-graffiti it’s always a bit exciting to find something like this that isn’t completely covered in spray paint.

headstone, cemetery, ohioAchor Valley Cemetery, abandoned, churchheadstone

I couldn’t find much information on this cemetery or why the church was abandoned. The grounds were fairly well maintained, and while I was leaving a car pulled in with a family inside who got out and laid flowers on a grave. I also found a handful of ghost blogs who regularly hunt here so it seems like a rather popular spot. Because of that I assumed it’d have some interesting backstory but I guess not. I did see that one ghost hunter said “the spirits there are gentle and have a great sense of humor” I still don’t believe in ghosts, but I’d love to be proven wrong especially by funny ghosts! *

I still can’t believe what an awesome find this was. Every time I think I’ve seen all the cool cemeteries in Ohio I find something new! Guess this is a sign I need take more spur of the moment trips.
xoxo

*Speaking of ghost stuff! My freshly charged camera battery completely died in this cemetery. Super weird considering the fact my batteries never die. I rarely have to charge them despite how often I use my camera. People always say that ghosts drain batteries… You know, because they’re battery powered or something. 😜

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14 comments

Kaili Willows October 17, 2016 - 5:32 pm

What a beautiful location! I've yet to find an abandoned church, but it seems like something I should certainly look out for. I love the fall colors that are beginning to show here.

Kaili | weirdwonderfulwanderlust.blogspot.com

Kaylah October 18, 2016 - 1:12 pm

Right?! Fall was the perfect time to stumble upon this. Everything is prettier with that pop of fall colors.

Hannah Peterson October 17, 2016 - 7:56 pm

This is tiny cemetery gold. That first picture is amazing.. I would so print it and hang it on a wall. This post is seriously inspiring me to go cemetery hunting this coming weekend.

Kaylah October 18, 2016 - 1:14 pm

I hope you do, it's the perfect time of year! 😀

Jasilyn Albert October 18, 2016 - 7:55 am

The mix of the hills in the background and the changing leaves definitely make it seem like it's the perfect setting of a ghost movie (or a scene from The Walking Dead).

Kaylah October 18, 2016 - 1:15 pm

Hah! I can totally see that.

Alexandra October 18, 2016 - 1:07 pm

A++++ find! I literally can't think of anything better than a beautiful old cemetery + bonus abandoned building in the fall.

Kaylah October 18, 2016 - 1:15 pm

Right!? There couldn't have been a better time to stumble upon this.

Kristina Burkey October 18, 2016 - 8:19 pm

LOVE the one of the church in the background and the pink flowers out of focus in the foreground. FAVE.

Kriss Poison October 21, 2016 - 4:03 am

Beautiful!

Nicole Hokenstad October 23, 2016 - 2:45 pm

Is it weird that I wish modern headstones still counted months and days?? There's something I love about knowing a person was 18 years, 5 months and 18 days.

Adam Haldiman November 2, 2019 - 12:57 pm

I attended this church when I was about five years old and my family went there through out their lives.. Thanks for the photos

Brenda March 13, 2020 - 10:26 pm

I use to go to this church when I was young, I t breaks my heart to see it in this condition. I do not know why it closed. I was about 8 and when we went there, I am now 64.

Bob Hartford August 4, 2020 - 5:01 pm

This church burned down on 8/3/20. The church was built about 1882 by my great grandfather, David Hartford. David and his family lived on a farm about 2 miles from the church on the Pa. side of the state line. David’s second wife was Julia Margret Calvin. They had seven children together. David’s daughter, Matilda, from his first marriage, married William Calvin the brother of Julia. So David was William’s father-in-law and brother-in-law at the same time. David though that the construction of the church had put him in bankruptcy and he killed himself shortly after it was finished. His was the first funeral held at the church.

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