Did you know that Urban Legends are modern fictional tales that spread from person to person like wildfire? They are often told as the truth, even though most of them turn out to be false. Despite them being not completely true, Urban Legends attract a wide audience as they are passed along from one individual to another, much like the latest news. Fascinating, isn’t it?
There are more than a few Urban Legends in Kansas as well. The faculty and staff of Washburn University shared their accounts of the Urban Legends they have heard involving the Kansas area.
Franki Ostrom, librarian, shared a chilling story about the Blue Light Lady, an Urban Legend about a nurse who existed during the Civil War in Hays, Kansas, outside of Fort Hays.
“People claim that they can see her walk up the hill behind Old Fort Hays because she wanted to be buried at the top of that hill, but because the hill is made of limestone, she was buried at the bottom. And so that’s why they see her at night walking up the hill. And the reason she’s called the Blue Light Lady is because she’s a blue hue to represent the nursing that she did when she was in the war,” Ostrom said.
Mallory Riley, prior learning and testing coordinator, shared a story about Stull, Kansas. Stull is particularly famous for its haunted cemetery, which has attracted curious visitors and paranormal enthusiasts. The cemetery is well-known for its eerie vibe and the popular belief that it acts as a “gateway to hell.”
The air around the place carries a palpable tension, evoking a sense of wonder and unease. As one wanders through the weathered gravestones, the stillness is almost otherworldly, as if time has paused to respect the hushed tales held within those hallowed grounds. It’s a place where folklore and reality intertwine, leaving visitors to ponder the mysteries hidden deep within Stull.
“The Urban Legend is that it is one of the gateways to hell, and that, I know it’s creepy, like really interesting, but there used to be a church there in the old cemetery, and it didn’t have a roof, and it had a set of stairs that went nowhere. And that’s what people used to say, that that’s what the gateway was, and that it never rained inside the church without a roof,” Riley said.
She also mentioned that every Halloween the sheriff’s department has to send people out to guard the area because people will try and trespass on the property.
Riley shared information about a video some students from the University of Kansas made about Stull Cemetery, which is available on YouTube.
Riley also shared a story about the haunted children’s cemetery in Atchison. It is believed that if a car is dirty while passing through the children’s cemetery, there will be children’s handprints on it afterward. These small, smudged prints are said to be the delicate hands of playful spirits, yearning for attention from the living. People recount their experiences, describing a shiver running down their spine, a sense of being watched and the undeniable feeling of being surrounded by the echoes of the past. The cemetery itself, with its ancient gravestones and overgrown paths, adds to the haunting atmosphere, making it a place that draws curious souls, eager to unravel its mysteries.
Christopher Jones, associate professor of religious studies, shared a story about an unusual amount of non-native lizards, the Italian wall lizard (Podarcis Siculus) found in Topeka. He believes this legend to be plausible as he has seen the lizards all over Topeka.
“Topeka has a bunch of lizards that are a non-native species to Kansas, because, like, 70 years ago, a pet shop owner brought in a bunch of lizards from Italy, hoping to sell them as pets, and people didn’t buy them. He just got rid of them, and they became wild, and now they’re kind of all over the place in Topeka, I’ve got a bunch of them in-house, and I see them on campus a lot,” Jones said.
Karen Ford, lecturer of English, shares a memory of an Urban Legend she heard as a kid. The Urban Legend is about an albino woman at Rochester Cemetery. She is believed to haunt the Rochester Cemetery at night. According to the tales, the albino woman is often described as ghostly pale with bright white hair, with her appearance strikingly contrasting against the backdrop of the night. It’s said that she can be seen wearing a flowing white dress, and her presence is often accompanied by an eerie chill in the air.
“All I knew is that she was totally white, dressed in white and on a spooky night, like Halloween, she would float around the cemetery and people would see her,” Ford said.
Urban Legends serve as a fascinating reflection of cultural narratives, blending truth and fiction into captivating tales that evoke intrigue and fear. They connect us to our environments and histories, often reinforcing community values or expressing collective anxieties. The stories shared by the faculty and staff at Washburn highlight how these legends not only entertain but also form a shared folklore that shapes local identity. As we engage with these tales, we may find comfort in their familiar spookiness, reminding us of our shared humanity in the face of the unknown. Whether rooted in fact or fantasy, Urban Legends continue to spark curiosity and invite exploration into the mysteries that linger in our surroundings.
Edited by Morgan Albrecht and Stuti Khadka
