Springfield Ghost Society

My grandparents, father, and brother are buried at Oak Ridge Cemetery. About ten years ago I brought my wife and child back to visit Springfield. My mother lived in Florida, but was visiting Springfield at the same time. We were with my mom at a hotel downtown, and decided to drive to Oak Ridge to visit the graves of our family members. My wife and I drove one car, and my daughter and my mother drove in another car. They would stop for flowers on the way.

It was a dreary afternoon, overcast with light drizzle. My wife and I drove through the gates, then to the gravesite. We saw no one else in the cemetery, and no other cars. We pulled over to the side of the drive and turned off the car. Because it was drizzling outside, we decided to wait in the car for my mother and daughter. We'd been sitting there talking for about two minutes, and then heard five knocks on the back window. We both turned simultaneously, expecting to see my mother and daughter. They weren't spooky sounds, just someone knocking. But there was no one in sight.

I've never seen my wife so terrified. I said, "Well, my dad and brother always were practical jokers." This did nothing to calm her nerves. The keys were not in the ignition, the radio was not on. I got out of the car and looked around and under the car, and saw nothing. There were no trees above our car that could have dropped acorns. We were parked in an area where we could see several hundred yards in each direction, and would have seen anything visible that could have made the knocking sounds. I knocked on the back window to see how closely it resembled the sound we'd heard, and my wife screamed. It was the exact same sound.

I told my wife that strange things happen all the time in Springfield. About that time my mother pulled up behind us. My wife ran to her, nearly hysterical, and told her what had happened. My mother said, "Well, you're in Springfield. These things happen."

My wife vowed never to return to Springfield.

Paul Roberts