Paranormal investigators love Jefferson, Texas as it is a hotspot for paranormal activity. The Jefferson Cemetery aka Oakwood Cemetery is one of the most infamous and potentially haunted in the state. There are a few reason for this finding.
It holds the remains of Diamond Bessie. Bessie Moore was a “soiled dove” who was allegedly killed by her husband, Abe Rothschild, in 1877. The case became a sensational trial, and through Rothschild was eventually acquitted, locals believe Bessie’s spirit remains unsettled. Visitors report seeing a mysterious woman dressed in Victorian-era clothing and draped in diamonds floating through the tombstones. There are also colds spots and whispers near her grave. The most compelling evidence of her presence is the glowing ring which appears on her tombstone. There is no physical ring.
Bessie isn’t alone. Jefferson was a key Confederate supply town during the Civil War, an many soldiers were buried at the cemetery. Apparitions of soldiers in gray uniforms have been reported alongside phantom footsteps and a drumming sound in the distance.
A ghostly African-American woman, believed to be a former enslaved person, is said to wanted the cemetery seeking justice or mourning a lost child. Witnesses describe her as a shadow figure that disappears when approached.
The cemetery has many unmarked graves, including those of yellow fever victims and outlaws.
Want to learn more? Ghost Adventures investigated the Jefferson Hotel in 2011 and paid a visit to Bessie. Ghost Hunters investigated in 2007 and 2016. The Dead Files investigated in 2015.
