Address
1600 N Rd, Lecompton, KS 66050
Hours
Mon-Sat 6am-6pm
Sun 9am-5pm
Stull Cemetery in Stull, Kansas was the first stop on the map of our first haunted road trip. This stop enticed me because I grew up not far from here and recalled stories from my teenage years when the church was still standing that creeped me out a bit. I just never made it out that way to see for myself. I was reminded of this intrigue after having seen the 2013 movie Nothing Left to Fear produced by none other than our very own SLASH. It was completely fictious and may have gotten only 9% on the “tomatoemeter” but I was fond of the movie (maybe because…you guessed it…I’m a die-hard Slash and GN’R fan)!
I do regret not having done the historical research described below prior to our visit because all I remembered from stories in high school were that kids went into the church and lost time. They felt that they’d only been in there a matter of minutes when it had been hours. After doing the research I found the actual history pretty fascinating.
Jenna and I arrived at the cemetery on the very windy morning of July 21, 2017. With all the stories I’ve heard about Sheriff’s Deputies patrolling and locals chasing off sightseers, I wasn’t sure what to expect and thought we might not be able to go in. Although it was surrounded by a chain link fence, the gate was open, so we drove on in.
There wasn’t much to the cemetery but a lot of very old tombstones. I was saddened to see that some of them were broken, either from vandalism or due to age. The rubble from the old church was piled in an area to the side. Overall I found the area rather beautiful and peaceful. No one disturbed us and we just walked among the tombstones curious about the people who were buried there – what their lives were like, how they died, and we hoped they were at peace.
Not having researched the history ahead of time I did not know the story of Oliver Bahnmaier at the time, but interestingly enough I did take a picture of his grandfather, George Michael Bahnmaier’s resting place. Read the tragic history below to learn Oliver’s story.
Despite the long history of reported supernatural experiences, we found no gateway or stairs to Hell, no Devil wandering amongst the burial grounds, no witches dancing around, and no werewolf baby in the woods. Perhaps the cemetery has a different feel at night but we did not have the sense there was anything there but the remains of Stull residents that have long since passed on.
History
Located about 20 minutes west of Lawrence Kansas within the Township of Kanwaka; Stull is a small, quiet, nearly extinct, farming community. Rumored that the town’s original name was “Skull” and later changed to Stull in order to veil the town’s relation to black magic and the paranormal; the town was actually formerly known as Deer Creek. It was originally settled by German and Dutch immigrants, first appearing on territorial maps in 1857. Six families populated the community.
Churches
By 1859 community members had organized the Evangelical Emmanuel Church with religious services held out of member’s homes and spoken in German. In need of a meeting place for services, the community constructed the Evangelical Emmanuel and Deer Creek Mission Church in 1867. The church was built of limestone on land donated by Jacob Hildenbrand and cost $2,000 to build. The same year, a cemetery was established next to the small church.
Photo source: @tauycreek: 53 Miles West of Kansas City
As the community and congregation grew, the Evangelical Emmanuel Church was abandoned in 1922 after construction of a new wood-framed church built across the road. The name was changed several times and is now the Stull Community of Faith.
The old church fell into disrepair by the 1990’s following a microburst that destroyed the roof. The eastern wall had collapsed over time and a storm destroyed the west wall. Once a landmark of evil, the church’s owner of the property, John Haase approved the church’s demolition due to safety concerns in 2002. The 1922 church caught fire in July of 2022, possibly due to a lightning strike. No injuries were reported but there was significant water damage and damage to the bell tower and entrance.
Schools
Deer Creek’s first school was established around 1860 and was located on the August Kampschroeder farm south of town. Peter Eberhart Sr., constructed a second school northwest of town for his own children. He hired and paid the teacher himself and later, as other children began attending, school expenses were shared among the families.
In 1879 the Eberhart school was relocated west of the town on 1 1/4 acres deeded by Lucinda and E.S. Lane to District No. 48. It took about 2 weeks to relocate the school using horse drawn equipment. The school was initially called “Brown Jug” due to its brown color. It was later painted white and respectably renamed “Deer Creek”. In 1895 the building was expanded due to increased enrollment. Initially students sat on walnut benches rather than at desks. The school was also used for Lutheran and United Brethren congregations; school sponsored debates; general election voting; and competitions in a variety of hobbies.
Photo source: @tauycreek: 53 Miles West of Kansas City
The school caught fire in the spring of 1904 but a new building was constructed by fall. By 1920 enrollment had dwindled to 34 students and by 1940 the school only had 14 in attendance. The last term of school taught at Deer Creek was in 1961. A basket dinner and reunion were held on the last day of school with 180 in attendance. Following the closure, students went to Lecompton for their education.
Community
Another cemetery, named Mound Cemetery was chartered in 1890. In the late 1890’s a telephone switchboard in the home of J. E. Louk served the town. Louk established the town’s first business, a general store in 1899 operating out of his living room. During the same year, a post office opened, also in Louk’s home. Reportedly, the US postal service asked the town to submit a list of names for the post office and then chose the name Stull after Sylvester Stull, the first and only postmaster. The post office closed a mere four years later. An additional church, the Stull Church of Christ was built in 1913 as the population grew and by the 1920’s plans were made for a bank and a railway but neither came to fruition possibly due to the Great Depression.
Tragic Events
In April of 1908 two year old Oliver Bahnmaier followed his father into a field he was burning. The child’s presence in the field was not discovered until his mother noticed him missing and went in search of him. She found the child had perished in the fire. This led to a rumor that if you stepped on his tombstone, you would go to hell. Another tragedy occurred a few years later when a missing man was found hanging from a tree. The mystery of which, was never solved. Both of these tragedies took place near a road known as “Devil’s Road,” which allegedly appears on old maps of Stull but was renamed in the 1990’s.
Photo source: Oliver C. Bahnmaier (1905-1908) – Find a Grave Memorial
The Daily Gazette (Lawrence, Kansas) · Tue, Apr 7, 1908
Legend
There are many stories about Stull’s cemetery being the location of one of the seven gateways to Hell. Many online sources report that Gary Mason, a journalism professor at the University of Kansas launched the Stull legend by telling students about a photo project related to a witch’s coven in Stull. Intrigued students began visiting the old church and cemetery and returned with stories of experiences with the demonic, occult, and supernatural. In November of 1974 the University Daily Kansan published an article titled Legend of Devil Haunts Tiny Town by Jain Penner. The article reported that the Devil appears in Stull on both Halloween and on the spring equinox and included interviews with students who experienced strange occurrences such as a house that appeared to be burning, but wasn’t and stories of students being grabbed by the unseen. I could not locate any archives with this article online but would love to see it if anyone knows where it can be found!
Photo source: Stull Cemetery – FrightFind
As more and more thrill seekers visited Stull a legend formed that in 1850 the Devil and a witch had a child together that was born deformed and covered in wolf hair. The child died within a few days and was buried in the cemetery with a tombstone engraved with the word “Wittich”. Legend goes on to say that the Devil visits the cemetery to pay his respects to his child. The child is said to materialize in the surrounding woods and takes the form of a werewolf. The Devil is able to come and go to the cemetery through hidden steps descending to the gates of Hell, covered by a hidden seal which only opens on Halloween and the spring equinox. The staircase was reportedly behind the church on the right hand side as you face the church but difficult to find due to the seal being covered by overgrowth. It was rumored that if you went down the stairs, it would take weeks to get back to the top, yet only seem like it’s been a matter of minutes. Also as you descended the stairs, it felt as if you were being dragged down them by an unseen force.
Photo source: The Story About Stull Kansas Will Chill You To The Bone – Only In Your State ®
Another story based in 1850 is that a stable hand stabbed the mayor (Stull never had a mayor) to death in the cemetery’s old stone barn. Years later, the barn was converted into a church, but was gutted by fire. A decaying wooden crucifix that hung from one wall was thought to sometimes turn upside-down when visitors stepped into the building at midnight.
There was also a perfectly healthy tall pine tree in the cemetery that had grown directly through a headstone and split it in half. The tale is that the tree was used as a gallows to hang a witch before it was a cemetery. Following this, witches frequented the cemetery on May Day Eve and Halloween to conduct black mass and dance around the tree. The tree was cut down October 30th of 1998 to discourage thrill seekers.
Although there is no evidence of this, it’s also reported that in 1993, when Pope John Paul II was flying to Colorado for a public appearance, he declared that the ground in Stull Cemetery was unholy and had his flight redirected to avoid flying over unholy ground.
And More Legends
- Deceased who died a violent death and were buried in the cemetery rise from the grave.
- The interior of the church was never exposed to weather elements even though there was no roof.
- If you held two bottles in the shape of an inverted cross, they would not break against the stone walls of the church.
- While in the church for what feels like a matter of minutes, hours have actually passed.
- One visitor reported his vehicle had moved to the other side of the highway facing the opposite direction from where it was left while he was there.
- Another visitor reported an anomalous wind inside of the church that knocked him to the floor and would not allow him to move.
- Strange noises are heard.
- Visitors experience memory lapses.
- Batteries are easily drained.
- There are mysterious winds in the cemetery.
- Temperature changes occur.
- Some visitors are affected emotionally.
- Orbs can be seen.
- Photos have been taken of visitors being wrapped in fog.
- There’s sometimes an orange glow coming from the cemetery.
- Removing stones/items from the church result in bad things happening (accidents, illness, breakups, etc.) until they return the item.
By the 1990’s, thrill seekers flocked to the church and cemetery mainly on Halloween and the spring equinox to see the Devil. They snuck onto the property, threw parties, littered, destroyed tombstones, and vandalized the property. The Douglas County Sheriff’s office began patrolling the area especially on Halloween and the spring equinox. Being found inside the cemetery after it closes for the day could result in fines and jail time.
If you decide to visit the cemetery, it’s open Mon-Sat 6am-6pm and Sun 9am-5pm. I’m sure it goes without saying, but please be respectful of the cemetery and the residents of the town of Stull. It is your responsibility to obtain proper permissions before entering this location outside of regular hours. I do not condone trespassing on private property.
Please visit my DIY Haunt Series to discover how to make haunted house props and more. Also check out my Haunted Road Trip Series for accounts of more reputably haunted locations and their history!
Research was conducted using information from the following resources.
@tauycreek: 53 Miles West of Kansas City
Apr 07, 1908, page 3 – The Daily Gazette at Kansas Historical Open Content (newspapers.com)
Douglas County KSGenWeb Genealogy and Family History
Haunted Stull Cemetery is America’s Most Off-Limits Portal to Hell (weekinweird.com)
Oliver C. Bahnmaier (1905-1908) – Find a Grave Memorial
One-Room, Country, & Historic Schools of Douglas County – Legends of Kansas
STULL CEMETERY — American Hauntings (americanhauntingsink.com)
Stull Cemetery — Astonishing Legends
Stull Cemetery – Clio (theclio.com)
Stull Cemetery | Haunted Places | Stull, KS
Stull, Kansas – Legends of Kansas
Stull, Kansas – Wikipedia
The Legend of Stull — The Culture Crush
The Point of Beginning — Stull was originally founded as the Deer Creek… (tauycreek.com)
Weird Kansas (weirdus.com)
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