That's funny. I was taking some pics recently at a cemetery here in Augusta. Got a neat shot of the capital in the background with some headstones in the foreground.
I stumbled across your blog "The Quiet Life" and thoroughly enjoyed it! I was actually searching for history of Old Lystra. However, I ended up in awe of your photography, eclectic mix of posts, political comments, and writings about small town life!
A lead guitarist from an Athens band, who lives in the small town of Ila, once "drug" me out to Lystra late one night/early one morning on a "ghost hunt." I was wondering if you had any daytime experiences?
You are very sweet and nice to read this blog and to compliment it so highly. Thank you!
I went to Lystra in the daytime high noon, and also at 7 pm just a the un was going down behind the trees but well before nautical twilight. The high noon visit was peaceful, with a lot of birdsong. I have never heard so many birds except once in the Amazon.
Though there were peripheral items that were slightly disquieting. The many many NO TRESPASSING signs at the edge of the forest. One to two would do, but 5?
The outhouse. Like, why?
The disconnected electric wire.
And this one, shudder: a sarcaphagous like tomb, marble all broken off on most of the top except a few cracked edges. Filled with red dirt, except for a hole in the middle! It reminded me of the Alien coming out of the stomach, it truly looked like something had burst out of the tomb.
Logical explanations exist for all of these I am sure but the atmosphere of the place combined with its history got me.
The evening visit was the same, except hardly any birdsong then.
One link in one of these Lystra posts is to Frank Gillespie's detailed history of the place, it is very good. The Madison County Journal has news stories, recent ones, about the vandalsim, and the taking down of the church if you want to call them and ask for dates to those issues.
Locals tell me they used to play 'dare you' an the most popular dare by far was to walk the Lystra cemetery road at night!
It's nice here in Comer. When I first moved here I thought I'd be in Athens all the time, but I hardly ever leave the county now, it's so pretty and suits all my needs. I'm a country gal now I guess!
I grew up next to a cemetery, part of it was historic, with graves dating back to the 1600s. I loved it. It was a very quiet and private place for a shy little girl to hide and read her Nancy Drew books.
I grew up about a mile from the oysters church and I heard so many stories from the old timers so of course when I got old enough we started go do there to check it out . The first time was on a hayride I was about 12 and every thing was fine until an old man came up in an old truck from the end of the road that was washed out by the creek and was basically impassable so we all wonde how someone could come from that way. Then later on we would play inside the church in the rafters and try and scare our friends one day we were inside the church and I looked out the window and there was this old woman in a black vale outside the window it scared the hell out of me we just left as fast as we could . We would ride our bikes and motorcycles down there all the time because it was perfect washed out dirt road and creek to play in for that . Once I was down there in the afternoon all alone on my motorcycle I decided to stop and walk around at the church so I was walking around and I started to hear children laughing and no one was around but me so I got the hell out of there and never went down there alone again I would go as long as someone was with me . So that’s my story about ole lists church a friend of my brother fam built s house down there directly across from the church when we were in high school and the hou burned to the ground not long after it was built and it wasn’t but s few years later after we stopped go down there that I guess the next generation of kids started playing down there that burned the church down . It’s definitely a historical landmark one that I still have dreams about to this day.
I have visited Lystra church cemetery many times over the years (even though I live out-of-state) because I have a good many ancestors buried there. I went back this past weekend and couldn't make heads or tails of anything. It was completely grown up so almost impossible to get to any of the graves. I commented to my husband that I wished I was a millionaire so that I could take care of places like that. It made me very sad to see it in that condition. It is like it is a forgotten place.
I went back and visited recently and found much the same as you. It was haunting and saddening, both, to see the disarray and unkemptness of the place.
11 comments:
This is one of my favorite places to visit - anytime of the day. One of my favorite tombstones is in this cemetery.
Never had any ghostly encounters at all.
Hope you were able to take time and enjoy Saturday night's sunset - it was stunning from the door of MaggieGrace world.
have a great day.
That's funny. I was taking some pics recently at a cemetery here in Augusta. Got a neat shot of the capital in the background with some headstones in the foreground.
Chuck
Ha! and that in turn reminds me of the website "The Political Graveyard"!
Graveyards are fun to visit and take photos and just think
I stumbled across your blog "The Quiet Life" and thoroughly enjoyed it! I was actually searching for history of Old Lystra. However, I ended up in awe of your photography, eclectic mix of posts, political comments, and writings about small town life!
A lead guitarist from an Athens band, who lives in the small town of Ila, once "drug" me out to Lystra late one night/early one morning on a "ghost hunt." I was wondering if you had any daytime experiences?
Love the blog! --Ty
Hello Ty,
You are very sweet and nice to read this blog and to compliment it so highly. Thank you!
I went to Lystra in the daytime high noon, and also at 7 pm just a the un was going down behind the trees but well before nautical twilight. The high noon visit was peaceful, with a lot of birdsong. I have never heard so many birds except once in the Amazon.
Though there were peripheral items that were slightly disquieting. The many many NO TRESPASSING signs at the edge of the forest. One to two would do, but 5?
The outhouse. Like, why?
The disconnected electric wire.
And this one, shudder: a sarcaphagous like tomb, marble all broken off on most of the top except a few cracked edges. Filled with red dirt, except for a hole in the middle! It reminded me of the Alien coming out of the stomach, it truly looked like something had burst out of the tomb.
Logical explanations exist for all of these I am sure but the atmosphere of the place combined with its history got me.
The evening visit was the same, except hardly any birdsong then.
One link in one of these Lystra posts is to Frank Gillespie's detailed history of the place, it is very good. The Madison County Journal has news stories, recent ones, about the vandalsim, and the taking down of the church if you want to call them and ask for dates to those issues.
Locals tell me they used to play 'dare you' an the most popular dare by far was to walk the Lystra cemetery road at night!
It's nice here in Comer. When I first moved here I thought I'd be in Athens all the time, but I hardly ever leave the county now, it's so pretty and suits all my needs. I'm a country gal now I guess!
Happy trails, and stop by again,
Elizabeth
Beautiful! And serene.
Blessings~
Cathy
This is getting creepy...we have so much in common. I volunteer for Findagrave.com. I love it. I love the old cemeteries and grave markers.
Have you ever seen findagrave.com?
no but that sounds like a great website!
I grew up next to a cemetery, part of it was historic, with graves dating back to the 1600s. I loved it. It was a very quiet and private place for a shy little girl to hide and read her Nancy Drew books.
Thanks for the website, I'm off to explore it now
I grew up about a mile from the oysters church and I heard so many stories from the old timers so of course when I got old enough we started go do there to check it out . The first time was on a hayride I was about 12 and every thing was fine until an old man came up in an old truck from the end of the road that was washed out by the creek and was basically impassable so we all wonde how someone could come from that way. Then later on we would play inside the church in the rafters and try and scare our friends one day we were inside the church and I looked out the window and there was this old woman in a black vale outside the window it scared the hell out of me we just left as fast as we could . We would ride our bikes and motorcycles down there all the time because it was perfect washed out dirt road and creek to play in for that . Once I was down there in the afternoon all alone on my motorcycle I decided to stop and walk around at the church so I was walking around and I started to hear children laughing and no one was around but me so I got the hell out of there and never went down there alone again I would go as long as someone was with me . So that’s my story about ole lists church a friend of my brother fam built s house down there directly across from the church when we were in high school and the hou burned to the ground not long after it was built and it wasn’t but s few years later after we stopped go down there that I guess the next generation of kids started playing down there that burned the church down . It’s definitely a historical landmark one that I still have dreams about to this day.
I have visited Lystra church cemetery many times over the years (even though I live out-of-state) because I have a good many ancestors buried there. I went back this past weekend and couldn't make heads or tails of anything. It was completely grown up so almost impossible to get to any of the graves. I commented to my husband that I wished I was a millionaire so that I could take care of places like that. It made me very sad to see it in that condition. It is like it is a forgotten place.
Hi Alethea,
I went back and visited recently and found much the same as you. It was haunting and saddening, both, to see the disarray and unkemptness of the place.
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