Erie Street Cemetery

Erie Street Cemetery, opened in 1826, is Cleveland's oldest existing burial ground and holds early settlers, Civil War soldiers and many of the city's founding families. It is a regular stop on Cleveland ghost tours, which tell of strange lights and whispers after dark. The best-known legend concerns Joc-O-Sot (Walking Bear), a Sauk leader who died in Cleveland in 1844 while visiting; the story says his burial so troubled him that his headstone cracked and his spirit is restless, even at games at the nearby ballpark. The legend is told as local lore, and those buried here, including Joc-O-Sot, are remembered with respect.