Memory Hill Cemetery in Milledgeville, Georgia, was initially designated as the town square. According to Alan Brown, after the cemetery opened in 1804, the area was known as Cemetery Square, and the grounds now serve as the final resting place for several legislators, including “The Georgia Wonder” Dixie Haygood, and even the western outlaw Bill Miner.
Dixie Haygood traveled around the world under the stage name Annie Abbot and was famous for her powers and talents as an illusionist. Many in town attributed her talents to witchcraft. Some believe that her spirit is still at work here. Every year around Christmas, a hole forms in the ground near her and Yates’s plot in the cemetery. John Yates was said to have been cursed by Haygood.
Another tale is the sad story of Sarah Fish. It is said that her husband, William Fish, placed a rocking chair in her tomb one night beside her casket. He allegedly sat and rocked until he died. Today, some say that if you go to her tomb and ask in a loud voice, “Mr. Fish, what are you doing in there?” he responds, “Nothing.”
Written By: John G. Clark Jr.
Sources: Alan Brown, Georgia Legends & Lore, and Visit Milledgeville