Oakland Cemetery Investigation
PARANORMAL INVESTIGATION REPORT
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Case No. 236-177
Date: 09-22-2002
Time: 1500
Equipment: 35 mm camera loaded with 400 speed film, and EMF meter.
Paranormal Investigator: Brian Roesch/WRITTEN BY TROY TAYLOR...
Investigation Case: Oakland Cemetery is located on the north side of Iowa City.
Results from investigation: Negative...
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History of location:
Just about anyone familiar with strange ghost tales from cemeteries, or with stories of "haunted" cemetery artwork, has heard a tales of cursed graveyard statues. In the state of Iowa, perhaps the most notorious of these cursed monuments dwells in the haunted Oakland Cemetery in Iowa City.
For those who have grown up in the area, a nighttime visit to the "Black Angel" is almost a rite of passage, a necessary part of growing up and facing your darkest fears. To many, who can often recite dark tales of the "Angel", the story is little more than a local legend. However, the Black Angel does have a very real history... and according to some, there is reason to be afraid of her!
Teresa Feldevert commissioned the bronze statue in 1911 as a monument for both her husband Nicholas and her teenaged son, Eddie. Many consider it to be one of the greatest works of art in the area, having been created by Daniel Chester French, the same sculptor responsible for the gigantic statue of Abraham Lincoln at the memorial in Washington.
Yet, despite the artistry, the gleaming bronze memorial weathered and darkened to a foreboding black color. All attempts to restore the nine-foot tall figure with outstretched wings have failed miserably. The black remains and according to legend, grows a shade blacker every Halloween.
No one knows how the stories of death and curses got started, but perhaps they came about because of the appearance of the statue itself. The eyes of the figure are truly eerie with swirled irises that seem to bulge from the blankness of the rest of the eye. They seem to stare at the visitor from beneath strangely drooping eyelids... and effect that can be unnerving at best. The sheer size of the statue does little to convince the visitor of the angel’s celestial goodwill either.
Many years ago, stories began to be told of this bronze creature. It seems that anyone who touches the statue risks the pain of death, except for virgins, who are reportedly immune to her power. It is also said that vandals who have attempted to deface the monument have come down with mysterious, and sometimes fatal, ailments.
A number of people have told personal stories of the angel over the years, most of them recounting apparitions spotted in the cemetery, strange sights and sounds around the monument and stories of those who have tempted fate, seeking out proof of the paranormal, only to vanish without a trace. Of course, most of these stories seem to involve the proverbial "friends of friends" or distant relatives. Some claim that looking directly into the mysterious eyes of the Angel at midnight will result in a fatal curse upon the gazer. Others maintain that the curse is transmitted only if a person actually touches the statue. Still, concrete accounts of anyone being cursed are nonexistent at best.
One of the most popular stories told concerns a group of young men who tested the supposed "evil powers" of the site by urinating on the angel. As the legend holds, they were involved in a four-car accident later that night. Truth or fiction?
One has to wonder if there is any truth to these legends at all? It’s doubtful, but who can really say for sure? As nearly every legend has some basis in fact, I can’t help but wonder (once again) how this story got started in the first place. Is the Black Angel of Oakland Cemetery really cursed? I don’t know, but I don’t suggest waiting around the cemetery at midnight to find out!
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