A Ghostly Visitation Stuns Late–Night Watchers
On the evening of July 18, 1874, Omaha’s Morning Bee delivered a chilling tale under the headline “A Ghost Story.” The report detailed how two brothers—keepers at Prospect Hill Cemetery—witnessed a spectral figure drift across the moonlit grounds. She was described as a “woman in white.” She appeared near an old caretaker’s shack. She moved slowly and deliberately toward an adjacent building.
Reliable Witnesses, Unsettling Calm
The Bee emphasized the credibility of its sources: two hardworking brothers with no reputation for fabrication. One brother, venturing outside shortly after dark, reportedly spotted the apparition and summoned his sibling. Together, they watched in silence as the figure floated across the cemetery—then vanished into the night.
Ghost in White: Folklore or Something More?
This wasn’t the first strange occurrence in the area. However, the sighting of a woman in white was a recurring motif in ghost lore. This set the incident apart. The Bee contrasted it sharply with a supposedly haunted nearby home. It noted this presence “puts the haunted house way in the shade.”
Sensationalism Meets Skepticism
It has all the marks of a ghost story, yet the witnesses and circumstances suggest it deserves more than a passing glance:
- Local authorities might search for physical clues—footprints, temperature drops, or additional witnesses.
- Skeptics would suggest misidentified shadows, drifting fog, or fatigue playing tricks on tired minds.
- Folklorists would point to the “woman in white” as a symbolic figure—often linked to grief, betrayal, or untimely death.
Why It Still Haunts Us
Prospect Hill Cemetery remains a landmark of Omaha history. Its weathered stones and quiet lanes carry whispers of the past. Nearly 150 years later, the account from that summer night remains one of the city’s oldest documented ghost sightings. It is a story that continues to surface in retellings and tours.
Final Word
No sensational photos. No high-tech gear. Just two brothers and their word. In an age long before hoaxes could go viral, that’s all it took. A simple report. A mysterious figure. And a night no one forgot.
July 18, 2025 – The moon still rises over Prospect Hill. And some say the woman in white still walks.

Leave a comment