Hallowed Ground

Old Graveyard
Originally uploaded by MalachyC

Located in Algona, Iowa, there is a graveyard just north of the town. In this graveyard, there is a smaller one that is fenced off towards the rear. Back in the 1800s when Gypsy wagon trains would pass through the town, they would come across this graveyard. If there was a gypsy who was dying from illness, they would bury this person alive right at the spot because they were unable to stop. There was also no hallowed ground to bury the gypsy in since they were on the move. To this day, the people of the town firmly believe that the graveyard is haunted, and if someone dares to venture beyond the small fenced in graveyard in the back, they will be cursed forever from the spirits of the gypsies.

Pinning Practice

ARCHAEOLOGISTS in Bulgaria unearthed two skeletons from the Middle Ages pierced through the chest with iron rods to keep them from turning into vampires, the head of the history museum said today.

According to pagan beliefs, people who were considered bad during their lifetimes might turn into vampires after death unless stabbed in the chest with an iron or wooden rod before being buried.

"These two skeletons stabbed with rods illustrate a practice which was common in some Bulgarian villages up until the first decade of the 20th century," national history museum chief Bozhidar Dimitrov said after the recent find in the Black Sea town of Sozopol.

People believed the rod also would pin the dead into their graves to prevent them from leaving at midnight and terrorizing the living, the historian explained.

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/world/vampire-skeletons-unearthed-in-bulgaria/story-e6frfkyi-1226385490896