Disappearing Jesus

 

Disappearing Jesus
July 2026

It's not often that a city will have TWO major cemetery urban legends, but Ashland, Kentucky is a spooky, history-filled river town that is no stranger to the unknown. A few weeks ago I brought you the story of the Weeping Woman of Ashland Cemetery, a funerary statue known to come to life and sob uncontrollably in grief. Today, we'll be discussing the Disappearing Jesus of East Ashland Memorial Gardens!

Near the entrance to East Ashland Memorial Gardens is an Italianate marble statue of Jesus Christ. Known as a Christus Memorial, the statue is modeled after the original 11-foot marble statue of Christ sculpted in 1833 by Bertel Thorvaldsen. These were popular additions to memorial garden cemeteries around the time that the East Ashland Cemetery began its modern expansion from the old Williams Cemetery (which dated back to the late 1800s) to its modern inception in 1955. 

Shortly after the statue was in place, those traveling along the main road in front of the cemetery noticed something rather odd. Sometimes Jesus was there, on his pedestal in all his glory. And, sometimes when they looked again, he had disappeared!

The story of a Disappearing Jesus statue was so widespread that it earned a lengthy article and photo in the July 21, 1968 edition of the Ironton Tribune. Written by staff writer, Leigh Ferguson, the article goes on to interview Edward H. Scott, who was President of Golden Oaks and East Ashland Memorial Gardens, Inc. (Golden Oaks is an adjoining cemetery property, which has a similar statue, lacking a haunted reputation)

Scott fully admits that the statue in question has a quirky disposition for disappearing, but there's a perfectly natural explanation for it. It is simply an optical illusion caused by the color of the statue blending in against the horizon. It all depends on angle and timing. The phenomenon only works after dark. 

Back of Statue
July 2026

As the cemetery is closed to visitors after dark, the phenomenon is mainly observed by those driving by after sunset. Keep a steady gaze on the statue as you go by, and watch it simply disappear from view! For decades, carloads of teens and other curious onlookers drove by in hopes of seeing it for themselves. I thought it was interesting that Scott noted the urban legend had not attracted vandals to the cemetery. For the most part, everyone remained respectful of the sacred space. The only thing they'd notice is paper cups littering the area around the entrance.

Obviously, I wanted to test this out for myself, but I only had the opportunity to be in town during daylight hours. It was daylight, but it was a rainy, overcast day so I thought that may work to my advantage. The sky WAS very similar in color to the statue, after all. I entered the cemetery coming from the Golden Oaks side and immediately saw the statue to my right, facing away. I drove around the interior of the cemetery, which is BEAUTIFUL, by the way, but I could never get an angle where the statue disappeared. I stopped to take a few photos from different angles, but I could not make the statue seemingly disappear...until I was ready to leave.

I turned left out of the cemetery onto 55th Street, which is the opposite of the way I came in. As I was driving away, I glanced in my passenger side mirror back at the cemetery and was absolutely shocked. Where I was almost 100% sure the statue should have been was an empty pedestal! I slammed on my brakes, turned around and looked and made the realization. I wasn't looking where the statue was located. At the angle I was at, I was seeing the pillars at the entrance of the cemetery, which obviously do not have Jesus atop. 

Hopefully, I'll make it back that way soon after dark and can test out the legend more fully. I'll drive by going both directions, something I also failed to do during my first trip and maybe instead of mistaking a different pillar, I'll actually witness the optical illusion for myself!

Sources and Further Reading:

Find-A-Grave East Ashland/Golden Oaks

East Ashland Memorial Gardens Website

Christus Memorial-Wikipedia

21 July 1968
Ironton Tribune (Ironton, OH)

Trooper Sees UFOs Over Ashland, Kentucky

Ashland, Kentucky

Throughout 1966 and 1967, flying saucers filled the skies over the tri-state area and beyond. In Point Pleasant, WV, residents were reporting UFOs, Men in Black, psychic experiences, and of course, our infamous Mothman. But a little over an hour away in Ashland, Kentucky, there were also strange reports of things in the skies. One example comes from late November of 1967 when a former pilot turned police trooper allegedly spotted several UFOs over the course of several hours.

Despite the potential for backlash, Patrolman Roger Gussler admitted to his co-workers that he had seen four to five flying saucers on or around the weekend of November 25. For over three hours,
Gussler watched the objects fly over Ashland at an elevation of 15,000 to 20,000 feet. They appeared as red blinking lights, but behaved in a manner not common to any known aircraft at the time. The lights were blinking much slower than a human aircraft. Also, the objects would zip through the skies at great speeds, then abruptly stop---an act which the human body could not handle. 

Gussler was not outright ridiculed by his colleagues. In fact, three other patrolmen agreed to a stakeout at a ranger tower nearby later in the week. Unfortunately, I couldn't find an update as to whether or not they actually saw anything themselves. This is an interesting story, however, because the main witness is not only a member of law enforcement but is also a former pilot. Both these positions would theoretically put him at a greater advantage of discerning the difference between a normal aircraft and one not of this world, and if he were caught lying or deemed 'crazy,' then the damage to his career and reputation would be irreparable. So, even as an unverifiable event, it has earned a spot in the archives of Fortean phenomena here at Theresa's Haunted History!

Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro KY)
28 November 1967