Jon Solo Sebastian 04/06/2025:

The Lady in White is a folktale that’s been told for ages, but depending on the city, state, or country, the details of the story are different. The thing that remains the same regardless of location is the white dress the lady wears. I’m willing to bet there is a lady in white story in almost every part of the world—I’m also willing to bet they’re all stories of tragedy and sadness.

I grew up in North Olmsted, Ohio and there is a cemetery on the eastern end of the suburb. The summer of 1998, I was twenty years old, and was on my way home late one night. I was driving by the cemetery when a young woman wearing a white dress was walking, almost dancing through the cemetery near the road. I found it strange considering it was two hours past midnight. The traffic light was red for what felt like an eternity; as if time stood still while I watched her weave around the tombstones in a dance where the deceased lie. She glanced at me and our eyes locked for just a flash, and my body went cold. The air inside my truck got so cold I could see the condensation of my breath.

I shouted out my window asking if she needed help or a ride. She didn’t answer me, and continued with her dance heading deeper into the cemetery. I parked on the side of the road and went to look for her. I spotted her just as she went behind one of the taller tombstones. When I got there, she was gone. I looked around, and I waited for about ten minutes before I gave up and went home. I saw her again later that summer. I had a couple more encounters with her, but that part of the story is in a book I’m currently writing. It will be out quarter four of 2025. Until then, if you’d like to keep tabs on my other writing projects, follow me here— Jon Solo Sebastian.

Sightings and Lore

One of the most popular “Lady in White” stories resides in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Here, she is the ghost of a woman who lost her beloved during the Civil War. She’s described to appear lost and her facial expression is sad, scared, worried, or all three. She is “forever searching for him among the countless graves and battle sites.”

Some say she lost her beloved in the war, and was so torn over the loss that she committed suicide. The tale says if you see her and look into her eyes, you will end up meeting the same fate as hers.

Side Note:

If you live near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, or are planning a trip nearby, you have to schedule a tour with US Ghost Adventures at:

Gettysburg Ghost Tours.

I plan to set one up this summer. They offer a wide variety of tours including haunted tours and Civil War related tours. They’re highly rated and recommended. I will have to write about my tour experience with them once I go.

Throughout different areas of the United States, and even in other countries, there is a ghost story of a woman in a white-flowing dress that tells tales of tragedy and death. In Rochester, New York, Durand-Eastman Park hosts an old Spanish fort styled structure that has been long burned down leaving only a set of stairs and a castle-like wall behind. This is called the White Lady’s Castle and is where the lady in white or white lady carries out her hauntings.

“She is thought to be the unsettled ghost of a mourning mother whose daughter went missing while walking down to the lake. She assigns the responsibility to men for the tragedy.” Like the lady of Gettysburg, she spent the rest of her life, and apparent afterlife searching for her daughter’s body. When she’s not endlessly searching for her daughter in the afterlife, she exacts revenge against any men who happen to be nearby, so you might want to stay on guard if you’re in the area.

In Celtic Mythology, there is Y Ladi Wen. She too is a ghost of a woman wearing a white dress, and it is said she would warn children about their bad behavior.

In Pond Bank, Pennsylvania, there is a similar story to the lady who lost her daughter in Rochester. The lady in white, of Pond Bank, is believed to be searching for her child. The tale tells of a mother and child who drowned in a nearby pond in the early 1900’s. She’s seen looking for her child at night. She’s been reported to be standing in the road causing drivers to swerve out of the way, which has reportedly caused some accidents over the years. Some say she’s leapt onto the hoods of cars that are passing by—now that doesn’t seem like a productive way for her to conduct her search, but I wouldn’t tell her that!

After so many years since my encounter with the young woman in my hometown, I’ve never come across anyone else that has seen her. During my research, however, I was able to find another lady in white sighting that takes place in Ohio. Leavittsburg Cemetery in Trumbull County, also referred to as “Lovers Lane Cemetery” is haunted by the lady in white. It is said she harasses and terrifies young lovers who go there for some alone time.

All of the tales involving the lady in white carry with them loss, tragedy, and searching for answers or closure. I feel that is something we can all relate to, though we’re not out haunting the local forest or cemeteries. Or are we?