Trip to Hell’s Church

Good evening — or morning — folks!

I just returned from an evening expedition a place here in Canton, Georgia known to the locals as “Hell’s Church.” It is a place of urban legend, supernatural rumor, and the site of real-life crime when the church was burned to the ground in 1990.

I’ll keep the names of my traveling companions to myself, but I was there with several ladies age 15 to 31. We had a few flashlights, our cell phones, and my camera. Our tour guide, a very old and dear friend, knew most of the stories of the place. Hell’s Church was supposedly the site of unwholesome activity, including occult activity — one that led a disturbed teenager burn the whole place down.

Here’s the short description from The Shadowlands:
Cherokee County – Canton – Hell Church – is a place located in the old part of Canton. There is a long narrow road going back into the woods that is very difficult to get down. You then come upon a church, out in the middle of nowhere, there is a very small (one room ) and white. Located directly across the road is a cemetery with graves dating back to the 18th century. Although there have been accounts of graves freshly dug. The story goes that back in the 80′s a boy was found mutilated. Most say that it was a cult killing. But the church was shut down and the newspaper clipping of this horrible event still exists. The church has been re-opened but there are still accounts of hearing faint piano music coming from inside the church late at night.

Walking around, the first thing we noticed is that many of the graves are bordered with bricks or stones and are covered with gravel. Many of these graves — even those many decades old — still have a very visible mound over the site of each body. Some families had several mounds side-by-side, and this phenomenon was visible even on more traditional dirt graves. Intrigued, I looked around and was astonished to see the high number of infant and child graves — more than I think I’ve seen in any cemetary I’ve visited. Some of my companions got the creeps and wanted to leave immediately. One was ready to leave, but then changed her mind and wanted to stay.

While others had a more specific experience, the one tangible thing (besides the strange grave mounds) was the smell. Near the center of the cemetary we all noticed a very strange, distinct odor. It was sort of sulfuric, but somehow also sweet. As my guide and I stood side by side near a grave that seemed be covered in astroturf (strange enough on its own!) the smell grew very strong indeed, and both of us felt a slight chill.

After our exploration, we got in the van and drove only a dozen yards when a police car came down the road and immediately turned on the lights. The officer approached our vehicle and asked us our business, explaining that there was lots of bad activity back here — causing the Cherokee County sheriff’s department to patrol the road regularly. He cited drug deals, vandalism, theft, and more, but quickly sent us on our way.

A very unusual experience, and several of us would like to visit the place again during the day where we could see the markers more clearly and would be less likely to be arrested! I did notice one prominent grave marked “Chambers.” Though it’s unlikely they are any sort of relation, it’s possible!

Others who were there might have their own stories, but that’s mine. Anyone in the area who’s interested in the supernatural and strange places should — legally and safely — check this place out.