Sacred Heart Cemetery is located east of Asher and west of Konawa. From the intersection of Hwy. 177 and Hwy. 39, go east on Hwy. 39 for seven miles. At NS-348, turn left and go north almost one mile. Turn left (west) and the cemetery is on the south side of the road.

The Cherokee Indians provided the land and work on the construction of the Sacred Heart Monastery, next to the cemetery, was finished in 1877, which included a bakery, a two-story housing building and novitiate as well as a school for Indian boys and a farm. Sacred Heart Monastery for many years was the center of Catholicism in the state. Through out the years the Monastery housed civil war soldiers, the homeless, and many Indian children. On the night of January 15, 1901, came the disaster from which Sacred Heart never recovered. On that cold stormy night a fire broke out in the dining room of the Indian Boys School and swept out of control. Before it was over the blaze had taken the monastery, boys’ school, college, girls’ school, convent, and the church along with many priests, nuns, and children. They were all gone within a few hours, the light from the fire could be seen from over 50 miles away. The entire mission was destroyed with the exception of a few small buildings. The bakery and the two-story log cabin are the only buildings that remain today.

There are many legends in the area, stemming from this horrible accident. One involves several flashing blue lights that circle the cemetary at night. These lights are thought to be the souls of the priests searching for any remaining children to insure that their souls go to heaven. There is a mist that regulary travels across the old school grounds. Some say that the mist is death, returning again and again to capture more souls. Several people have seen an image of an old lady who walks the night. She is not dressed in a nun’s habit, but many believe that she is Sister Agnes who died in the fire and who protects the grounds from the evil mist. Whispers can be heard in a woman’s voice saying “Get out of here!” which may be Agnes warning people of the dangers of the area.

Human forms are not the only entities that roam the cemetary. There is a pair of demon horses that can be heard galloping across the night, whinning in pain. Several animals, including horses died in the terrible fire. Blurs of white can be seen from the corner of the eye, folks say, that could be the farm’s hundred white rabbits that were englufed in the flames. All of these things have only been witnessed at night. However, there is one thing that can be seen during the day, and is very real.

There is a very unusual tombstone for Katherine Cross who was born March 13, 1899 and murdered on October 10, 1917.

If you look at the inscription, you would assume that she was attacked and killed by werewolves, for its says “murdered by human wolves”. However, it wasn’t something mystical and other-worldly that murdered her it was a “criminal operation” performed by Dr. A H Yates. Dr Yates didn’t work alone for a local schoolteacher, Fredrick O’Neal was charged alongside him for the murder of another young girl, Elise Stone.

Little is known about the “criminal operation” and some assume that it was an abortion gone wrong. Others speculate that, as a school teacher who had the trust of his students. Frederick ONeal lured these young women into unsavory activities with other members of a secret club and that the only outcome for Katherine and Elise would be death.

Whether you believe in any of this story is up to you. But, you have directions to the cemetery. Take a look for yourself.