As the last remnants of light fade on a February evening, two men prepare to walk among the dead. Wielding a camcorder, flashlight, camera and electromagnetic field reader, they enter the gateway of the old Cottonwood Cemetery, a few miles north of Cross Plains. Only the occasional sound of a creaking gate, barking dog or the men's own footsteps across cold earth mars the silence. The two have come to Cottonwood to answer a siren's call, fed by local tales about the old cemetery whose graves date to the early 1880s.
Some residents feel watched whenever they are in the graveyard.
Others speak of a chill that strikes in certain spots of the cemetery. Richard Foreman of Abilene and Daryl Cozart of Rising Star want to investigate. They have come here to hunt ghosts. The organization has about eight members and looks for places with a history of haunts to explore and research. The group has fielded inquiries from across the state.