In April, Jack Brewer was given the deed to the Old Raleigh Cemetery, at no cost. At first, he hesitated in accepting the gift of the allegedly haunted grounds, but then he couldn’t resist. He’s a paranormal investigator, founder of the Memphis Ghost Hunters; he’s seen things.
Take for instance one night at the cemetery before he assumed ownership. He and a friend were asking simple yes-or-no questions to see if a spirit would answer. “And then I looked up and saw this shadow form,” Brewer says. “It was tall. I couldn’t tell you if it was man or woman, but it had a body of a human. It was walking kinda fast, so I ran at it, but as I got closer it disappeared.” Brewer hasn’t seen the shadow form since, and, he says, “I don’t want that to come back.”
Brewer first got interested in the paranormal after his dad passed away, years ago. “My dad was the only one who called me Jackie,” he says. “And I was in my childhood bedroom after he died and I felt a cold spot on my shoulder and I heard the words, ‘Jackie, it’ll be okay.’ And then I was like, well, that ain’t nothing.” But as he was introduced to people involved in paranormal investigation, Brewer took up the vocation himself. “The goal was to prove that there was an afterlife — and not just what the Bible tells us. I wanted actual evidence that there is something beyond life. I got some of that, but there are some things you can’t explain.”
And you might be able to see the proof yourself if you join Brewer in his Haunted Investigation Tour, where he will show attendees how to use his equipment so they can do the investigating at Old Raleigh Cemetery themselves. “All you need is a flashlight and recorder; you can use the one on your phone,” he says. Proceeds from the tour will go toward the restoration of the cemetery. Brewer will also host a Historical Walking Tour of the cemetery at 3 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at memphisghosthunter.com.
Haunted Investigation Tour, Old Raleigh Cemetery, Friday, November 26th, 6 p.m., $15.