Pioneers Rest Cemetery

Pioneers Rest Cemetery, or Bandli Graveyard in Rice Lake is home to several bizarre legends which has made it a must-visit place for ghost hunters and thrill seekers.

According to the stories, Mr. Bandli murdered his wife and their four children here before hanging himself in a barn beside the cemetery. It’s in this same barn where Satanic rituals are said to take place.

Another story tells of two boys who were playing tag in the graveyard when a hand reached out of the ground and grabbed one of them by the ankles. The boy died instantly of fright, and the body of the other was found outside the graveyard.

Visitors claim to have seen the ghost of a young girl watching them from where she sits in a tree, as well as shadows following them when they walk by during the day.

Driving 25mph over the bridge near the cemetery is said to cause your brakes to go out.

The body of an infant who died in 1925 was exhumed and stolen in 2008. Pioneers Rest Cemetery is frequently vandalized, especially around Halloween. Please be respectful when visiting.