Urban legends are fascinating bits of history that often contain at least some kernel of truth. Here’s a Mississippi urban legend that’s so horrifying that we hope it’s not true, but it’s certainly a popular story.

Yazoo City, Mississippi is quaint and charming, but it's also home to a spine-tingling legend.
Cindertown/Tripadvisor
Yazoo City is located north of Jackson, in the western part of Mississippi.
As the legend goes, there was once an evil witch, a.k.a. the Witch of Yazoo or the Witch of Yazoo City, who lived near the banks of the Yazoo River.
MemphisCVB/flickr
The witch lured fisherman into her hut, then she tortured and killed them. When the local sheriff came looking for the missing men, he found their bodies in the witch's shed. She quickly fled, running into the swamp to escape.
By the time the sheriff and his deputies caught up with her, the witch was already caught in quicksand.
Lew (tomsmith)Holzman/flickr
As she slowly sank into the muck, the witch swore that she would come back for revenge. She put a curse on Yazoo City and said that she'd be back in 20 years to burn the town to the ground.
The townspeople eventually buried the witch in Glenwood Cemetery.
YazooCVB/YouTube
While they were fairly certain that the witch couldn't possibly come back from the dead, they made careful note of the date of her death, which was May 25, 1884.

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A chain was placed around the witch's gravestone to keep her spirit trapped inside.
YazooCVB/YouTube
Did it work? Based on what eventually happened, it didn't.
On May 25, 1904, exactly twenty years to the day of the witch's death, Yazoo City caught on fire.
CTCOMM/flickr
The fire quickly spread and destroyed 200 homes and even more businesses. Witnesses of the fire said that it had a strange quality, with the flames jumping, twisting, and leaping in a way they'd never seen fire behave before. Many believed that the flames were dancing by command of the witch.
After the flames were finally extinguished, the townspeople went to the witch's graveside.
YazooCVB/YouTube
The chain around the grave was broken.
Local author Willie Morris memorialized the Witch of Yazoo in his novel, "Good Old Boy and the Witch of Yazoo," which was published in 1971.
YazooCVB/YouTube
Today, you can tour the cemetery where the witch is supposedly buried. Mr. Morris is also buried there, so you can visit his grave as well.

Were you already familiar with the story of the Witch of Yazoo City? If so, do you believe she was responsible for burning down the town? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

You can learn more about the history of Yazoo City and the Witch of Yazoo City by watching this YouTube video, which was posted by YazooCVB:

For more great urban legends in Mississippi, be sure to check out these 8 legends that will keep you up at night.

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Mississippi Urban Legends + related info

Jennifer Young | December 15, 2022

 Are there any urban legends in Mississippi that are known for keeping you awake at night?

There are several urban legends that you may or may not already be familiar with. In fact, some of them might even keep you awake at night, including the following eight urban legends in Mississippi: Witch Dance at Natchez Trace, Singing River, Mercritis Outbreak, The Three-Legged Lady on Nash Road, The Witch of Yazoo, Stuckey’s Bridge, Blues Legend Robert Johnson’s Deal with the Devil, and Crybaby Bridge. If you've ever heard about any of these urban legends, you'll probably agree that they're likely to keep you up all night. After all, who wouldn't be terrified of haunted bridges, a haunted cemetery, and a haunted river?

 Does Mississippi have any peculiar urban legends?

There are many urban legends associated with Mississippi. While most of them are scary, there are several others that are pretty peculiar. Mississippi's most peculiar urban legend is the Mercritis Outbreak of the 1950s. The way this disease came about is that men would ingest large amounts of lead from paint or something else. After doing this, they would secrete a chemical that caused women to become erratic and burst into a homicidal rage. The first case of Mericritis was reported in Europe, and the disease eventually infected people living in a small Mississippi town. After numerous women were infected, they wanted to kill every man in town. Even though the Mercritis Outbreak is considered an urban legend, several people believe it did exist and the medical community covered it up. After all, they couldn't figure out what was causing it or how to cure it.

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Yazoo City, MS 39194, USA