Felix’s Grave - St. Joseph, Missouri

Felix-Liliger Cemetery sits on a hill surrounded by an old weather-beaten wrought iron fence, deep in the Sun Bridge Conservation Area. Named after the Kansa Indian belief that they ascend to the afterlife on a sun bridge, the Conservation Area runs along the Missouri River north of St. Joseph, Missouri. There are perhaps a dozen headstones in the tiny graveyard. Over the years, many visitors have travelled to this remote location to find “Felix’s Grave.” There are many different stories about Felix. Some say he murdered his family, or that he died in a car accident and his body was never recovered. According to another legend, a witch was hung in an old oak tree in the cemetery and buried beneath it. Her headstone, which warns “here I lie, cross this grave and you’ll surely die,” allegedly glows at night. The cemetery has suffered vandalism in the past. In 1980, Elizabeth Liliger’s grave was dug up, and only some pieces of the coffin were ever recovered.