Entry No. 30 — the Wichita file — filed under: haunted cemetery
Belle Vista Cemetery (Clara Wiley's grave)
Belle Vista Cemetery is a 12-acre historic cemetery established in 1887 and maintained by the City of El Dorado, where local legend holds that cameras mysteriously fail near the grave of Clara Wiley — a woman murdered in the early 1900s — and the restless spirit of "Two Moons," whose bones were allegedly disturbed during mausoleum construction, is said to roam the grounds. The Kansas Oil Museum runs popular guided nighttime walking tours here each October, featuring costumed reenactors portraying the buried.
The story
Established in 1887, Belle Vista Cemetery spans 12 quiet acres on the east side of El Dorado. On paper, it is a standard municipal burial ground maintained by the city. Off the record, it is the center of two distinct local ghost legends. The most persistent involves Clara Wiley (later Clara Wiley-Castle), a young woman murdered by a romantic rival in the early 1900s. Word around town says if you pull out a camera or smartphone near her marker, the shutter freezes, the display glitches, or the battery drains straight to zero.
If you want to get conspiratorial about it, local researchers note a twist: Clara isn't even buried directly under her marked headstone, though her body is confirmed to be somewhere within the cemetery grounds. That leaves open the question of what—or who—is actually draining your camera battery. To double down on the cemetery's weird history, grounds lore also points to "Two Moons," a spirit whose bones were allegedly disturbed during the construction of the cemetery mausoleum.
If you prefer your haunted history structured, the Kansas Oil Museum runs guided walking tours across the grounds every October for $12 a person. Costumed reenactors stand near the headstones to portray the buried, giving you the full theatrical rundown on El Dorado's early citizens and tragic end-of-life tales.
What it's like
Enter through the westernmost gate at Oak Street and East 6th Avenue. There are no visitor center maps or painted arrows guiding you to Clara Wiley, so query the City of El Dorado’s free online burial search on your phone before you walk in to find her plot coordinates. The grounds are open dawn to dusk, and because it is an active municipal cemetery, you will want to keep your voice down. Test your camera gear near the marker if you like, then drive a few minutes west into downtown El Dorado to hit the local breweries and art spots.
The move: Visit at dusk to wander the grounds and hunt for Clara Wiley's grave — bring a camera and test the legend yourself — then check the Kansas Oil Museum's fall schedule and book their evening cemetery tour ($12/person) for a guided, story-filled walk through El Dorado's buried history with costumed reenactors.
📍 Before you go Belle Vista sits on El Dorado's east side; the westernmost gate is at Oak Street and E. 6th Avenue, and the grounds are open dawn to dusk. Clara Wiley's marker isn't signposted, so look it up first on the City of El Dorado's free online burial search to walk straight to the plot. Dusk and the cooler months suit the legend, but October is when the Kansas Oil Museum's guided tours actually run, so check their fall calendar if that's the draw. It's an active cemetery, so stay quiet and respectful. Pair it with downtown El Dorado a few minutes west, where the Oil Museum, art galleries, and breweries cluster.
- 📍 El Dorado
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 720 E 6th Ave, El Dorado, KS 67042
Hours: Mined 2026-06-07 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- The Pyradomes (Riordan Clinic) — Pair a quiet stroll through 1800s cemetery lore with the surreal sight of eight geodesic domes and a 39-foot pyramid standing off K-96.
- Skeletons Out of the Closet — Keep the macabre thread going back in Wichita by browsing upcycled skull art and oddities upstairs in the Douglas Design District.
- The Celestial Mechanic (buried spaceman sculpture, WSU campus) — Match the buried mysteries of Belle Vista with a trip to the WSU campus to see a deliberate, half-excavated bronze astronaut under a glass dome.
Good to know
How do I find Clara Wiley's grave?
It isn't signposted. You should use the City of El Dorado's free online burial search before visiting to locate the exact plot number, though local lore notes her headstone may not sit directly over her actual remains.
How much are the October night tours and when do they run?
The Kansas Oil Museum hosts guided cemetery walking tours every October with costumed reenactors for $12 per person. Check the museum's fall calendar for exact dates and times.
What are the cemetery hours?
Belle Vista Cemetery is open daily from dawn to dusk. Admission is free.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: eldoks.gov · kansashauntedhouses.com · kansasoilmuseum.org · midwesterndeathtrip.com · Facebook
last checked: 2026-06-07