Entry No. 18 — the Wichita file — filed under: haunted
Hattie Waller statue & Maple Grove Abbey, Maple Grove Cemetery
“carved so true to a photo that her mother wept on seeing it”
Across the street from Highland, Maple Grove hides the haunting marble likeness of three-year-old Hattie Waller (d. 1889), carved so true to a photo that her mother wept on seeing it — the grave version is a 1995 replica because the original was too precious to leave out. Looming nearby is the locked 1915 Abbey mausoleum, cut Carthage stone and Vermont marble, opened to the public only a few days a year.
The move: Track down the little Hattie statue (poodle at her feet) and trade the two versions of how she died, then circle the locked Abbey mausoleum and try to time a visit for one of the rare days it's actually open.
📍 Before you go Maple Grove is an active historic cemetery on Hillside, just north of College Hill — drive in through the gate, then explore on foot, and go in daylight since the grounds close around dusk. Hattie's little marker isn't near the entrance, so allow time to wander the older sections, or ask at the office and check the posted map to pin it down. The Abbey most reliably opens around Memorial Day weekend, which also anchors the cemetery's annual veterans walking tour that gathers right out front. It's a working burial ground: keep voices low, yield to any services, and don't touch the fragile carving. College Hill's cafes are a short hop after, and the statue's original now lives at the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum downtown.
- 📍 Hillside / Midtown (just north of College Hill)
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 1000 N Hillside St, Wichita, KS 67214
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: midwesterndeathtrip.com
last checked: 2026-06-06