Previously: The Fresno Nightcrawlers.
Type: UL (Unexplained Location).
Period/location of origin: Late 1800s-early 1900s, near the town now known as Maltby in Washington State. Please note that subject, despite being referred as “the 13 Steps of Maltby Cemetery,” is not actually located within Maltby. See: Additional notes.
Appearance: Subject appears to be — as the moniker “the 13 Steps of Maltby Cemetery” would suggest — a set of 13 steps beginning at the surface level of the cemetery in which they reside and descending into the earth. It is unknown from what material these steps were made, whether stone, wood, or simple packed earth. At the bottom of the steps is one of two possible endpoints: A wall of packed earth, or the doors to a mausoleum or tomb — accounts vary, although the doors to the mausoleum or tomb are more frequently reported.
Modus operandi: It is unknown how precisely subject locates targets, although it is assumed that targets are largely self-selecting: The cemetery in which subject resides is difficult to locate at the best of times, including when one is actively searching for it. Targets typically do not simply stumble upon subject itself or the cemetery in which it exists.
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Once targets have located both the cemetery and, within the cemetery, the steps themselves, targets may choose to descend the steps, or they may choose simply to turn around and leave. Should targets choose to descend the steps, they may experience one or more of the following events or occurrences:
- Nausea occurring at roughly the halfway point, around the sixth step;
- The sounds of the world — the wind, the trees, insects, birds, animals, the voices of other humans — gradually fading over the course of the descent, leaving only silence for any ears to hear;
- And/or, should the target turn back around and begin ascending the steps before having reached the bottom, hands pushing against their back, rushing them up and out of the ground back to the surface.
Should targets descend all the way to the bottom of the steps, however — and should they turn around after reaching the mausoleum doors at the 13th step — they may experience something much worse: What’s often described as “visions of hell,” although the horrifying details of what precisely that means are typically left for you — the reader — to fill in yourself.
It has also been reported by witnesses observing targets descending the 13 steps of Maltby Cemetery that targets may sometimes simply… vanish as they go. These disappearances often occur around the sixth step, although not always. Sometimes these vanishing targets reappear… but sometimes, they don’t.
Sometimes they stay missing.
Allegedly, that is. There do not appear to be any missing persons cases officially documented involving subject.
Or at least, none that we know of.
Containment: It is sometimes reported that subject was neutralized some time ago when the steps were filled in with cement. It is not known precisely when the steps were filled in, although according to some accounts, they remained accessible until the early 2000s.
However, some remain of the belief that the steps have not been filled in — just that they’ve gotten harder to find, leading to many assuming they had been destroyed.
This researcher has not been able to draw any definitive conclusions about the current containment status of subject.
Additional notes: Maltby Cemetery is not technically called Maltby Cemetery. It also does not currently service the town of Maltby; nor is it actually located in Maltby. The cemetery is more accurately known as Paradise Lake Cemetery, although it may also be referred to as Paradise Valley Cemetery. It is privately owned, and at this current point in time, services only family members. It is located in Woodinville, in King County just over the border from Snohomish County, although it is sometimes erroneously referred to as being located in Bothell.
(Nearby Bear Creek Cemetery and Woodinville Memorial Cemetery service the area more broadly, although in the case of Woodinville Memorial Cemetery, you must live in the Greater Woodinville area, have a relative already buried in the cemetery, or have a business or other community ties to Woodinville in order to be eligible for burial there. )
The areas of Washington State now referred to as Snohomish and King Counties, where Maltby and Woodinville are located, were originally occupied by indigenous Coast Salish peoples, including Snohomish, Stillaguamish, Muckleshoot, Snoqualmie, and Duwamish people. White colonists later stole the land, at which point railway camps, logging and lumber outfits, and other businesses were slapped down upon the area by these white colonists, who then proceeded to grow them into the white colonist concepts of “towns.”
The work camp established by railroad contractor Thomas Earle & Company was called Earl. Near the area of Earl referred to as the Summit, a town was established with a post office under the name Yew; then, after the acquisition of an area of land by Robert Maltby, the post office’s name was changed to Maltby. Maltby is a census-designated place with a population of 11,277, according to the 2020 census.
Woodinville, meanwhile, grew out of a logging camp. For most of the 1900s, it was part of the nearby city of Bothell; it was incorporated as its own city in 1993. It had a population of 13,069 in 2020, according to the census taken that year.
A number of prominent families have lived in and around Maltby for many generations. These families include the Davis family, the Lloyd family, and the Doolittle family. Many members of these families were interred within Paradise Lake Cemetery/Maltby Cemetery upon their deaths.
The cemetery seems to have been established around the same time that the town of Maltby and its surrounding environs were themselves established. Per Find A Grave, the oldest headstone in the cemetery is dated 1886. It belongs to a Maggie Robertson, who lived only for three months between May and August of that year. Meanwhile, the most recent headstone, belonging to a Lonnie John Crim, is dated 2018.
For around 30 years in the mid-to-late 20th century, the cemetery was maintained by a nonprofit association, the Paradise Lake Cemetery Association, Inc. The association was incorporated in 1964, with its address listed as 23210 Paradise Lake Road, Woodinville, Washington, 98072. Its registered agent was Elizabeth Lloyd, presumably a relative of the many Lloyds interred in the cemetery. The Paradise Lake Cemetery Association’s incorporation expired in 1999, and was dissolved a year later in 2000.
Also in the year 2000, the area which includes the original address listed for the Paradise Lake Cemetery Association, was sold by the Lloyd family to create the Paradise Valley Conservation Area. A large project was undertaken to preserve both the wildlife habitat and the historically significant structures, with the Paradise Valley Conservation Area park opening to the public on April 22, 2009. It remains open to visitors today, although please note that Maltby Cemetery itself is not located in or accessible from the park.
Rumors of subject — of the 13 Steps of Maltby Cemetery — have reportedly been circulating at least since the 1970s, although they seem to have been at their height around the 1990s. Once a popular legend-tripping spot, Maltby Cemetery features prominently in many a recollection of teenage antics from those who were living in the area at the time. Many of these recollections may be read online at the current point in time, for the curious.
It is sometimes said that the mausoleum to which the steps lead belonged to “a wealthy local family,” or even “a wealthy family that practiced satanism and the occult arts”; however, these claims have not been confirmed. They are likely embellishments… although the possibility always exists that they are not.
It is unknown whether subject is at all related to previous Encylopaedia subjects Stull, Kansas and its Gateway to Hell or Cloverland, Indiana’s 100 Steps Cemetery. There are some… similarities between the rumors and legends associated with each, however. As such, a thematic relationship cannot be discounted at this time, even if there is no direct relationship.
Maltby Cemetery is not accessible to the public, although it was been reported by some who have visited that the owners may grant permission for private viewings from time to time. According to one account, it may be found off of NE 203rd Place in Woodinville; although the road dead-ends, there is a footpath through the woods beyond the end of the road that reportedly leads to the cemetery. The path’s entrance is chained, however, and signs indicate that it is private property and that trespassing will not be tolerated.
This researcher does NOT condone trespassing, and does not hold any responsibility for the actions of those who do not heed these warnings. Do NOT attempt to visit subject without permission. Furthermore, do NOT attempt to harass the owners into granting permission for a visit.
Then again, given what tends to befall those who attempt to traverse the 13 steps of Maltby Cemetery… perhaps it’s better that the cemetery remains inaccessible.
Recommendation: Sometimes, it’s best not to take the stairs.
This is one of those times.
Resources:
Paradise Lake Cemetery (Maltby Cemetery) at Find A Grave.
A report from a visit to Maltby Cemetery at Ghostly Activities.
Another report from a visit to Maltby Cemetery.
“13 Steps To Hell Are Allegedly Buried In This Washington Cemetery.”
“The Creepiest Urban Legend In Every State” at Thrillist.
Recollections of past visits to Maltby Cemetery at WA Haunted Houses.
More recollections of past visits to Maltby Cemetery at Haunted Places.
Discussion of “Maltby’s 13 Steps To Hell” at the Unexplained Mysteries forum.
A brief history of Snohomish County.
Announcement of Native American Heritage Month in King County.
A brief history of Maltby and its surrounding area.
Genealogical information about the Doolittle family of Maltby.
Business records for Paradise Lake Cemetery Association, Inc.
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[Photos via OrcaTec, Paul_Henri/Pixabay; screenshot/Google Maps]
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