On the western side of the cemetery, there is a short stone stairway known as the "Barrackman Steps".  At the top of the steps are four graves of the Barrackman family, and it is said that at sunset, one can see a spectral image appear at the top of the steps.  The spirit appears as a woman in a long white gown, and appears to be weeping, although no one who claims to have witnessed this has ever reported that she makes any sounds.  When the sun dips down below the horizon, she disappears.  We arrived too late to investigate this legend, however.

Another legend tells the story of what has come to be known as the "Greenwood Bride".  Supposedly, in the early 1930's, a young man and woman were in love and wanted to marry.  The girl's parents did not approve of the young man, so the couple made plans to elope.  They were to meet one night and run away together, but before they did, the young man was murdered.  Distraught, the young girl became inconsolable and fled her family, only to be discovered a short time later face down in the river near where her lover was found dead.  The girl's parents were understandably upset, having realized that if they had just given their blessing to the couple, they would still be alive.  The girl's family found the wedding dress that she had planned to marry in and decided that as a last gesture, she would be buried in it.  To this day, there have been reports of people seeing the spirit of a young woman in a flowing white gown on the hills of Greenwood Cemetery.

Greenwood Cemetery also contains a fairly large section dedicated to the remains of Civil War soldiers.  Here, heroic Illinois soldiers who bravely fought for the Union are scattered among some of their enemy.  During the war, Confederate prisoners arrived in Decatur, many who were sick, injured, or already dead.  It was often difficult to tell the living from the dead, and therefore it is believed that many Confederate soldiers were buried alive in Greenwood Cemetery.  Most, if not all, of the Confederates are unknown soldiers, scattered throughout the cemetery in unmarked graves.  Some were intentionally buried at the top of a fairly steep hill, as it was seen as the least desirable place to be buried in the area.  Ironically, years later, a memorial to the Union effort was placed at this location.
Not surprisingly, there are reports of spectral soldiers, cries, wails, and general sounds of torment in this area.