Tallulah Bankhead, infamous star of stage and screen, was described as “larger than life” – so it’s no surprise that the star is still making headlines from beyond the grave in Kent County.

You can visit her final resting place at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church just outside of Chestertown, Maryland. She was buried there at the insistence of her sister, Eugenia, who had lived near the 300-year-old church since 1954. Eugenia was later buried next to her under an identical slab.  St. Paul’s is the oldest Episcopal church in continuous use in Maryland, but visitors usually don’t come to see the beautiful trees or historic structure.

“The doorbell will ring, and it’s not someone to see the church,” said Rev. Roger Butts, former rector of St. Paul’s. “It’s someone to see Tallulah.”

Legend has it that if you go down to the cemetery at night and lie down on Tallulah’s grave with your ear pressed to the slab, you can hear the Old Hollywood star’s ghost singing down below. But Tallulah was not actually known for singing or having a lyrical voice. Her voice was raspy and harsh, likely due to the fact she was known to smoke 100 cigarettes a day. In fact, her voice and personality inspired the Disney villains Cruella De Vil from “101 Dalmatians”, and Ursula from “The Little Mermaid.”

Visitor’s to Tallulah’s grave typically leave tributes in the form of roses or miniatures of bourbon.

Source: Baltimore Sun, Chesapeake Ghosts, Eastern Shore Brent

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