Is This Flint Cemetery Sculpture Really Cursed?

Flint — In addition to gravesites, Sunset Hills Cemetery in Flint is filled with dozens of bronze human statues scattered throughout the grounds. Some show families sitting together on benches, others are children gardening or people grieving among the headstones.

And if stumbling across life-like statues in a cemetery at night isn’t unsettling enough, wait until you hear the stories attached to them.

For decades, one sculpture in particular has been tied to one of Flint’s most well-known urban legends.

It’s called “Crack the Whip,” a bronze sculpture showing eight children playing the old playground game where kids swing each other around in a giant chain.

In Flint, stories surrounding the statue have been passed around for generations.

Legend has it the girl at the very end of the chain died while playing the game after losing her grip and being thrown into traffic. According to the story, her grandfather created the sculpture to honor her memory.

But the creepiest part of the legend has to do with a different part of the sculpture: A lone sandal sits behind the string of children.

For years, kids around Flint dared each other to place their foot inside the bronze sandal sitting beside the sculpture. The rumor claimed that if you put your foot inside it, you would be the next person to die.

Like most urban legends, everybody seemed to “know someone” that unfortunately met their demise this way.

Other stories only made the legend grow. Some people claim that you can hear children laughing and playing near the sculpture late at night, while others swore the statues move after midnight.

One longtime rumor even warns that photographing the sculpture could lead to a deadly car crash.

In reality, much of the story appears to be decades of folklore mixed with small pieces of truth.

The sculpture was created by artist J. Seward Johnson Jr. and originally debuted in 1980 before a recast version was purchased by Sunset Hills Cemetery and dedicated in 1983.

The bronze sculpture reportedly cost around $85,000 at the time and was donated by an anonymous Flint-area resident with family buried at the cemetery.

Despite the rumors, research into the statue’s origins found no evidence that a little girl died playing Crack the Whip.

Another part of the legend also appears to be false: The girl at the end of the sculpture was reportedly modeled after Johnson’s younger sister, who is still alive.

Still, the uncertainty surrounding the statue is exactly what has kept the legend alive for so many years.

Even now, generations after the rumors first started spreading, Crack the Whip remains one of Flint’s most infamous local legends.

And if you don’t believe it, you can always try the sandal for yourself.