The Devil's Chair

Welcome back to 'Why It's Shifty' and today we're looking at something that was honestly new to me when I heard about it. The Devil's Chair is a wonderful and very interesting piece of folklore which is probably more famous across the Atlantic. The Devil's Chair is possibly one of my favourite pieces to folklore to come out of 20th Century America next to the 'Devil at the Crossroads'. There's lots of stuff about the Devil in that part of the world but honestly, I don't mind it. To some people it sounds a little silly but I like to investigate where these things came from.

Plot

The Devil’s Chair is a chilling story in American folklore, often found in old cemeteries across the country. Though originally built as mourning benches or grave markers, these stone or cast-iron seats have acquired a sinister reputation over time. Legends warn that anyone daring enough to sit in one, especially at midnight, might hear the Devil whisper in their ear, be cursed, or even dragged to the underworld.

One of the most famous Devil’s Chairs is located in Cassadaga, Florida, a town known for its spiritualist community. In the Lake Helen, Cassadaga Cemetery, a red brick bench near a gravesite invites curiosity. According to local lore, if someone leaves an unopened can of beer on the chair overnight, it will be mysteriously empty by morning. Some say it’s the Devil who drinks it; others claim it's just the wind or the groundskeeper.

Similar legends crop up elsewhere in the United States. In Guthrie Center, Iowa, the chair is rumoured to bring death within a year to anyone who dares to sit. In Kirksville, Missouri, it’s said you can speak to the Devil directly if you’re brave enough to sit in silence until midnight. There’s even a notorious chair in Alma, Kansas, which is believed to transport people to another realm, none of whom are said to have returned.

Despite slight variations, all stories carry the same message: tampering with the Devil’s Chair is tempting fate. These eerie legends persist through generations, fuelled by teenage dares, ghost hunters, and the lure of the forbidden.

Into the Theories

A Portal Between Our World and...

One common theory is that the Devil’s Chair serves as a supernatural threshold between the world of the living and the dead. According to legend, sitting in the chair creates a moment of vulnerability where spirits or even demonic forces can make contact. This belief likely stems from the chair’s placement in graveyards, spaces already steeped in death and mourning.

The physical act of sitting, often a position of stillness and openness, is said to invite communication from the beyond. Some claim they have heard whispers, felt icy touches, or even experienced visions after taking a seat. In this view, the chair is less a tool of evil and more a mystical conduit, though still dangerous. Those who believe in this theory often treat the chairs with solemn caution, convinced that the barrier between life and death can thin dramatically in their presence.

A Punishment for the Disrespectful

Another theory suggests the Devil’s Chair legend developed as a form of moral instruction or a cautionary tale aimed at deterring disrespect in sacred spaces. Graveyards are traditionally viewed as places of reverence, and the idea of sitting on a grave marker or memorial could be considered deeply inappropriate.

By associating such acts with devilish consequences such as: curses, madness, or death, the stories served to protect cemeteries from vandalism or youthful mischief. This moralistic angle may have been especially potent in small, religious communities, where folklore was often used to reinforce social boundaries.

In this interpretation, the Devil isn’t so much present in the chair as symbolic of the consequences of transgression. The fear that arises from the legend acts as a societal control, ensuring that people show proper respect for the dead. These warnings may have evolved over generations into the eerie tales we know today.

A Misunderstood Mourning Tradition

Some scholars believe that Devil’s Chairs were never meant to be sinister at all, but rather were part of a now-forgotten mourning tradition. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, certain cemeteries included “mourning chairs” or “sitting stones” that allowed visitors to rest while grieving.

Families might sit near the graves of loved ones, reflecting or praying in quiet contemplation. Over time, as customs changed and oral histories faded, these ordinary features took on a mysterious aura—especially as younger generations encountered them without understanding their original purpose.

As a result, legends began to form, attributing supernatural power or danger to what was once a compassionate gesture. The name “Devil’s Chair” may have emerged later as a product of local storytelling, not historical design. This theory suggests that fear filled the void left by forgotten tradition, transforming remembrance into rumour and comfort into the uncanny.

Why It's Shifty

The origins of the Devil's Chair remain uncertain, especially if we were to take a closer look at the history of the folklore. While many of the chairs were originally built as mourning benches or grave markers, no one knows exactly when or why they began attracting sinister legends.

Each chair has its own local stories; some say the Devil appears to those who sit, others claim you can speak with the dead, or that misfortune follows those who disturb it. Yet none of these claims can be proven, despite numerous accounts from people who insist they've had strange experiences.

The mystery deepens because these chairs appear in cemeteries across the United States, often unconnected to one another, yet with remarkably similar stories. Are the legends coincidence, or evidence of a deeper, shared cultural fear? There is little evidence about the stories being connected.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading this week's Why It's Shifty episode and I hope you enjoyed learning about 'The Devil's Chair'. I hope it didn't scare you too much and, if you're from the USA and have experienced anything regarding the 'Devil's Chair', I'd love to hear about it. Unfortunately next week, we're not diving into folklore. Next week's story is all too real...

Next Week: Pennhurst State School and Hospital