Address: 620 Delaware Ave, Marion Cemetery, Marion, OH 43302-5054
Attraction Location
Granite Revolving Ball Videos
The Moving Grave (Merchant Ball)
The merchant ball is a unique grave in Marion, Ohio. Built in 1896 this grave dedicated to Charles B. Merchant, at the top sat a polished granite marble that weighed over 5,000 pounds. Shortly after people noticed it was slowly moving because of the unpolished side of the marble was showing. They replaced the grave and put a piece of tar/tak to hold the ball in place, but to this day it still rotates. Some reports I found says it moves from a quarter of an inch a year to several inches a year. Some think the movement can be explained by the weather, but others think the movement is from the ghost of Merchant himself.
Subscribe: Check out my travel map!: Instagram: travelaustinyt
From the Weird US: In 1896, members of the Charles B. Merchant family decided to spruce up their family plot in Marion Cemetery and make it more of a focal point. A series of small black granite spheres were arranged in a large circle to mark the family plot. In the center of this circle the family erected a 5-foot tall granite monument engraved with the family name. On top of this monument was placed an enormous 5200 lb. black granite sphere, which was polished once it was in place. All in all, the Merchant family plot was a stunning site and it quickly became a popular attraction in the cemetery. But it wasn't until a few years later that people began to notice that there was something weird going on with that giant sphere.
As hard as it was to believe, the two and a half ton sphere appeared to be moving. The movement wasn't visible to the naked eye, but there was no denying that it was moving. All one had to do was look at the sphere and they could see that the unpolished portion of the orb, the part that was originally in contact with the base of the monument, was now fully visible. What's more, there were no other markings on the sphere to suggest how it had been moved. It was as if it had been gently lifted from its base and turned ever so slightly. But that was impossible. Or was it?