Fairview Cemetery is described as haunted, particularly its Black Angel statue, due to local legends of misfortune, curses, and supernatural activity, such as the angel's eyes following visitors or it flying from its pedestal at night. The statue, commissioned to honor Ruth Anne Dodge, is believed to hold a tragic significance, with rumors of those who touch it facing a curse. The bronze statue was created by sculptor Daniel Chester French to memorialize Ruth Anne Dodge, the wife of railroad baron General Grenville Dodge. It was based on a dream Ruth Anne had of an angel on a boat offering her the "water of life". People claim to see the angel's eyes follow them or that the statue flies from its perch at night. Visitors who touch the Black Angel are said to be cursed with misfortune. Some visitors have reported their cell phone cameras malfunctioning or phone batteries dying suddenly when taking pictures of the statue. A notorious story claims a teenager who painted a stripe around the angel's stomach was found dead days later, hit by a car with tire marks matching the painted stripe. The angel's legend connects to Ruth Anne's dreams of the "water of life," a drink she took that resulted in her death. The angel is seen as a tragic figure, and its blackening symbolizes a tragic event. The tragic life and death of the model for the Black Angel is also cited as a reason the site is believed to be haunted.