Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery – Where ghosts roam freely

A photo taken in infrared. Author: Cobra97 CC BY-SA 3.0

Stories always get exciting when ghosts and other unworldly beings get mixed amongst those that still draw breath from this world. One such instance is the Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery, a place where ghost roams freely.

Pathway to the entrance. Author: Redwoodperch 

Standing in the township of Bremen, Illinois, on the southwest side of Chicago, is a cemetery, a place where 110,200 people are laid to rest. But it’s been awhile since anyone new was placed inside its grounds.

Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery alternative view. Author: Mark Bergner CC BY-SA 4.0

It was originally organized by travelling folks from New England, by Anglo settlers in 1833. According to a researcher Ursula Bielski, the cemetery, in its days of youth was known by a different name, Everdon Cemetery.

Named after the Samuel Everdon, the initial owner of this property. It was 1840 when the first burials took place. Though further research reveal that this cometary in reality was active since 1834.

At this time there were people that worked on the Illinois and Michigan Canal. Those that lost their lives trying to accomplish this mammoth task were buried here.

A smiling doll in the pond. Author: Christine Zenino CC BY 2.0

Most of them were immigrants from Germany. According to the locals, this cemetery hides a deeper secret. Never officially confirmed, but this was one of the favourite places of the Chicago Mafia in the 1920s, where they could easily dump the bodies of those that just didn’t comply with their rules.

Having thousands of dead buried here means that this is the perfect breeding ground for legends, myths and ghost stories. And this place is filled with all three, especially ghosts.

Teddy’s arm lost in the grass. Author: Christine Zenino CC BY 2.0

The sightings range from floating lights to phantom cars, and each and everyone has its own potential to have chills go down one’s spine.

For instance, there is the story of the White Madonna. A ghost all dressed in white walking up and down the cemetery grounds carrying with her a little infant child. She only appears during a full moon.

Infant daughter. Author: Antonio Bovino CC BY 2.0

Or the sightings of the farmer and his own horse. Both of them killed in an accident. There is even a two-headed ghost with an unknown history behind it.

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Monks have reported that during one of their visits to this cemetery they saw what appeared to be another group of monks, only they were not from the world of the living.Dressed in their robes they walked about this place, only to vanish as mysteriously as they came.

A family gravestone. Author: Christine Zenino CC BY 2.0

Another famous ghost is the woman that sits on top of a grave. There was even a photograph of this sighting that was published in the Chicago Sun-Times. The photo showed a woman, of course, transparent that was sited on top of a tombstone. Though there was no woman when the photo was taken. It was edited to show what people might have seen.

But not all of the visitors here report human or near-human appearances. There are those that report that they have seen pretty some bizarre things.

For instance, there is the story of the Phantom Farmhouse. A ghost-like farmhouse that undoubtedly floats in mid-air, and then just like the rest, it disappears.

This was a common sighting during the 50s of the 20th century. The tale goes that the farmhouse is freely floating until someone tries to approach it. In that case, it starts to slowly sink (depending on one’s pace) until it is no more.

Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery. Author: Mark Bergner CC BY-SA 4.0

And no cemetery will be complete without a ghost of a big black dog. It was noticed for the first time during the 90s of the 20th century. And it was always manifesting itself by the cemetery’s front gate as if guarding the entrance.

If someone tries to approach this dog, it disappears. Another one is the Phantom Car. Many people report having seen or at least heard a car passing when there is none.

One of the tombstones. Author: Mark Bergner CC BY-SA 4.0

Having such enormous number of reports caused many paranormal investigators to look deeper into this place. And each had their own discovery.

The cemetery remains to be a place where both worlds meet. Even to this day people just keep reporting new sightings and paranormal researchers have their hands full with trying to figure out where is this ghost coming from, or more importantly why.

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