Chicago Haunted Handbook. Jeff Morris
story
Some say that this cemetery is the most haunted place on Earth. People will experience the ghosts from the beginning of the trail off the Midlothian Turnpike all the way back to the cemetery and the pond just past it. Perhaps the most frequently seen ghosts here take the form of balls of light. These balls of light appear as either red or blue orbs that float down the path or through the woods directly adjacent to the path. Other witnesses only report feelings of discomfort while walking the path; they experience intangible feelings of dread or depression, or feel as though they are being watched by some unseen entity as they walk the trail.
Beyond these common ghost stories, a few highly unusual sightings have been reported in the area. One night, forest officials from the Rubio Forest Preserve were patrolling the area near the pond. Out of nowhere, they saw a horse pulling a plow run across the path toward the pond and then vanish without a trace. Others have seen a phantom house appear and disappear in the woods. The house has been seen on several occasions by people who had never heard the story of the phantom house before. Many of the accounts of this house are eerily similar. It is always a white, two-story farmhouse. There is a swing on the porch and a welcoming light burning in one of the downstairs windows. Legend has it that if you enter the house, you will be trapped there forever. Some stories report that as you approach the house, it seems to get farther and farther away, until it eventually vanishes into the distance.
As if these stories weren’t enough to give this place its haunted reputation, there are numerous other tales told about the area. Most of these involve apparitions who walk the trail and cemetery and vanish without a trace. Some of these apparitions are men wearing brown robes and hoods. The most famous apparition, though, is that of a woman. She has been called “the white lady,” “Mrs. Rodgers,” and, most famously, “the Madonna of Bachelor’s Grove.” She has been photographed at least twice by people who did not see her when they took the photograph. She has been seen countless other times on the path or in the cemetery itself.
visiting
When visiting this place, the most important thing to keep in mind is to follow all of the local laws. This means that when you park, park your car at the Rubio Forest Preserve and not in the nearby driveways or along the road. Furthermore and most importantly, the path and cemetery close at sunset. You must not enter this area under any circumstances after the sun has set. Due to the turbulent history of the area, it is patrolled regularly, and you will be arrested if you attempt to visit at night.
BLUFF CITY CEMETERY
945 Bluff City Boulevard, Elgin, Illinois 60120
directions
From the center of Chicago, take I-290 West for 24.5 miles to Exit 5, the Thorndale Avenue exit. Turn left onto Thorndale Avenue. The road will change its name to Elgin O’Hare Expressway West, but stay straight for about 6.5 miles to the Lake Street exit. Turn right onto Lake Street and follow it for another 5.5 miles until angling left onto Bluff City Boulevard. Follow the road for 1 mile until you see the cemetery on your left.
history
The dead have been brought to these hallowed grounds since the cemetery came into existence in 1889. The cemetery is quite large, encompassing 108 acres of burial plots. The cemetery is bordered by gardens and imbues visitors with a sense of serenity as they enter. Although the name suggests that the cemetery is composed of hills and cliffsides, it is not. The name of the cemetery actually refers to a nickname for the surrounding town of Elgin and the bluffs that overlook the Fox River.
Perhaps the most convincing reason that ghosts have taken up residence in this particular cemetery involves another burial spot called Channing Cemetery (see Channing Park and School chapter). When Bluff City Cemetery was built in the late 1800s, the plan was to move the bodies from the old Channing Cemetery over to Bluff City. The problem was that Channing Cemetery was already so old that many of the headstones had been lost and many burials from the local mental asylum were made without headstones at all. Many of these bodies were inadvertently left at Channing, and when they were discovered, they were moved to Bluff City Cemetery without ceremony and without proper respect or care.
ghost story
The most commonly reported ghostly activity at the cemetery is little more than a feeling that visitors often experience upon entering the cemetery grounds. Visitors are said to get a very strong and distinctive feeling that they are being watched. This feeling is rarely ominous or scary, but is more often calming and peaceful. It is almost as if the spirits of loved ones who have passed are watching the mourners and somehow letting them know that everything will be all right.
While this feeling is the most common experience within the cemetery, people have captured evidence of other strange phenomena within the cemetery gates. Paranormal researchers have captured orbs, strange lights, and shadowy figures on camera while in the cemetery. When these strange photographic artifacts are examined, no earthly reason is discovered why they should be there.
visiting
The cemetery is open 7 a.m.–7:30 p.m. April–October; November–March, it is open 7 a.m.–4 p.m. You cannot access the cemetery outside of these posted hours. Many of the orbs and figures are seen and photographed during daylight hours. Much of the cemetery is visible from the adjacent public road, though, so you can still look into the cemetery at night in an attempt to see the mysterious lights that supposedly inhabit the grounds.
BURR OAK CEMETERY
4400 West 127th Street, Aslip, Illinois 60803
directions
From the center of Chicago, take I-94 East for about 6.5 miles to Exit 63, I-57 toward Memphis. Follow I-57 for another 5 miles to Exit 353 toward 127th Street. Take your first right onto 127th Street and follow it for another 3.5 miles. The cemetery will be on your right.
history
The history of this cemetery has been rocky from the beginning. The cemetery was created for the quickly growing African American population in Chicago during the early 20th century. After securing the land, a body was found in the local morgue that could be used to dedicate the cemetery. As the body was carried to the cemetery grounds to officially dedicate the cemetery, however, it was met with significant backlash. The predominantly white village of Aslip did not want a black cemetery anywhere near town. With the help of armed policemen, they turned the burial party around. Those determined to create an African American cemetery were not deterred. They enlisted the help of the sheriff’s department and buried the body anyway.
The cemetery ran into additional issues a little further along in its history. It faced financial trouble and defaulted during The Great Depression, but it was ultimately saved. Like any cemetery, Burr Oak experienced some issues with vandalism during the middle part of the century, but it is the cemetery’s recent history that has kept it in the news and perhaps instigated paranormal activity on its grounds.
In 2009, the Cook County Sheriff accused the owners of the cemetery of criminally mistreating the bodies at the cemetery. According to many accusations, countless corpses were dug up and thrown into mass graves in order to make room for more bodies. In other instances, headstones were allegedly removed and new burials were made on top of old burials. At capacity, the cemetery is able to hold 130,000 bodies. Currently, cemetery records indicate that there could be as many