Chicago Haunted Handbook. Jeff Morris
roads to see after darkness falls.
EVANGELICAL CHURCH CEMETERY
3724 Washington Street, Oak Brook, Illinois 60523
directions
From the center of Chicago, take I-290 West for a little more than 13.5 miles to Exit 15A, I-294 South. Follow I-294 South for a little more than 3.5 miles and take the US-34 West exit. Turn right onto Ogden Avenue and then turn right onto North York Road after a little less than 0.5 mile. Take your second left onto Spring Road and then your first left onto Washington Street. The Faith Fellowship Church will be on your right. The cemetery is just to the west of the church, on the other side of the church from the road.
history
In 1852, a water-powered gristmill called the Graue Mill was constructed in Oak Brook. While on the outside the mill seemed unassuming, the building was actually used for secret but noble causes. This building was an important stop in the Underground Railroad, and countless escaped slaves would stop here before heading to Canada.
Unfortunately, many of these slaves did not make it to their final destinations. Some were caught and killed. Others succumbed to the brutal Chicago winter. Others simply committed suicide. While many used the mill as an important stepping stone to freedom, many more had experienced too much hardship by this point and could not make it farther. Many of the fleeing slaves who died in the area were buried in what is today the Evangelical Church Cemetery.
The cemetery became official in 1877, as burials were first officially recorded here. The Faith Fellowship Church next door was built in 1881. Today, the Graue Mill is a museum.
ghost story
Although not the best-known haunted place in the Chicagoland area, this cemetery is considered by those who know it to be one of the most haunted in not only the city, but the entire country. The cemetery is haunted by the ghosts of slaves who died in the area and were buried here.
Often, people who photograph the cemetery capture strange balls of light or inexplicable fogs in their photographs. People who enter feel an intangible energy within the cemetery grounds. They report that the atmosphere within the cemetery simply feels different from the atmosphere outside of the cemetery. Some people feel uncomfortable. Others feel like they are being watched or feel overcome with despair and hopelessness.
Apparitions are often seen in the cemetery. These apparitions take the form of escaped slaves. People commonly see emaciated and frightened African Americans within the cemetery who simply disappear, leaving witnesses wondering if they had even seen the figures in the first place.
visiting
Although there are no hours posted at the cemetery, the staff at the Faith Fellowship Church advise that the cemetery is only open from sunrise until sunset. The cemetery is not visible from the street after dark, so you will have to approach the cemetery during daylight hours. However, the apparitions in the cemetery are not often seen in the bright daylight hours. Your best chance of seeing them without trespassing is to go to the cemetery right at sunrise or sunset, or during a dreary, rainy day.
GRACELAND CEMETERY
4001 North Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois 60613
directions
From the center of Chicago, take US-41 North for about 4 miles to the Irving Park Road exit. Turn left onto Irving Park Road and follow it for about 1 mile. Turn right onto North Clark Street. The entrance to Graceland Cemetery will be on your right, at the corner.
history
From its inception in 1860, the cemetery has always been a private one. Its creator, Thomas Bryan, wanted it to stand apart from many local cemeteries of the time in order to gain business. He wanted it to look like the most beautiful and peaceful place in the city. He hired landscape architects to design the grounds. Famous area sculptors created many of the tombstones. Bryan succeeded in making Graceland one of the most attractive spaces in the city.
Throughout the many years that the cemetery has been in operation, many of the area’s most famous people have been buried here. The first white settler of Chicago, John Kinzie, is buried here. Assassinated Chicago mayor Carter Harrison is buried here. Department store magnate Marshall Field, private eye Allan Pinkerton, and Charles Dickens’s brother are all also buried here.
One of the most famous markers at the cemetery is for a girl named Inez Clarke. Many verifiable historic documents regarding this girl have been lost to history. In fact, cemetery records state that no one named Inez Clarke is buried at the cemetery. Inez is more likely a girl named Inez Briggs, daughter of Mary Clarke from a previous marriage. According to many local legends, though, Inez Clarke (1873-1880 on her marker) was at a family picnic when she was struck by lightning and killed. Distraught, her family had a likeness of her built and placed in a glass box aboveground to mark where she was buried.
ghost story
Throughout the cemetery, people sometimes detect unexplainable drops in temperature. Perhaps this is caused by one of the departed residents walking past. These temperature fluctuations would be the most widespread hauntings in the cemetery, if not for two eerie monuments.
The first is called Eternal Silence, and it is the family stone for the Graves family. The marker is an admittedly creepy statue of a robed figure with a hood. Legend says that if you look into the face of the statue, you will catch a glimpse of your own death. Further, it is said that the statue is impossible to clearly photograph and that cameras will malfunction when aimed at the statue. Plenty of photographs exist of the statue, so apparently cameras do not malfunction all the time, but people do still report malfunctioning cameras from time to time when they attempt to photograph the statue.
The second monument is the statue of Inez Clarke. Strange sounds are often heard near the marker. People hear footsteps and whispers in this vicinity. They also hear crying. However, many of the more famous stories about the marker involve the statue itself. There are several accounts of the statue completely vanishing without a trace. A girl who resembles the statue has been seen wandering through the cemetery and then vanishing. This happens most often during thunderstorms, perhaps in reference to the supposed cause of the girl’s death by lightning strike. Sometimes, people see the glass box, but it is completely empty. A particularly famous story of this phenomenon occurred in the late 1800s, when the night watchman at the cemetery experienced exactly that and fled the cemetery, never to return.
visiting
The cemetery is open daily, 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. You may not enter the cemetery at any other times. Your best bets for experiencing something paranormal here would be to go to one of the two haunted monuments in the cemetery. You should try to take pictures of Eternal Silence to see if anything strange occurs and maybe approach the Inez Clarke marker during a thunderstorm.
HOLY SEPULCHER CEMETERY
6001 West 111th Street, Aslip, Illinois 60803
directions