Chicago

Bachelors Grove Cemetery
This desecrated graveyard, established in 1864, was named after the many unmarried men that once lived in this vicinity and has gained the reputation for being the most haunted cemetery in the Chicago area.  Apparently this site was used as a dumping grounds for the victims murdered by the 1920's gangsters, and as you look around you quickly realize how poorly treated and abused this site actually is.  There are only a few remaining monuments left - most of them on the eastern side -  while all of the western side is empty except for a single marker left in the Southwest corner.  The cemetery was abandoned in 1965. 

There have been over 100 sightings of unexplained phenomena here that range from faces in the mist to blue lights flitting around the graveyard.  Ghost automobiles appearing on what used to be the road to the graveyard have also been witnessed by people who have almost been hit by them - only to have the car pass right through and disappear into thin air.  Another non-human entity witnessed by many here is that of a white Victorian farm house.  There,  a warm light emanates from within - but as one tries to get closer, the entire apparition disappears.  Legends abound about people who did manage to enter the house being lost forever. There are no records of a house like this ever existing on this site, yet there have been reports of its appearance since the 1950's. 

Other apparitions reported on this site include a two-headed man, apparitions of bodies floating in water, and a farmer with a horse and plow - judged to be from around 1870. These particular spirits are most commonly seen around the stagnant pond on the North end of the grounds, where the farmer is believed to have been drowned after an accident involving his horse, and where gangsters reportedly dumped their murdered victims.  Lights, mists, disembodied voices, the sounds of horses, and extreme temperature shifts have all been reported frequently near this site. 

When the moon is full, the appearance of a "White Lady" has been reported.  She is thought to be looking for the grave of her baby, and is sometimes seen carrying an infant in her arms.

The sheer number of reports from this site makes it an interesting addition to ghostly annals, and even skeptics have come away from with the feeling that something otherworldly exists there.  Not surprisingly, reports indicate that occult and satanic rituals are common here, and one can only wonder if that makes the place even more charged with spiritual energy.....

Read a true story from a visitor to Bachelor's Grove Here!

Bachelors Grove is located directly across 143rd from the Rubio Woods Forest Preserve, near Midlothian, IL. Look for a dirt road and follow it west.

 

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Decatur

The Culver House
Though the Culver Mansion now stands abandoned and condemned, it was once one of the finest houses in the city and it's resident ghosts are reported to still reside within its decaying walls.   

In 1881, Josiah Clokey purchased the land that the house rests on for what seemed a bargain price at the time.  Unfortunately, the land was also on Indian burial grounds, many of which were within the city boundaries at the time (which probably explains the bargain price).  Josiah began construction on the house, and everything was going fine until the site was suddenly abandoned with no explanation.  John Culver then bought the land and took on the task of completing the house.   

The finished house was beautiful, with fireplaces in each of the first floor rooms.  The story goes that one night while John and his family were in the dining room eating their evening meal, something horrible came down the chimney and entered the room  -  though there is no record of what exactly this was.  Terrified, John tore the fireplace out and bricked the opening the next day.   

Since John's death, the house has gone through many changes, including use as low rent apartments.  Murders have occurred there, and sporadic reports of lights and figures seen through the windows of the house continue today.   

The Culver House is located at the corner of Edward and Prairie Street in downtown Decatur, but it is condemned, and no Trespassing is allowed.
 

 

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