Bachelor Grove Cemetery, Illinois, United States

5Taylor B 5:00 PM Sep 17, 2015

One of the 10 "creepiest" cemeteries in Illinois
Strangely, my wife and I became interested and fascinated with cemeteries after visiting historic Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia, and Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. There is something about strolling among the tombstones of the rich and famous that is eerie and exhilarating. Bachelor's Grove Cemetery can't be compared to Hollywood or Arlington but it has its own reputation. Located northwest of Midlothian and Oak Forest, near the Rubio Woods Forest Preserve on the Midlothian Turnpike near its intersection with Central Avenue, in the southwest Chicago suburbs, it is a small, abandoned cemetery in Cook County's Bremen Township. The land surrounding Bachelor's Grove Cemetery was settled by English homesteaders in 1833. The first official burials were in 1840 but there is evidence that burials possibly go back as far as 1834. It contains 82 plots, many of which were never sold or used. The site is often reported to have been a dumping ground for victims of Chicago's organized crime families of the 1920s and 1930s but there is no evidence to prove the claims. What makes Bachelor's Grove so interesting is that it is listed No. 1 among the 10 creepiest cemeteries in Illinois, one of the most famous haunted cemeteries in the United States. In the 1970s, Richard T. Crowe collected stories from dozens of eyewitnesses who claimed to have seen a white farmhouse at various places in the woods alongside the trail complete with a glowing light in the window. The pond adjacent to the cemetery is reported to be one of hundreds of places in Illinois where mobsters dumped victims during the roaring '20s. White Lady, or Madonna of Bachelor's Grove, is said to be searching for her lost infant. As recently as 1984 witnesses reported seeing numerous figures dressed in monk's robes throughout the cemetery. The most common of the reported phenomena at the site typically involves floating orbs of light over tombstones and near collisions with a phantom vehicle. On our recent daytime visit to Bachelor's Grove, we can report (thankfully) that we didn't observe any strange visions, just several old, weathered tombstones. But, yes, it was a very eerie feeling.

5Sherri66 5:00 PM May 31, 2017

A Walk Back in Time
About 40 years ago...it was a spooky place to visit! Stones turned over, graves have dug up, and overgrown plants and vines...Now it is for you to decide...are there grave diggers or those that undig graves....