The Forum

Admittedly, this article comes a little early. But heck, it’s October! That means Halloween! This month’s story is about a local legend that many of Valparaiso Law’s out-of-area students probably know little about: Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery.

For those readers willing to risk having to report a trespassing charge to the Bar, Bachelor’s Grove may be worth the trip. Located in Midlothian, Illinois, Bachelor’s Grove is arguably the most haunted cemetery in the Midwest. Perhaps a little history lesson should be provided before I go on.

Opened for use in 1844, this cemetery holds the remains of some of Chicago’s first inhabitants. Remarkably, tragedy has seemed to plague the Grove since the very start. For instance, there are several reports involving local residents meeting tragic ends while visiting the grounds in and around the Grove. One such story is based on an unnamed local farmer and allegedly occurred in the 1870s. Part of the Grove borders a rather large, murky pond. One day, while plowing a field adjacent to the water, the farmer is said to have been pulled into the pond by his frightened horse; unable to release himself from the plow’s restraints, the farmer and the animal drowned. Witnesses still report seeing the farmer’s apparition being dragged into the depths of the pond. More excitingly, local lore also claims that Al Capone used the cemetary as a dumping ground for recently-disposed mafia targets. Like the farmer, these murdered victims of Chicago’s underworld are still seen standing by the edge of the pond, mourning the fact they were never properly laid to rest. In all, about 200 graves filled the cemetery before it was closed from further use in the mid 1960s.

Coincidentally, it was during the 1960s and 1970s that Bachelor’s Grove really entered into local folklore. Formerly, the cemetery was accessible by a stretch of road that offered the perfect spot for drag racing. The cemetery also offered quite a bit of privacy to anyone looking for time alone with their date. As the years progressed, more and more people started telling fantastic tales of orbs, cold spots, and full-body apparitions of ghosts. But hey, that’s common for your average haunted house.

Here is where some other tales really distinguish Bachelor’s Grove from other “haunted” sites and earn it the reputation of the Midwest’s most haunted cemetery. Many ghost hunters report having to sneak around an older house with a light on its porch to avoid detection and stealthily enter the cemetery. But on their way out, these hunters find themselves questioning if they’re leaving the right way. The house they had to sneak past an hour before is no longer there. That’s right. Bachelor’s Grove offers the bravest of Valparaiso Law an entire ghost house.

Like most cemeteries which no longer get used, Bachelor’s Grove found itself succumbing to vandalism and age. Of the 200 headstones that once marked the graves, only 20 are left. These headstones are the ones too heavy to carry away. As reports indicate, graves were dug up and items were stolen. It has been whispered that these graves were desecrated as part of Satanic rituals—which may have opened the Grove up to much darker forces; if you believe that sort of thing, anyway.

Visitors to the cemetery note that, although it is very isolated, there’s always this lingering feeling that someone is there with you. Because I am unaware of the statute of limitations for trespassing in Illinois, I’m unable to verify/deny the truth to these claims. Happy Halloween, everyone.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 at 8:49 am and is filed under 1-Ready for Editing.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.