Bachelors Grove Cemetery

This is one of the most famous, ghost photos on the Internet,....simply called,

" GHOST LADY OF BACHELORS GROVE ."

POND AT BACHELORS GROVE

ENTRANCE PATH

BACHELORS GROVE CEMETERY

Bachelors Grove Cemetery is a very old, abandoned and extremely spooky graveyard, located in the Chicago metropolitan area. Sitting right next to the Rubio Woods forest Preserve, in Midlothian, Illinois........it may well be the most haunted cemetery in the United States! As you take the first hesitant step, upon the long dirt path leading to the graveyard, you will feel the eyes of the phantoms boring into your very being. You have entered an area, with a long history of extreme emotion and nightmarish human experiences.The cemetery goes back to 1843, when the first body was buried here and continued in use up until the year 1965, when it had it's last full funeral service. In 1989, a man by the name of Robert Shields, had his ashes interned here.

The closing off, of the entrance road to Bachelors Grove, in the early 60's lead to it's unfortunate demise. The entrance road, had once been apart of the Midlothian Turnpike, however planners opted to allow traffic to flow onto 143 Street instead.

The now very isolated graveyard, with unused road access, became a magnet for drag-racers, vandals and teenagers seeking alone time with one another.

What had once been a beautiful and park like place to be laid to rest in....complete with a lovely duck filled pond, that the locals used for swimming and picnicking around............had now become something ugly and deeply ominous.

The careless and disrespectful partiers, left large amounts of litter, instantly mutating the serene view, to become one of slough.The insolence did not end with refuse scattered about the dearly departed.....................NO........
NOT BY A LONG SHOT.................they went on to destroy living trees and deface, dismantle and steal the actual tombstones!
Only 19 desecrated tombstones remain today, out of the original 200 that were placed there. The impudence went so far as to actually dig up the bodies, that were laying at rest.

The most impressive stone found in the cemetery belongs to the Fulton Family and sadly marks the grave of their infant child. Usually found around this tomb are small toy like tokens that have been left by the brave adventurers, who decided to put Bachelors Grove on their ghost hunting list.

The history of Bachelors Grove Cemetery continues to darken as the years pass. Old newspaper articles can be found that state satanic rituals were taking place on this detached and abandoned land. Relics of evil practices and burnt and blackened earth were confirmed on numerous occasions.

The legendary hauntings are many and include seeing glowing orbs flying through the trees, moans, screams, electrical equipment malfunctions and spooky whispers directly into your ear.
Actual full blown apparitions, have been reported on many occasions and include,..............
* A vibrant glowing yellow man,.. who wanders about walking the graveyard.
*A translucent woman cradling a baby in her arms.
* Hooded spirits floating just above the ground, in long black cloaks.
* Phantom cars slowly traveling the lost graveyard road.


The most famous picture of Bachelors Grove Cemetery, is of a young woman in a simple white dress, sitting on a large tombstone. This picture was captured by the paranormal group GRS, while on an investigation. The picture was taken of an empty tombstone, when developed , the lady in white was sitting there!
The once stunning and tranquil pond, has been transformed into an algae covered, putrid water hole. MANY bodies have allegedly been dumped into the water, by those seeking to get rid of their evil doings in a speedy manner, including the legendary .......Al Capone.
During the 1920's, while Prohibition was going on, Capone... (who lived nearby), was known to boast about his, "Dumping Ground".....though no legal authority ever substantiated this fact. Even the once comely trees, have become bizarrely twisted and frightful to gaze upon......as they are now stuck, in this horror of an atmosphere. Other murdered and discarded bodies, (other then Capon's alleged corpes), have been discovered from time to time in the Grove. In 1966, the body of Audry Ellis was discovered laying on the ground. Audry was the THIRD slain body found that summer, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Another famous apparition, that appears around the now nightmarish pond, is that of an old farmer.
What has been frequently seen,..... is a horse eerily rising up out of the still pond water, pulling a farmer who sits forever glued upon his plow. The silent luminous pair are moving slowly at first, ................. and then they gallop off into the distance.Supposedly, sometime in the 1870's, the working horse became suddenly frightened and ran full speed into the pond, taking the farmer and his plow with him,............. to their watery grave.
In 1994, the roadway known as Bachelors Grove Rd., which ran between 135th street and 143rd street, was completely closed down.

Want to see a video on Bachelors Grove?
Check out,.........................................................................................
http://www.youtube.com/wathc?v=J2NRtnCMg4c

If you go to Bachelors Grove Cemetery, be sure to come back and tell us your experiences.





Update:

The return of the Ghost Adventures Crew in September 2012, takes us to this very CREEPY location.

Zak tells us during the show, that while he was growing up in Chicago, he heard many stories which surrounded the infamous location of Bachelors Grove Cemetery and he is filled with anticipation for this exciting investigation. It is almost as if you can feel his heartfelt energy, through your TV.

This show is indeed a history maker, as the Ghost Adventures Crew is the very first paranormal group that has ever been given night access to investigate Bachelors Grove Cemetery.

Impressive.

All I can say, is their reputation proceeds them as a ghost hunting group. The Ghost Adventures Crew are wildly popular, likeable, and brave in the face of extremely terrifying places. ( Personally, I don’t know how they do it. I’m one of those people that wants numerous people in front of me at a commercial haunt,…. NOT that I’m a chicken,….it is just that,…well,……OK,….sometimes I’m a chicken.)

Zak leads the crew down the dark tree-lined path, where he speaks of an enveloping dark energy surrounding them,…. and with camera in hand, ….he takes us all along! (So glad they are going first and we get the enjoyment of the venture from our soft, warm and SAFE sofas.)

In the show you will see Zach perched upon the same exact tombstone as the female Phantom in the world-renowned Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery picture. (See above.)

Zack and his crew expressed a desire to analyze the ghost photograph by examining the negatives and the camera that was used in the shoot. However, they were unable to connect with the people who took the picture, so no analysis could be done.

Paranormal researcher John Stephenson, is questioned by the Crew, on what he thinks of the famous ghost photo,….and John response was, “I think it may be real, but I’m not 100% because I have no way of verifying it.”

John has a long history of ghost hunting and is a wealth of information on the specters who haunt the Grove. The first type that gets discussed is what is known as the ‘shadow people’….. quickly followed by talk of werewolves. (A picture is shown, that appears to be an image of a wolf’s face.)
 Antique ghost cars traveling the abandoned road in the woods which surround the cemetery, were personally witnessed by John, as they drove slowly along the cursed grounds.

Along with the many mysterious experiences remembered by John, is the time he looked up and spied a phantom house, and he says, “We were in here at night, and through the woods out that way, (motioning into the dark brush) we see an old the Victorian styled home with lights on it and we start walking towards it and,....... there is no house!"

John supplies the Crew with an EVP, of an incredibly sinister voice speaking in the Grove, that says, …“I’m going to kill you.”

Throughout the show, Zak goes over the myriad of possible reasons as to why Bachelors Grove Cemetery is so active with paranormal activity. He outlines all the horrors discussed in the above write up,…such as the shocking disrespect paid to these places of rest, the willful destruction of the tombs, the digging up of bodies, the wondering of unknown souls who were disposed of by criminal organizations in the murky, stagnant water,….. and of course the very creepy Satanic gatherings, which furthered the complete defilement of the ground.

John goes on to say, “That grave over there, (pointing to a tombstone) they actually dug up and had the skull out at one time!”

In the blackness of night, the three brave young men of Ghost Adventures, continue to wander the tortured and haunted ground of Bachelors Grove, and once again they manage to get some astonishing evidence!

Ghost lights start to flicker and appear in the gloomy tree line that is all around them. “Did you see that?” , is said back and forth, as the investigators spot the lights and follow their movement.

The police, eight officers in all ( these particular police appear to be genuine good guys) are on seen to protect the perimeter and secure the integrity of the investigation. (I must say, they had some very cool four-wheeler equipment to do the job.)

At the entrance of Bachelors Grove,.. Nick hears clearly with his own ears, a ghostly conversation quickly followed by the appearance of the very mysterious lighted orbs.

The eerie lights send the men wondering out into the deep woods. It is almost as if they are being lured away by an unknown force and they express that exact impression out loud.

The dancing, traveling lights ( Zak believes to be about 2 feet in diameter) go from burning brightly to a slow dimmed down glow,…. to finally blinking out altogether! The motion of the lights is completely silent on this haunting night despite the fact that all around them is brittle brush filled with leaves, twigs, and other natural debris.

The ghostly orbs dart about and keep the investigators in awe, as Aaron captures the astounding display on his camera. External contamination is removed from being a possibility, as the investigators are buried in the heart of the wooded area, at least a mile from any roads.

 Sgt. Joe is radioed and question on the whereabouts of the other officers. When asked if the officers are in the woods near their investigation site, Sgt. Joe replies, “Negative.”

The lights proceed to draw the men towards the creek, when suddenly other strange noises are heard in a completely separate direction. Aaron says, “This makes sense,…stay on target,…. let’s go,…because think about it,.. what’s happening tonight so far, it has led us out of every way we’ve been heading. So let’s stay on target to the creek.” Aaron goes on to say, “I feel like were being followed right now.”

Zak stops and conducts an EVP session, where he asks, “Is there somebody in here with us?” The response comes back, “_ _ _ _ is coming….”

Zack takes about 50 photographs all over the ghastly grounds, while using the full-spectrum camera. It was when he was aiming down one of the meandering pathways within the cemetery, that Zack was able to capture a picture of a feathery mist that presented itself only briefly, and completely vanished by the next photo taken in sequence.

While crouched down beside a large cemetery stone Nick asks a question out into the ether, and says, “Do you like people coming here,…to this,… your resting place?” The ghostly response is, “ I see it,…. the light.”

Very entertaining and unearthly investigation ends with Zak speaking to Sgt. Joe. Zak describes in detail the ghostly lights that led the investigators through the woods and says, “I thought it was one of your guys.”

Sgt. Joe responds with, “My guys were on the perimeter, and the closest road that way ( pointing with his thumb) is just about a mile. So,…..not my guys.”

When asked if kids or anyone else would be able to get into the investigative area that night, Sgt. Joe responds with, “No,…there’s basically four ways in,….. the back path,…..you would hear them,…..it would be like a bull in a china shop. That’s all loose timber back up in that way ( motioning into woods) ,….. heading southbound."

Zak says, “We would’ve been able to hear them walking through there.”

Sgt. Joe, “Absolutely. The only other ways are through here and I’ve been on these paths, and no one got past me.”

Nick says to Sgt. Joe, “ I’ve got one question,… of all the years you’ve been working here,… how many people have talked about experiences like that?”

Sgt. Joe, “ That’s one of the main ones,…..is the 'glowing orbs' ...is how they generally refer to them.”

All in all, the cemetery investigation was an exciting, spooky success!

Good work gentlemen.

Find a way to watch this show, which ran on the Travel Channel,…..because if you’re into ghost hunts, you will truly enjoy this.



Here is a 14 minute video clip, where you can see the photo of (what looks like) an image of a werewolf!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlhCHTEpRwY