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Bachelors Grove Cemetery - Chicago, IL June 16th, 2008
Surrounded by woods, Bachelors Grove Cemetery, at least what remains of it, now sits abandoned on the outskirts of Chicago. Perhaps as a result, it has earned the reputation as one of the most haunted cemeteries in the Midwest. When plans were made to tour the most notorious haunted spots of Chicago, Bachelors Grove was first on Plains Paranormal’s list. Now after examining our audio footage, Bachelors Grove Cemetery and Bachelors Grove Woods did not disappoint. Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery isn’t the easiest to find; even in the daylight.
The trail to its entrance cuts into the woods on a sharp angle hiding it to the casual eye. The path was once part of a turnpike that was abandoned in favor of using 143rd Street. The closing of the road (and its location in the middle of the woods) ushered in the “Lover’s Lane” Era of the road as it became a perfect spot to avoid prying eyes. It was during this period, that many of the stories of paranormal activity began being reported. However, an unfortunate side effect of the youth’s presence was that considerable vandalism has occurred there. Of the 200 headstones that were once there, only 20 remain. Bachelors Grove was selected as a cemetery site in 1844 and was used until 1989. Beyond the late night dalliances of the suburban youth, the cemetery was also purported to be the place of satanic rituals. Further, the adjacent pond was rumored to be a favorite place of the mafia to dispose of bodies.
These legends only enhance the creepiness of the cemetery. Not surprisingly, there are many reports of paranormal activity including balls of light, orbs, strange sounds, and apparitions. There is an extraordinary claim of a house that appears in the woods. However, the most famous apparition credited to Bachelors Grove is an infrared photo a spectral white lady. Here is a picture of the same gravestone that she appeared on, although we did not capture an apparition:
After a brief walk down a gravel path, the cemetery emerges from the trees on the right and is surrounded by a dilapidated chain-link fence. The entrance is wide and centered at the front of the cemetery.
The notorious pond lies stagnate just beyond the back of the cemetery buttressed against the two-lane road that provides the northern boundary to the woods. The sounds of bullfrogs as well as birds and cicadas echo throughout the cemetery. Periodically, a semi-truck would engine brake and drown the sounds of nature out. Worn trails cut through the high summer grass and weave around all corners of the cemetery. Various tombstones can be seen plainly while others are hidden entirely.
The name Fulton is inscribed on the largest monument:
Trees not only surround the cemetery entirely, but also grow unchecked in the cemetery itself.
The colors green and gray dominate the setting as the sun moves and an out from behind clouds. To the west, small creek runs just outside the cemetery’s perimeter possibly fueling the paranormal energy here. Mosquitoes are everywhere.
Joe, Rachael, and Tim crisscrossed these trails with digital recorders and cameras and EMF detectors in hand. Periodically we met and talked amongst ourselves and then separated to ask questions alone in the cemetery; hoping for a response to be heard later. Many questions were sincere and serious. We were curious about the resident’s thoughts on vandalism, late night parties, damage caused by fallen trees, and being killed by the mafia. Often the questions were offbeat and whimsical. Seeing a tombstone with the name Newman, Tim first asked if the person was related to Paul Newman. Then he inquired of the person was mad about Paul Newman making salad dressing. Oddly enough, an EVP response of, "No” appears to be captured. Rachael believes there are two EVP's, both saying no, after each question. Maybe this particular spirit has been asked questions similar to this before and although it is hard to be sure given its breathy nature and monosyllabic identity it is also hard to discount and dismiss.
We would try to sit from time to time, but the mosquitoes were viscous. (Damn the local gas station for not selling repellant.) We were rarely alone in the cemetery. A red-haired girl sat quietly in the northeast corner for sometime, but never spoke and seldom looked around. Two girls followed later, walked around, and took pictures. Their two voices turned up from time to time on our recordings, but they were easily recognizable and often labeled during the recording to prevent any possible confusion. Returning from the pond, Tim reentered the cemetery through a breach in the fence and met Joe at a conspicuous edifice. There was a large monument with smaller monuments at the base for two departed girls. Toys in various states of decay adorned the gravesite. Tim questioned Joe about the tombstones of the girls. In particular Tim wondered if it was two daughters or a mother and a daughter. After Joe’s response, an EVP of a male voice is caught that states, “She’s not home” or “She’s not here/there.”
This EVP appears only on Joe’s recorder and is not present on Tim’s recorder despite their close proximity to each other. Making the evidence stronger is that the EVP is in the context of the conversation. Interestingly, just prior to that Rachael and Tim had noticed that they had lost some battery power on their equipment. During our collective discussion about the power drain on our equipment, Rachael was discussing the settings on her digital camera in relation to the possibility of causing the power drain. A review of the evidence caught a clear EVP of a man saying, “Oh, whatever” during Rachael’s discussion. The voice does not belong to either Joe or Tim and appeared similar in tone to the previous EVP of “She’s not home.” In fact, Rachael believes she can detect an Irish or Scottish accent, which certainly does not apply to Joe or Tim:
The statement of “whatever” could be construed as contextual despite its inherent negativity. After the EVP was captured, Tim had moved away from the gift-adorned monument toward the corner of the cemetery and felt a cold chill over take him. Tim, who was surprised to be chilled on an 80-degree day, immediately recognized the sensation. Unfortunately, no prolonged anomalous readings on were detected on Tim’s EMF detector. However for a brief moment, a reading of 1.8 Gauss was taken. It is possible that the battery drain, cold chill, and brief EMF reading were related to the EVP Joe secured. Or those events could be merely circumstantial and coincidental. After sometime, the three of us decided to walk the trail into
the woods.
The visit to Bachelors Grove ended unceremoniously. We left the park, took a drive through Little Village, and went to the north side for some Mexican Food. Upon review of the evidence after our limited investigation, we were impressed with the cemetery and its reputation. |
Comments on the web site?Email webmaster Rachael at plainsparanormal@hotmail.com |
There
was no destination in mind. We just wanted to get a feel for the woods and maybe
even find the remnants of an old house where the “haunted house” sighting
occurred. Looking into the thick summer woods infested with mosquitoes, it was
safe to say that none of us were going to be venturing of the trail. On the
gravel trail, we staggered with Joe in the lead, Rachael in middle, and Tim
trailing about forty yards behind. We continued to hold digital recorders and
ask questions. Just outside the cemetery gates, Tim thought he heard an odd
voice. It was faint and seemingly close and was recognized at once as not being
normal. But given the road noise and possible contamination, Tim remained
skeptical. Still he felt compelled to watch behind himself. The review of the
recording reveals nothing in relation to this voice. However on the recording, a
strange, guttural laughing can be heard. Moments later Tim asked, “Is there
anyone here with me?” Immediately after, a response of 
