Читать книгу Chicago Haunted Handbook - Jeff Morris - Страница 12

BLUFF CITY CEMETERY

945 Bluff City Boulevard, Elgin, Illinois 60120

directions

From the center of Chicago, take I-290 West for 24.5 miles to Exit 5, the Thorndale Avenue exit. Turn left onto Thorndale Avenue. The road will change its name to Elgin O’Hare Expressway West, but stay straight for about 6.5 miles to the Lake Street exit. Turn right onto Lake Street and follow it for another 5.5 miles until angling left onto Bluff City Boulevard. Follow the road for 1 mile until you see the cemetery on your left.

history

The dead have been brought to these hallowed grounds since the cemetery came into existence in 1889. The cemetery is quite large, encompassing 108 acres of burial plots. The cemetery is bordered by gardens and imbues visitors with a sense of serenity as they enter. Although the name suggests that the cemetery is composed of hills and cliffsides, it is not. The name of the cemetery actually refers to a nickname for the surrounding town of Elgin and the bluffs that overlook the Fox River.

Perhaps the most convincing reason that ghosts have taken up residence in this particular cemetery involves another burial spot called Channing Cemetery (see Channing Park and School chapter). When Bluff City Cemetery was built in the late 1800s, the plan was to move the bodies from the old Channing Cemetery over to Bluff City. The problem was that Channing Cemetery was already so old that many of the headstones had been lost and many burials from the local mental asylum were made without headstones at all. Many of these bodies were inadvertently left at Channing, and when they were discovered, they were moved to Bluff City Cemetery without ceremony and without proper respect or care.

ghost story

The most commonly reported ghostly activity at the cemetery is little more than a feeling that visitors often experience upon entering the cemetery grounds. Visitors are said to get a very strong and distinctive feeling that they are being watched. This feeling is rarely ominous or scary, but is more often calming and peaceful. It is almost as if the spirits of loved ones who have passed are watching the mourners and somehow letting them know that everything will be all right.

While this feeling is the most common experience within the cemetery, people have captured evidence of other strange phenomena within the cemetery gates. Paranormal researchers have captured orbs, strange lights, and shadowy figures on camera while in the cemetery. When these strange photographic artifacts are examined, no earthly reason is discovered why they should be there.

visiting

The cemetery is open 7 a.m.–7:30 p.m. April–October; November–March, it is open 7 a.m.–4 p.m. You cannot access the cemetery outside of these posted hours. Many of the orbs and figures are seen and photographed during daylight hours. Much of the cemetery is visible from the adjacent public road, though, so you can still look into the cemetery at night in an attempt to see the mysterious lights that supposedly inhabit the grounds.