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BURR OAK CEMETERY

4400 West 127th Street, Aslip, Illinois 60803

directions

From the center of Chicago, take I-94 East for about 6.5 miles to Exit 63, I-57 toward Memphis. Follow I-57 for another 5 miles to Exit 353 toward 127th Street. Take your first right onto 127th Street and follow it for another 3.5 miles. The cemetery will be on your right.

history

The history of this cemetery has been rocky from the beginning. The cemetery was created for the quickly growing African American population in Chicago during the early 20th century. After securing the land, a body was found in the local morgue that could be used to dedicate the cemetery. As the body was carried to the cemetery grounds to officially dedicate the cemetery, however, it was met with significant backlash. The predominantly white village of Aslip did not want a black cemetery anywhere near town. With the help of armed policemen, they turned the burial party around. Those determined to create an African American cemetery were not deterred. They enlisted the help of the sheriff’s department and buried the body anyway.

The cemetery ran into additional issues a little further along in its history. It faced financial trouble and defaulted during The Great Depression, but it was ultimately saved. Like any cemetery, Burr Oak experienced some issues with vandalism during the middle part of the century, but it is the cemetery’s recent history that has kept it in the news and perhaps instigated paranormal activity on its grounds.

In 2009, the Cook County Sheriff accused the owners of the cemetery of criminally mistreating the bodies at the cemetery. According to many accusations, countless corpses were dug up and thrown into mass graves in order to make room for more bodies. In other instances, headstones were allegedly removed and new burials were made on top of old burials. At capacity, the cemetery is able to hold 130,000 bodies. Currently, cemetery records indicate that there could be as many as 147,568 people buried here.

ghost story

During an investigation of illegal activity, it was discovered that one section of the cemetery experienced the most foul play. Thus, it was designated by the sheriff’s office as “Crime Scene A.” Most of the paranormal activity occurs in the area known as “Crime Scene A.” People feel uncomfortable in this area. They feel like they are being watched or experience other indescribable sensations.

There are often reports of people walking through the cemetery at night. Whenever these figures are investigated, no one is ever found. Some suggest that the figures who aimlessly roam the cemetery at night are those whose bodies were moved during the grave desecration scandal and who are looking for their original graves.

visiting

The cemetery is open every day of the week except Sunday. It is open 8 a.m.–4 p.m. daily. During these hours, you may roam the cemetery in an attempt to experience some of the paranormal feelings that are often reported. Because the cemetery closes at 4 p.m., you will be unable to enter the cemetery at night to look for the roaming figures. However, there are public roads encircling the cemetery that remain open throughout the night. You can drive along these roads at night and peer into the cemetery in an attempt to see the lost figures roaming aimlessly around.