Читать книгу Chicago Haunted Handbook - Jeff Morris - Страница 25

READ DUNNING MEMORIAL PARK

6596 West Belle Plaine Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60634

directions

From the center of Chicago, take I-90 West for about 7.5 miles to Exit 43C, the Montrose Avenue exit. Turn left onto West Montrose Avenue and follow it for about 2.5 miles. Turn left onto North Narragansett Avenue and follow this for about 0.5 mile before turning right onto West Belle Plaine Avenue. Follow Belle Plaine Avenue until it turns sharply to the left. The memorial grounds will be at the corner on your right.

history

In 1851, construction began on the Cook County Insane Asylum or Read Dunning Insane Asylum on Oak Park Avenue. The asylum was a massive structure that dominated the area. Thousands upon thousands of people entered its doors. The asylum not only housed the insane from the Chicago area, but also was used to house sick and disabled people, the poor, and orphans. Many of the people who were housed at the asylum were treated poorly, and many died here and were buried at the cemetery that was on the asylum grounds. Many estimates state that more than 40,000 people were buried in this asylum cemetery.

Eventually, the asylum was moved and the old massive building was razed. The land was left vacant for some time until, in 1989, a shopping complex called Dunning Square was built on the site. Construction crews started digging up the land and were shocked to discover piles of bodies. It was quickly determined that they had come across the asylum cemetery grounds, so as many bodies as they were able to dig up were moved to the current site of Read Dunning Memorial Park.

The bodies were reburied in mass graves marked by the type of person that they were burying. One marker marks the burial location of orphaned children. Another marks victims of the Chicago Fire. Still others mark graves for the sick and the insane.

ghost story

Some people who enter these memorial grounds feel uncomfortable or feel like they are being watched. Others think that they hear footsteps approaching from behind them or hear the distant laughing of children.

Ghosts are also often seen at the memorial grounds. People see white transparent specters throughout the park. The most often-seen specter in this place is that of an elderly woman who is wearing a white hospital gown. Those who see her immediately know that she is a ghost because they are able to see through her. Those brave enough to approach witness her slowly fade away into nothingness. While the old lady in the gown is the most commonly seen apparition, other ghosts wearing similar white hospital gowns are seen roaming through the memorial grounds at all hours of the day and night.

visiting

This park closes at dark, although there are no signs that post hours at the gates. This is OK because the specters are seen during the day as well as at night. Furthermore, you are able to see into the park from outside the gates at night. When the specters appear at night, they will often have a soft white glow, so they are visible from outside the gates.