Haunted Locations That Will Make You Pee Your Pants(And Go Back For More)

  I have to be perfectly honest it was damn hard compiling a list of locations from the various corners of the world.  With all the great and creepy places to choose from that reportedly have paranormal phenomenon the subject could truly make your head spin, however one might say, and many do, I have virtually wasted my life researching, studying and investigating some of the more haunted locations in and around my stomping grounds of Northern Illinois.  So with twenty-six years of researching and busting my ass I bring you The most locations that will make you pee your pants and go back for more.

                                                                   Chapter one-Bachelor’s Grove Cemetary

                                                                                  Chicago, Illinois.

  I thought that I would begin our journey into the spooky on my home turf of Chicago, Illinois.  Chicago is not only the birthplace of the blues, great pizza and Sports teams that can’t seem to catch a break (Yes I bleed Cubbie Blue) but it is also home to probably the most haunted boneyard in the western hemisphere if not the whole world, Bachelor’s Grove Cemetary.  If it were not for the tales of ghosts and monsters that have come out of this small non-desript graveyard and those damn fool enough to venture there, Bachelor’s grove would have been forgotten about after taking it’s last burial in 1965.  However this cemetary is a gold mine for paranormal researchers, ghost enthusiasts and folks who just want a good scare and the nightmares to prove it.

  The origins of The Grove, as we call it , is somewhat sketchy at best.  There have been various theories as to how the grove received it’s odd name.  One theory is that sometime in the early 1800s a German immigrant family named, Batchelder were the first to farm and cultivate the land.  The other most prominent theory is that the cemetary was the burial ground for young German men, who were mostly bachelor’s, who came to this area in the early 1800s to build the railroad.  Whatever the origin of the name two things are certain A) There is more than just urban legend going on and B) there is some truly spooky sh@t that happens here.

  When it comes to places such as Bachelor’s Grove many will say, “What crap, these are just stories that had there beginnings with teenagers and have grown into legend”  I say to that not so my little friend because the phenomenon witnessed at the grove were not just by horny teenagers looking to scare their girlfriends into the sack but by police officers, fire fighters and clergy and other respectable adults.  The witness list is long and varied and shows only hope of growing longer.

  You may find yourself asking why the grove is so haunted?  Various sinister reasons may be the cause of the haunting.  One reason is that it has been documented that the Grove has been used by practioners of black magic to summon forth not only spirits of the dead but the evil minions of the prince of darkness.  Local coppers have found evidence of rituals having taken place within the confines of the cemetary and not just the dabblings of curious teens looking for a good and spooky time.  Altars with paraphenalia has been found at the site as well as the mutilated carcasses of small animals.  Some researchers feel that the use of the grove in black magic rituals has opened somekind of doorway between our world and the world of the dead and this doorway was never closed allowing the spirits of deceased humans as well as evil spirits to roam free and unfettered by restraint.

  The second most prominent theory is that the large pond that seperates the grove from the Midlothian Turnpike was used in the glory days of organized Chicago crime as a dumping ground for those that the mobsters whacked for whatever reason.  The third most popular theory is that when the German Immigrants were clearing the area to make way for their own cemetary they disturbed a Native American burial ground and the land is cursed because of this.

  So, what kind of paranormal phenomenon should one expect when visiting The Grove?  Perhaps the most prominent ghost of Bachelor’s Grove is not a person at all but a house.  Over the years dozens of witnesses have gone on record saying that in various spots in and near the grove a phantom white farmhouse has appeared and disappeared.  Some who are unaware of this phantom farmhouse have claimed to have seen the farmhouse with a hearthfire glowing in the windows one second as they drove past to drive past later to see the structure no longer there.  One legend concerning the phantom farmhouse is that if you approach the farmhouse and step inside you will be whisked away to the land of the dead never to be seen again.  I’m sure that part is legend but with all the reports of this farmhouse one never can truly tell.

  The second most prominent ghost said to call the grove home is a sad sobbing white clad female specter called, The Madonna of Bachelor’s Grove.  Those who have seen this spirit claim that the manifestation starts off as a loud anguished sobbing that seems to come from nowhere but be everywhere and then witnesses claim to see her wandering through the graveyard as well as the surrounding woods holding her face in her hands.  What has made this poor soul so sad?  Some believe that she is the spirit of a woman desperately searching for her baby that may have been buried in a different cemetary.  One witness claimed to have heard her cry out, “My baby, my baby give me my baby.”  Searching for a lost child is definately considered to be one of the criteria for a haunting.

  The last most prominent spirit said to haunt the Grove is said to be that of a plowman and his horse.  Many witnesses have claimed to see the ghost of a farmer and his horse emerge from the pond and act as if it is plowing the land.  It is widely believed that this spirit was one of the original farmers and one day while cultivating the land with a plow and his favorite horse something spooked the horse and it bolted into the deep pond dragging the farmer down with it into a cold, dark, watery grave.

  Although these apparitions are the most talked about ghosts there is so much more to see and hear.  Many have claimed to hear disembodied voices whispering on the wind as well as large multicolored orbs dancing an eternal waltz among the graves.  A few witnesses have claimed to see a grotesque two headed giant crawl out of the pond as well as shadow figures darting among the trees.

  Over the years I have personally made the trip out to the grove and left with a feeling of elation having had my own personal experiences.  The first time I made the trip I was accompanied by my wife who was then my fiance and two friends.  While I was on the other side of the cemetary taking pictures my wife and her friend were reading a grave marker when she yelled for me to come quick.  When I made it to her side she and her friend claimed that they could hear what sounded like digging issuing from the grave.  Usually I maintain an open minded skepticism but my wife is a very intelligent, educated and serious minded person not given to flights of fancy and if she said that she heard this sound I believe her.

  Bachelor’s Grove is certainly a weird and amazing place with so much phenomenon attached to it it would take a lifetime for any one human being to attempt to catalogue what goes on there.  Bachelor’s Grove is located in the southside suburb of Midlothian, Illinois in the Rubio Woods Forest Preserve and if you ever have a hankering for something truly spooky I suggest you hit this lonely isolated boneyard and I make a solemn promise as a native born son of the Prairie State you WILL NOT be dissapointed.

                                                                                                                            Rick E. Hale