Floating Blue Lighted Orbs


Orbs of blue light are another of the well known  tales of the Grove. Though the earliest reported sightings cannot be officially dated, it was stated in a 1980's newspaper article that in the 1960's there were already reported sightings of "blue ghost lights" in the cemetery and nearby area.The 70's & 80's seem to have been the peak of reported sightings with over 100 being made by those that had seen the "floating blue ball of light". Those that have seen it place it in many different locations.

It is said to have been seen within the cemetery,all over within the woods floating low and high, up and down the path and even reportedly following a group of men from within the cemetery, to their vehicle, chasing and following them down 143rd street. Also commonly said ,is that it is  about the size of a basketball or a bit smaller,blinks , pulses and or fades from sight only to reappear behind you or nearby again within seconds of initially disappearing. Almost all that have spoke of seeing these "ghost lights" say that it moves and travels with what may seem as some form of intelligent maneuvering. There have also been statements reported from Cook County Sheriffs Police that have witnessed the blue ghost lights with on more one than one occasion the officers would attempt to follow the blue lights only to have it evade them and disappear into the wooded darkness. One woman has made a claim of sticking her hand right through the "blue light" without notice of a temperature change or any other noticeable differences in the immediate area. There have been less than a handful of reported sightings in the past few decades. In all of our days at the Grove we have only heard of a few reliable first hand accounts of anyone seeing the 'blue ghost lights" of the Grove.

A friend also says that in summer 2013 she saw a  slow moving "blue whitish ball of light " about the size of a softball  moving within the one acre cemetery, near the Southwest corner near the Newman grave.

We have also recently been told of sightings  of a "reddish light flash" being seen within the cemetery on more than two occasions by two different  ,very reliable sources in 2013.

This red flash is said to be "bright, rich deep in color,like a stop light color looks" more of a "line" , a bar of light approximately 2 to 3 feet in length. It has been said it is not a small light , moving fast leaving a trail, but a lengthy  2 to 3 foot long light that flashes before you.

The true explanations of these lights have no physical or scientific background to research.

Truly making this one of the more "unexplainable' phenomenon of the Grove.


Electronics Interference


Bachelors Grove can probably be considered to be one of the more highly photographed cemeteries in the area,, for not many a visitor comes here without a camera in hand in hopes to capture something out of the "ordinary".

Visitors of the Grove will often tell of their devices,cameras, video recorders, voice recorders, cell phones basically any instrument with a battery would almost immediately drain of power as soon as the item was turned on with a confirmed new and or completely charged battery installed.

Whatever the possible cause may be, these stories can be confirmed by those we have spoke to , and have witnessed the power drain of others equipment as we were within the confines of the cemetery, seen by all in attendance.

It has also happened to us personally on two or three occasions , but that is a small percentage to the 100's of times we have been within the Cemetery or the immediate surrounding area.

We have also personally witnessed friends whom have had 'interference" while viewing, looking through their video recorder screens when turned on or others that have had their video recorders confirmed on in record mode,later to be reviewed with nothing recorded but a black, blank,empty view though the duration of the recording.

These devices, then are in perfect working condition when once outside of cemetery or when arriving home to review.

                                           


                                                                                 The mid 1970's produced one of Bachelors Groves  more notorious                                                                                     legends, disappearing cars. 

                                                                                 Multiple reports of late night drivers seeing a car pulled over on the                                                                                   side of the Midlothian Turnpike near the cemetery.  Passing by the                                                                                       still vehicle, a glance into the rear view mirror would reveal that                                                                                           there was in fact no vehicle there. The car seemed to have                                                                                                     disappeared. Some drivers have claimed they even pulled a u-turn                                                                                       to confirm what it was they did or did not see, only to confirm that                                                                                       indeed there was no vehicle in the vicinity. 


Other driver accounts tell of  a vehicle coming up from behind, passing them only to pull off to the side of the road ahead of them in the near distance. But as they would approached the area where the the vehicle had pulled off  no vehicle would be there. Emphatically stating that  they saw the car and there was no place for them to drive off to or hide the vehicle.

 One account from a couple in the late 1970's reported that they actually were involved in an accident with a "phantom car".  The couple were at the corners of Central Ave and Midlothian Turnpike. Looking both ways and seeing that there was no vehicle traffic at all in either direction, the driver proceeded to make his turn (it is never mentioned which direction this car was turning) and out of no where came a "speeding brown sedan" racing in the direction of the cemetery, crashing into the couples car. A thundering impact felt and  sounds of crunching metal and shattering glass was heard. As the couple exited the vehicle, they were astounded as the brown sedan faded from their sight. To make matters even more confusing for this couple was the fact that there was no damage at all to their vehicle.

Other sightings and or just hearing an  "older style" vehicle driving past the cemetery entrance down the old Midlothian Turnpike, only to fade away from sight.

And yet other tales have been told of cars approaching the cemetery area along the Turnpike ,the cars engine "stopping" , the vehicle rolling past the cemetery with no power, only to be able to restart the engine as they were past the area.

Reports , stories of these sightings have dissipated over the years.

We have personally spoke with two people that have given us their firsthand accounts of these Phantom car sightings!!!!

The Phantom Farmhouse


  Tales of the "phantom house" began to surface in the late 1960's.  Visitors exploring the Grove have spotted the house on both sides of  the trail in, in the woods, along the turnpike and inside the cemetery itself.  Reports given by most that have "seen" the house, rarely vary in description. When people see the house and or even attempt  to approach it,  it begins to shrink, smaller in size until eventually it disappears from sight. Mostly described by all as a two story white columned house with a porch, a swing and a soft light burning in the window , which seems to draw one in.

There is also one story told of someone seeing "the house" with a line of people up to the front door, waiting to go in. It is said if you go in the house, you are never to be seen again.

Although there were two homesteads along the path in, from the two existing photos of these houses, none seem to match the description given of the shrinking farmhouse.

There is a lot of speculation as to what structures actually existed in the area around Bachelors Grove. There are those that have said for years that nothing was ever built on the land. Of course  the well and foundation remains would point  to something having been there at some point in time. Maps of the area from different time periods vary. Hand drawn maps from early 1900's were not entirely accurate as far as measurements and scale. Recently family pictures surfaced that showed two small farmhouses that stood in the area in the early 1900's.One fit the description so often told of the phantom farm house. 


When visiting B.G. we have encountered two separate occasions when people we did meet and spoke to,asked of who did live in the house they saw on the way in. This occasion i fully remember. Their words immediately grabbed our attention and we began to speak to them in detail. This was summer 2012 and it was told it was seen on the south side of the path about halfway in to the cemetery entrance. The description given to us was basically the same as all others. White two story,, swing and porch, no mention of a light though . for it was about mid afternoon. When we told them there was no house there,, they laughed , thinking we were joking. After repeatedly telling them there was no house there,, they were VERY addament of their sighting of this house. Telling us they saw it and they were not crazy,and for us to stop joking. We finally told them of the tale of the disappearing house and that they had just seen a ghost house, and we welcomed them to Bachelors Grove. It took them a bit to get over the fact that what they did see, was in fact, not there. These two guys that told us of their experience that day, became repeat visitors over the summer of 2012 and into early 2013. It was their first time to the Grove and did not know much of the history and knew nothing of a "phantom "farmhouse". After that first visit they were hooked as are many a "certain" first time visitor.I still speak to them on occasion on F.B.and they always ask me of "how are things at B.G"?  

It is a shared opinion between visitors and investigators that the distinct possibility of a "vortex" or "portal" to another dimension has manifested in the area.  A time slip - warp that gives us a glimpse of a "parallel universe" hence the "disappearing house " and phantom "older" cars that appear ans disappear on the nearby roadways. This opinion shared by us at The Path to Bachelors Grove, is based on what we have heard firsthand from others visiting the area, what we have uncovered in our research and our own personal experiences with a "negative attachment". 

Below you will find some of the documented and undocumented happenings of paranormal possibilities associated with Bachelors Grove. You will find much to ponder for yourself in the following stories.  

The infamous stories of the Grove have remained fairly consistent over the years and can only be indirectly connected to the word of mouth from the visitors whom walk down the long path to the entrance of the cemetery itself.

How did this once thriving area lay claim to one of the "most haunted cemeteries" in the world" ?

The Grove seems to be a plethora of continuous, inexplicable circumstances that go beyond reason.

Desecration, condemnation, vandalism,  satanic rituals, murderous mobsters, possible disturbed Indian mounds,  rumors of cursed land, an ominous quarry pond and running water nearby (the creek).  All of these things alone are enough to disrupt a graveyard and attract negative energy.  Together they create an optimum spot to collaborate and form a "perfect storm" of paranormal activity.  

The heartache buried in Bachelors Grove is also a big factor one must consider when pondering the mysteries of this magical but "just not right" place.

The more we learn about the family history of the those that lived in the area and were buried in Bachelors Grove we have seen that there is also a pattern of misery and suffering along with many untimely and/or violent deaths. Could these tragedies be resonating their sadness over the years and possibly as far as other dimensions? 












What is it that truly gives this area it's "dark undertone"? 

Why did the settlement in this immediate area not thrive as in others close by?  Why did families NOT continue to live in this location?

We have heard the stories firsthand.

We have seen it with a few persons we know.

We have experienced it ourselves firsthand !!

After the first handful of visits, and  hearing the same  "tales of the Grove" repeated by many times by many different people, one can't help to wonder about the possibility of the causes for these "experiences" that so many speak of. Could this possibility be in all fact reality?

For it is not just tales of those buried within, but also tales of those allowed "to visit", as it is said there is but a "thin veil" between dimensions!!!


Bachelors Grove documented existence is just a few decades shy of two hundred years. Although it is suspected that it is much older,  possibly dating back to the Black Hawk war, there is no proof or documentation to support this theory.

  From what is known, the underground popularity and subsequent vandalism began as early as the 1930's. Robert Ripley included a drawing of  the gate at Bachelors Grove in his Believe it or not column in 1932 making the small family cemetery a celebrity as the article ran in papers across the county. Research of  newspaper articles from this time period also show some of the first documentation of vandalism and decline of the once serene park like atmosphere. 

The tales of the weird , spooky  and 'paranormal" began to become a  mainstream topic in the late 40's and early 1950's. From there the  hand me down local stories  began to surface along with the countless personal experiences of those that visited. 

Many tales have been told, heard and re-told from those that have walked down the path into the cemetery and surrounding woods.  These tales, some confirmed to be circulating neighborhood "folklore"  and urban legends that have been retold in towns all across the United States through out the years.

Others specifically originate from the Grove itself.

Legends and Lore

 Notorious for its stories of the bizarre and  unexplained, Bachelors Grove Cemetery  has been called one of the most haunted places in the world. This page is dedicated to the well known local legends that are associated with the cemetery and surrounding Forest Preserves.

The Path to Bachelors Grove

Left and below:

Remnants of a bottle from Cicero bottling company found in the creek just outside Bachelors Grove Cemetery. Al Capone was rumored to have "interests" in the company.

Left :

Frame of a gun found in the creek just outside of Bachelors Grove Cemetery 

in 2013.

​Amelia Humphrey (Patrick)

The Patrick stone in

Bachelors Grove Cemetery 

Lot #44

                                 Mysterious Unseen Voices 


Disembodied generically speaking means released or separated from the body.

Reports of disembodied voices are fairly rare. Many people will not talk about what they thought they just heard.It is dismissed for many reasons. Especially if walking outdoors or in the woods with many distractions.  A running creek, planes and nearby traffic passing by are just a few.

 We are not talking about E.V.P. here (electronic voice phenomena), but out loud audible words being heard without electronic assistance.  I have heard a very large amount of E.V.P.s immediately played back from within the immediate cemetery area that makes your skin crawl. I have also heard "hello's" and words of kindness.

Those who do speak about hearing a voice or  whispers in the area report hearing them on the path, both walking in and out, in the cemetery and often while walking in the woods. Most of the time the person having the experience is alone. 


 We here at the Path have heard many things, separate and together. Bill hearing "halt" while walking the woods with Bailey. I, on two separate occasions have heard what I thought was my name whispered and a low deep three second stretched out "heeeeeeeeey" near the Fulton stone. I was kneeling on the ground to take one last photo for the day for it was dusk and time to go. I was caught so off guard when I heard the 'HEEEEEY" that I quickly out loud replied " really"?  I stood up just looking in the direction of the voice. This was the East side of the Fulton stone,directly in front of it facing west. The "voice" came from what sounded to be a few feet away, right along the darkness of the North fence line. I walked backwards from the Fulton stone almost entirely to the gate hoping to see a cause for this voice.


Other visitors of the Grove have mentioned hearing "kids" or a "girl" laughing in the distance. On a few occasions we as a group have heard these "kids laughing" when we were near the creek relaxing. We are pretty certain that no one else was around. We saw no one  come in or out on the path. The rustling trees, flowing creek and uneven terrain make it very difficult to pinpoint a location, which in turn gives it a very eerie sound. Also there have been first hand reports from Bill of him smelling "pipe tobacco" when he was sure no one else was around. On another occasion the smell of "fresh oven baking cookies" filled the air. Whispers of words, smells, kids giggling, unseen footsteps, a full apparition. Not many times, if ever, have we heard of or experienced a combination of these "phenomena" together.             

Do you have a story - experience to share here?  

Do you have a unexplainable photo or  information on Bachelors Grove to share. Full credit for info and or photo will be given if used.

Please go to the  "CONTACT US" page and send us a message. We do want to hear from you.   Thanks!!!                                       

The Stranded Couple and the Murdering Caretaker 

         

These two  tales each have a few slightly  varying versions from over the years of being retold and "handed down". The short and sweet most commonly told version has the cemetery caretaker and his family living in a house in the woods. All is normal with him and his family until one day out of nowhere he becomes enraged and kills his entire family, then himself. It is said that he was overcome with "evil spirits" that told him to kill his family. At some point down the timeline of the story the towns people burn down the caretakers house to erase all memory of this tragic story.


​Another  well known story told in most neighborhoods in the area is that of the stranded couple.  A young couple visits the area near the cemetery that had become a bit of a lovers lane to "park".  When the time comes to leave the boyfriend attempts to start the car, but for one reason or another, its out of gas or the engine is stalled , the car does not start. The boy tells his female friend to stay in the car while he goes to get help. As the girl waits in the car she starts hearing a scratching noise on the roof of the car. The scratching continues on and off for some time. She is very curious as to what the noise may be but is to frightened to move from her safe seat in the car. After some time she sees 'blue lights and a siren' appear behind her. An officer approaches her car, opens her door and asks her to follow him to the police squad and stresses adamantly  NOT TO TURN AROUND AND LOOK BEHIND HER.  She cannot control her curiosity and  turns around to see her boyfriend hanging from a tree above the car. His throat slit, his fingers barely brushing the roof of the car, his fingernails making a scratch scratch scratch on the roof of the car. The horrific sight then driving the girl into total real life insanity.

During a visit to the Grove on Halloween 2012 we had the opportunity to meet a retired Bridgeview police officer stating  he had actually seen the official police reports of of the incident. He told us the police report he had seen told of baby sized foot prints on the roof of the car.  He also claimed  that the girl friend of the murdered boy was in a mental institution in Tinley Park. He spoke adamantly of the existence of this report and the truth to the story but when further discussion with the officer was sought, he recanted his story and faded away from any further contact. Making all of this even more confusing to attempt to decide if tale or fact. But all tales do usually begin from one small fact.













The list of legends and lore of the Grove is vast and we have spoke of just a few of the more well known 'topics" of the area. Below are a few more stories, legends we will cover in detail in the time to come.

 They will include:

SatanicRituals 




The Farmer and the Plow


The yellow man


and a few more of the legends and lore of the Grove over the years.

Unseen Footsteps


Footsteps approaching, to the sides of the path as you walk

in and out and at times directly in front of you has been

spoken of and heard of many a time from visitors and

experienced ourselves. Not often has it been mentioned

in written form. Refer to the ARTIFACTS and NOVELTIES PAGE

and in a 1998 UNKNOWN magazine article it is mentioned by

the author of his "Night in Bachelors Grove".

Many visitors mention hearing footsteps on their sides,

a little into the forest as they are walking in and or out.

They speak of a sensation of being watched, or as once

described " like a bouncer right behind you ,time to go" and

 feelings of "being escorted out".

I do know at times a squirrel or a chip monk in the forest can

sound like a approaching "Sasquatch" but there is a distinct

difference if one listens closely.

A friend and I would get the  "being watched " feeling as we would enter down the path and have heard what we were very sure were "footsteps" of our sides in the woods.

One personal experience was on a sunny warm day in summer 2012 a group of well known investigators came into the Grove which I knew two of the Group. I was able to join in, and after a bit of wandering around, got a feeling,then this took place. My friend was right by the Hageman stone South side, I ovilus in hand, Northside by the hole in the fence by a  large fallen log. There was some activity on the ovilus as I had it at almost a full arms reach, downward so these eyes could read that little print along with  audible speaker attached.  When focusing at the outstretched ovilus, I fully saw two footsteps in front of me as the grass was  compressed and sprung back up halfway. As I excitedly yelled to my friend by the Hageman stone, he looked up in my direction and just pointed with a surprised look. He then said he had just seen a dark mass move on to my side behind me. He quickly came to my location and could  see the goosebumps on my arms, hair standing straight up. With all the "weird" things that happen there at times, NEVER have I had goosebumps or arm hair stand up like that again.

Another time of mention is when Wendy and I were exploring the "old foundation" off the path to the left as you enter in Fall of 2013.

We got a bit separated as we do sometimes when walking and exploring taking everything in. Never out of voice range,  Wendy very excitedly called my name out. When I met up with her it took her a moment to get her full speaking composure for she expected me to be right by her. She then told me that  about 20 feet or so in front of her  she had heard five or six  "pretty loud" footsteps quickly approaching her. She had thought it was me about to jump out from behind the trees  and scare her. Her scare was official when she realized I was about 50 feet to the left of her, no where near where the footsteps had come from .

She mentions it as  "one of only time the hair on her neck and arms stood up".

Has this happened to you before? 

Have you had that feeling of "being watched" while walking in or out on the path?

Do you have any personal experiences you would like to share on this page?

Please go to "Contact Us" page. 

We would appreciate hearing from you.  Many Thanks.







Above and Below: Two photos taken in the 1970's show how at one time vehicles were to be able to drive down the path and  within the cemetery.


PHOTOS COURTESY OF: 

ROBERT PATTERSON, Chicago IL

Thanks very much Robert !!!!

Mary Rick

Below:

Video shot by The Path to Bachelors Grove of a young frog hunter retrieving his arrow and crossing the quarry pond at Bachelors Grove.

               Al Capone, Mobsters & The Pond

​                                           ​ 
                                 When talking with visitors at the Grove Al Capone is the number one topic that we                                   are asked about. The rumors that he used the quarry pond at Bachelors Grove to dump victims’ bodies and firearms have spread rampantly over the years.  Ultimately they want to know how many bodies have been found in the pond. The tale has been handed down and retold over many years, but just how much of it is true and how much is speculation?

The area surrounding Bachelors Grove was a popular

gangster hangout during the prohibition era.  Stories

of Al Capone and his cronies having hideouts and safe

houses all over Illinois and Indiana are widely known.

Some of these are even factual places that were

discovered. It is also fact that a savage war over

bootleg liquor raged in Chicago and surrounding areas

during the prohibition era. Two Local News articles

found at Tinley Park Historical Society and dated

almost a year apart in 1927/1928 tell of three people

murdered that were directly tied to that ugly dispute.  

 All three bodies found were bullet riddled, two of

them found in ditches within miles of Bachelors Grove

cemetery and the quarry pond.

The article dated October 21, 1927 tells of a Chicago Heights woman shot 69 times when she opened the door of her home. 15 minutes later the body of a man was found in a ditch at 167th St and Central avenue, not far from Bachelors Grove.  He had been shot in the head nine times. Further investigation lead police to learn the two were involved in an extramarital affair and that the woman was an FBI informant. After becoming involved, the man confided in the woman that he managed several moonshine stills in the area. 



In August of 1928 a man was found in a ditch, this time at 179th and Central. The article states that the body was half concealed by brush broken in such a way as to indicate that it had been tossed from a moving vehicle. This was the customary way to end what was known as mob associated “last rides”. More than a dozen machine gun bullets peppered the victims head and shoulders. The body also had injures conducive to having been tortured. The police could not directly connect this murder with any mob ties but believed it to be involved in the area liquor wars. Could this possibly be how rumors of Al Capone and his men dumping bodies in the B.G. pond began?

Despite the above, to date no actual report of a bone or a body being recovered from within the quarry pond or the immediate area has ever surfaced.

The physical attributes of the pond itself has been a point of speculation for some time. Until a few years ago no one had ever taken actual measurements of the depth and it was believed to be very deep as rock quarries tend to be.

  In 2013 we were witness to a young frog hunter looking for retrieving his last lost arrow from the pond in 2013. (Video below) As he traversed back and forth across the pond the water level never rose above his chin. We now believe the pond to be approximately 6 feet at its deepest, although not every square foot has been physically confirmed.  Surely the years of sediment has changed the depth of the pond, making it much shallower than it was 90 years ago during Capone’s reign. Still, one has to wonder how much it has changed as it is said that at one point the pond almost completely dried up. Having been so shallow and not very big around, it makes one wonder whether they would have considered it to have been a good dumping spot for bodies. Even if weighted it wouldn’t take much for a body to surface or be found. 

The path that now leads to the cemetery was, in those days, a workable road and part of Midlothian Turnpike. One would have to have taken it to get to the location during the busy times of those days and nights.

Meaning one would have to traverse – carry a “body” the entire distance of the cemetery to the pond location, with the weight of a body, possibly weighted down, and tossed into the pond without much distance being made from shore. As previously mentioned by Clarence Fulton, the area back then was fairly popular and regularly visited by families and young adults that would picnic and swim in the pond.  News reports of Capone and gangland violence most always reported of shooting’s and public violence with shot up bodies left in the streets for their message to be heard and seen.

Photos taken in the mid 1970ss by Robert Patterson show a car parked in the cemetery. With all the years of erosion on the North side of the cemetery it is highly possible that one could have driven across the cemetery to what may have been a steep incline at the time to the edge of the pond before time washed it away. 
 
A partial bottle from the Cicero Bottling Company (pictured below) was found in the creek in 2012 after a heavy rain.  Al Capone is rumored to have had "interests" in the Company. Remnants of a hand gun (photos below) also found in the creek in 2013 gives weight to the unofficial reports of illegal firearms being found in the area. A gunsmith that examined the gun reported that it looks like a .32 caliber, a model that was very popular in the late '20s and early '30s as it was easy to conceal.

 Sessions we have been a party to in the cemetery  with specific questions pertaining to bodies in the pond  having been answered,  makes us give a bit more in depth thought to our opinion on bodies in the pond. On three separate occasions, with three different researchers using two devices (two times a psb-7 and once on an echovox , a live evp device) when asked how many bodies are in the pond, all three times the answer was the same, 12. A large group was witness to the reply during one of these sessions. 

With all of this being said, the news articles of “bootleg liquor” wars, stories being handed down over the years and  the research we have done,  we have seen how truth gets “twisted”. Taking all of this into consideration,  our opinion is that mobsters probably did frequent the immediate area of Bachelors Grove but highly doubt that bodies were dumped into the pond, just  for the simple fact that there has been no official news reports of bodies and or bones ever having been recovered from the pond or immediate vicinity. We have never even heard any personal accounts that would possibly point to any truth to this legend and the absolute truth will probably never be known.

 In 2014 we, (Karl and Wendy), measured out lots in Bachelors Grove Cemetery to try to determine which lot the "Madonna" stone sits on. The measurements, cross referenced with a plot grid in Brad Bettenhausens' 1995 edition of Where The Trails Cross, indicate that the stone sits on lot #73 which belongs to  William and Mary Rick .  

Married to William in 1895, 23 year old Mary died  in 1899 from  what her death certificate names as Septicemia (blood infection) , the cause was childbirth.



For a long time it was unknown to us what happened to the child. In Winter of 2018 after making a connection with a decendant of that child   we located records showing that he spent his life in Blue Island as well. Married and had children as well. It appears that the child left Williams household as a young man possibly due to the fact that William remarried in 1909  and in the 1910  census he is listed as living with his new wife in Bremen but no children are listed as being in the household. By then the child, a boy, was about 15. 

In the several lots surrounding Mary Rick's final resting place, there are six children under the age of five buried, four of which were infants. One of the infants is buried with her mother Hattie Strutzenburg Adams in the very southwest corner lot #82. Hattie Adams died of tuberculosis at the age of ** . She and her husband had five children, Three of which died in the 18 months before Hattie did.  Also in lot #82 is Hattie Julia Strutzenburg, whose relationship to the elder Hattie we have yet to make a connection. The infant was premature and only lived about 36 hours. This lot, only feet away from Mary Rick, holds much heartache and sadness as do many others in Bachelors Grove Cemetery.


Having died during or because of childbirth, did the tragedy of these events and of those buried around her move Mary to become a protector of the sad innocent souls  around her? Or are all of these women mentioned part of what has been seen in Bachelors Grove? There are 11 children under 10 buried in Bachelors Grove Cemetery, most with tragic stories and grief stricken parents left behind. Could the collective despair of the many women who lost their precious babies have created something that pulls them back to the cemetery?  The "madonna" has been said as being seen in different ways, with a baby, without a baby and seeming to be searching for something.  Could they all be different souls , some of those mentioned above, pulled to this place filled with  child loss?

Coming Next: The legend of The Black Dog seen at Bachelors Grove Cemetery

Daily Illinois State Journal  Springfield, IL

March 24, 1898


 While researching the Patrick family buried in lot #44 in Bachelors Grove, we came across this obituary (left) for Amelia Humphrey {Patrick}, wife of Senator John Humphrey of Orland Park, their first daughter Libby May, died in 1865 at 11 months old. She was buried in the Patrick lot in Bachelors Grove alongside Amelia's grandmother Ann and two of her {Amelia's} young siblings. Finding this article lead to digging a little further into Amelia’s life and that of her children. 
In the following years after Libby Mays death , John and Amelia would lose three more children, two more under a year old and another as a teen. Out of seven children only 3 survived. Amelia named two of her daughters after her young sisters Lillie and Clara, who died only months apart in 1862 at the ages of 2 and 6. They are buried in the Patrick family lot in Bachelors Grove. {Inscription on side of the Patrick stone}
Amelia, in her early adulthood, was surrounded by the death of young ones. The impact of losing two young sisters is evident in the renaming of her daughters after the lost loved ones. The loss of a child is one of life’s greatest tragedies to endure. In her lifetime Amelia survived the loss of 7 children close to her, the majority in the span of about 15 years. Did this grief weigh so heavily on Amelia that it affected her health and even followed her through to her next life? 
The obituary below describes Amelia as having suffered from rheumatism (disorder of the extremities or back, characterized by pain and stiffness) for several years. She had just returned from spending some time in Hot Springs, Arkansas. A small town nestled in the Ouachita Mountains and home of several natural hot springs that have been visited for their healing properties for hundreds of years. We are often told how stress negatively affects our well being, causing physical distress and illness eventually leading to a shorter lifespan. Amelia evidently suffered greatly in her last years, enough to travel almost 700 miles to seek some relief. While there, she caught a cold. Just a few weeks after her return she developed pneumonia and died from complications due to developing Pneumonia just a few short weeks later. Could her affliction have been the physical manifestation of her grief eventually leading to her own demise?
Popular theory names Amelia as possibly being the famous white lady or “Madonna” reportedly seen roaming Bachelors Grove Cemetery and caught on film in 1991 by the Ghost Research Society. After piecing Amelia’s story together a little further we believe this supports the theory. Not only is her first born buried in Bachelors Grove, but two beloved young sisters. In her lifetime she buried four of her children and did not live long enough to see much of the lives of those who survived. What better candidate than a woman so affected by the loss of children that the desire to protect the young would hold her, in some form, here in this world even though she has passed to another?

Bachelors Grove

bachelors grove

bachelors grove    bachelors grove  

bachelors grove    bachelors grove   bachelors grove    bachelors grove   bachelors grove  bachelors grove   bachelors grove  bachelors grove   bachelors grove    bachelors grove    bachelors grove 

Courtesy BILL S.

DisapearingCars

​​​​​The "Madonna" of Bachelors Grove

The "Madonna" is probably the most well known story associated with 

Bachelors Grove. It is also the most speculated and highly discussed

topic regarding the Grove,  that can run on for hours leaving you  with

 more questions than you began with. There are many different aspects

to this legend that has led to the question ...who is the Madonna of

Bachelors Grove?? The description of the figure varies.   In 1979 a research group captured  on film what appeared to be  a hooded figure holding a baby in its arm during a visit to the grove. Other accounts describe a woman in a long white dress wandering the through the cemetery as though searching for something. Two local officers claimed to have seen misty figure of a woman carrying an infant  .

The ghostly figure is also known by many different names. This is probably due to the variation in the descriptions of each siting. "The Lady in White, White Lady,"Mrs. Rogers" and "The Madonna"  are the most common. The legend itself has become confusing as it is hard to distinguish whether or not these sightings are the same completely different. 


The Madonna reference became popular after 1991, when one of Dale Kaczmarek's Ghost Research Society group caught an image of a woman sitting on a quilted headstone  inside Bachelors Grove. The photograph has been examined many times by many different people and there has been nothing found that could debunk the photo as being anything but legitimate. This photo is one of the most well known "ghost" photos in the world. People travel far and wide to have their picture taken in  the madonna

pose on this now famous stone. 


Another popular theory tells of a mother buried next to her infant in the cemetery.  It is believed that

this version of the legend comes from a mixture of local lore and  incorrect burial 

information. Luella Fulton is buried in lot #15 beneath the large Fulton stone which stands beside the

infant daughter stone.  For many years it was rumored that the infant daughter referred to on 

the stone was the daughter of Luella Fulton and her husband Daniel Rogers as they were buried in the lot beside where the infant stone is located. This probably led to the lady apparition being referred to as Mrs. Rogers by some. 

 As more research on burial lots in the Grove became public it was noted that the child  whom the infant stone actually belonged to was that of Marcia May Fulton, daughter of Kathryn Vogt and Bert Fulton,

neither of whom are buried in Bachelors Grove.  


No matter what the official time, date and origin of her naming,

we can say this.

There definitely seems to be a "Madonna" of the Grove.

After visiting a location, reading more on the family background

history and after personally being involved with some in depth

'investigative research" with two prominent local Chicagoan's,  

most opinions involved say the "Madonna"  could possibly be 

Amelia Patrick Humphrey. 

Amelia was the first wife of Senator John Humphrey of Orland

Park, a  prominent politician from the mid 1800's up until his

Death in 1914. Their third child Libby May

tragically died at the young age of 11 months and 6 days. She was

buried in the Patrick family lot (#44) in Bachelors Grove. Libby May is the only Humphrey buried in Bachelors Grove, the rest of the Humphrey family is buried in Zion Lutheran Evangelical cemetery in Tinley Park.  Being a young couple and the Patrick family a wealthy one,  the child was buried in Bachelors Grove Patrick family plot. This was a common practice in those days as is clearly seen in Bachelors Grove  burial records. 


There are a few that would like to state Ameilia Patrick Humphrey as being the madonna  as "fact".