Date of Occurrence: 1970'S
Experience Submitted by: Judith McElroy
My friend that took me the first time had something attach to her 8 yrs before she took me, during that 8 yrs she had one bad thing after another happen to her, i took a picture of her walking up to a headstone and this face was staring back at me. I cleansed her with sage and it left her, and her life improved greatly!
Above and right Photos used with express permission from the owner.
Date of Occurence: Fall of 1982
Experience submitted by: Randy
In fall of 1982, a group of friends and I drove into a fog near B.G. We were then blinded by a powerful light coming out of the fog. 20 minutes later, we drove out of the fog 200' down the road and each one of use could only recall the image of a foggy gas station sign. In the days, months and couple years following this incident, I experienced and was diagnosed with P.T.S.D. Decades later, I discovered that this experience mirrored that of many people who had been the victim of an alien abduction.
Date of Occurrence: October 2005
Experience submitted by: Len Novak
My name is Len Novak, I am the director of The Illinois Ghost Society. We are located in Chicago Ridge, IL. In October of 2005, my best friend and two others were members of Palos Hills Emergency Management and we had finished an event at 10:00 pm. I had never been to Bachelor Grove before so, the four of us decided to go. We had been in the cemetery for about half hour and we started to leave, and we were headed out on the trail about 10:45. We were half way on the path and could see the street lights from the Midlothian turnpike and anyone walking toward us. When we got to the half way point there was a woman and child standing in front of us. They looked odd as they were dressed out of style, but we thought they had been at a party since, it was close to Halloween. The lady asked how far the cemetery was, she wanted to show her daughter the graves. Thinking this was strange that a mother would bring her child of about 6 or 7 to a forest preserve so late at night. We told her it was a short way down the path. The strange part was the child didn't seem shy or afraid but just stood there staring forward. The lady thanked us and headed down the path. It was just a second when we looked back and they were nowhere to be seen. We looked at each other and started on our way, then realized that as we walked we could hear the leaves crunch, but as the lady and child approached and passed us we could hear no leaves crunching. That incident is what caused my best friend and I to start The Illinois Ghost Society. We have been to the Grove many times since.
Click on the link right and scroll down
to see more photos in this series that
Mary took the same day
I visited batchelor grove a few years back with my now ex husband we had a video camera and a tripod and my Ipod that we recorded with it was just him and I we set up the video camera fully charged in the center of the cemetery and began to walk and look around while I recorded with my iPod when we got home we put the SD card in the computer you could hear a heart beat in the video and the camera only lasted 15 to 20 min before it died . I felt as if someone was following me as I maneuverd through the cemetery. Just thought I would share my story it feels like a sad place to me with how disrespectful people have been to a place of peace.
THE PATH TO BACHELORS GROVE
Once we got home extremely bad luck happened,car accident, car battery died, a local friend died.
Alright so bad luck here we go... it all started right after when I got home.
I cut myself with a knife. pretty badly, a deep enough cut to nonstop bleed. I've never done this ever, I carry a pocket knife with me all the time and never once has this happened.
Next, my friends and I are headed out to dinner, 2/3 of us from the cemetery are in the car.We pull out and a car hits us. first time ANY of us been in a car accident. so we pull into a local parking lot, let the cops come write the report blah blah.We get ready to leave right... try to turn the car on, ......battery is dead and the car won't start. ridiculous. meanwhile Jacob has had a migraine this entire time from Friday to Saturday and completely could barely speak because of the pain.
Also, two things happened when we were there.We were walking towards the tree, and a LARGE rustle happened, not like wind rustle or anything ,like a loud shake. No animals in the entire cemetery and no nothing when we looked upwards into the tree.
We also brought a toy and left it on Infant Daughter, we did a lap around the cemetery, nobody went in or out. We watched the front, we go back to the toy...it was turned around.
No wind that day nothing.
No people came in nothing.
crazy stuff!!
Date of Occurrence: 1960's
Experience Submitted by: Bob Busch
I've felt pressure on my shoulders as if someone is pushing me down. When we were walking back towards Rubio Woods my friend and I walked through a warm spot. Not cold but warm. It was 50 degrees out but for a moment it felt like a hot summer breeze. It only lasted for a few seconds. Then back to a cool breeze.
Date of Occurrence: 1990's
Experience Submitted by: Steve Deangeles
Date of Occurrence: May 2012
Experience Submitted by: Mary Melchiori
ABOVE: ORIGINAL
RIGHT: ZOOM
Date of Occurrence: 2006
Experience Submitted by: Mike Hurtuk
Date of Occurrence: March 2017
Their first visit.
Experience Submitted by:
Nick O. , Jacob S, & Christian B.
I visited the Grove on a Chicago Ghost tour with Richard Crowe. It was December in 74, I believe.
The Grove was in bad shape. Toppled stones and open empty graves. I fell into one maybe three feet deep!
It was late in the day so dusky and gloomy. We were all feeling nervous
I don't remember any stories that Mr Crowe may have told.
My brother told me he had been to the Grove on a summer day. He said he went out to go fishing and that an old man gave him permission as he was the caretaker. He mentioned an old house on the right side of the path but couldn't find it was he was leaving.
I do remember from my first visit that is very over run and I seem to remember more trees. The road was very dark and only two lanes on the Turnpike.
I have no pictures from that first trip. Wish I did.
I have been back more recently on two occasions with dogs. My dog stood close to me, looking back to the entrance. He usually likes to explore but he wasn't leaving me. I didn't notice anything on the pictures I took.
After that visit I returned with a friend and her dog. He was very alert and seemed to be watching something. He jumped up on for friend as if to block her! I have pictures but again didn't see anything unusual.
One thing that was strange was that the next time I tried to use my camera the battery was completely drained even though it had been charged almost fully at the Grove. The camera had been turned off and battery was dead. I have never had that happen before! Have a great evening.
Date of Occurence: 1970's
Experience submitted by: Carolyn Fabrie
4 people were in a car - we drove in to see the lights. We watched for about 1/2 [hour] and one member of the group wanted to leave. We tried to start the car and nothing. The guys pushed the car outside the gates and it started first time. We felt that what ever was in the woods wanted us to stay.
Date of Occurrence: October 2012
Experience Submitted by: Jocelyn Domres
1
Date of Occurrence: June 19, 2012
Experience submitted by: Katina Hess
I heard children playing in the woods. The sounds came from the area right across from the gate to the graveyard. I looked into the woods, naturally, because the sound was very clear. I kind of tried to see if i could see a house thru the woods or maybe there was a residential area beyond the trees and the voices were carrying from there. I didn't see any, and later discovered that there weren't any houses in that area. I could be wrong. but I feel that it was possibly paranormal.
It was a spring night in the early 1960’s when my brother two other boys and I went to visit the old cemetery. We were all students at Carl Sandburg High School. I didn’t know anything about the cemetery but my brother said it was haunted. We were able to drive along that little road almost to the cemetery itself when a man stepped into the road and asked us what we were doing .My brother was driving and he told the man we heard the place was haunted. He told us he haunted the cemetery and told us to get out. I guess we looked seedy, or didn’t move fast enough because he showed us the pistol he had sticking out of his belt. Exit four scared kids never to return.
We are looking for YOUR personal experience's from Bachelors Grove to share here on our website.
Has something happened to you during a visit to Bachelors Grove, something life changing ?
Did you feel something out of the ordinary? Did see something strange with your own eyes?
Did you have a heavy chest or trouble breathing when in a certain area of the cemetery or surrounding woods?
Overwhelming sadness?
After your first visit were your thoughts filled with Bachelors Grove, were you wanting to go back, feel drawn back to this location?
Did you capture something of "interest" in a photo that you care to share?
Over the years there have been many personal stories told among friends. We have heard many from meeting people at the Grove.
Now we want to share and document your experiences.
Write down your story the way you want it told, as it happened.
Do attempt to include everything possible when telling us your "experience" from the Grove.
Include the day, month , year, when possible. The weather conditions if you recall (sunny - cloudy day,rain,cold-snow).
Try to include as many details as you can EX: Your age ( if you want) Were you alone,with friends? Did anyone else see, hear, feel, the same as you? Are you a "sensitive"?
Maybe you have a photo to include with your story. Something possibly of a "unknown " nature !!??
If you have a photo to submit we DO SUGGEST watermarking it or send it to us and we will do that for you.
Please include the FULL NAME you want used or if you choose we will not use your name at all and you can remain anonymous, this is entirely up to you!!
Get it all together and written down and send it to:
thepathtobachelorsgrove.com
or The Path to Bachelors Grove @Facebook
We are really looking forward to what you have to share!
THANK YOU!
The Path to Bachelors Grove
"I experienced a large, black almost transparent swarm move thru an area at the cemetery. Scared the daylight out of me!"
ATTENTION!
The following stories are the property of the authors and The Path to Bachelors Grove. They are not to be copied and or used without permission.
"I went there with a few friends on the 4th of July a few years ago and I just felt like we were being watched the entire time... not in a threatening way, but a cautious way. I started snapping pictures of areas I felt there may be a presence that was watching us. I didn't realize he was in that photo until a few hours later when I was reviewing my shots. I zoomed in and my jaw dropped, I couldn't believe the detail! He just looks like he's watching intently to make sure we wouldn't harm the graves. Very eerie place! "
Date of Occurrence: Experiences listed happened on Multiple visits between the 1980's and present date
Experience Submitted by: Michele
Date of Occurrence: July 4, 2014
Experience Submitted by: Emily Raggo
Submitted Personal Experiences
"I believe I brought home a hitch-hiker spirit....it was like a negative cloud over my family. We began to bickering all the time, light bulbs kept popping and burning out, even the dog was sensitive to it. We had the pastor come over and she cleansed and blessed our home-the negative issues stopped."
Date of Occurence: 2005
Experience submitted by: Becky Sierra
The first time I visited the Grove, we brought our young daughters (8 & 9) with us. Even though we did not experience anything while we were there, things started happening at home that night. We started hearing footsteps running down the hallway in the middle of the night, or seeing a shadow out of the corner of my eye thinking it’s my son (13 at the time) trying to jump out at us, only to find no one there. Things falling off a table in the living room and hearing giggling, like the girls are up late at night and then running back to their rooms when they would hear us coming….but everyone’s sound asleep. Or doorknobs being jiggled, like someone trying to open the door, and again, no one is there. Finally, we found out the reason for all of the activity. One night, I heard my daughter (the 8 year old) in her room talking. I opened the door and asked her what she was doing. I found her sitting on the floor with her dolls out, playing with “Sally”. My daughter was the only one who could hear and talk to her. We’re not quite sure of her story, but she did stay with us for a while.
Date of Occurrence: 2013
Experience Submitted by: Jaime Sawicki
Date of Occurrence: March 2009
Experience Submitted by: Debra Stachulak
During a visit, a couple of my friends had seen a strange old house in a clearing near the cemetery. On our way out, they suddenly started running back toward the road in fear and I followed. It wasn't until we got back to our car that they told me that the house they had initially seen was gone just a few minutes later.
Date of Occurence: 2013
Experience submitted by: Cindy Bonzani
I got really sick on one visit. I now enter and leave the same way. I went out towards the back of the grove and walked along near the creek. I started to feel very disoriented and warm. I removed my hoodie and indicated to my husband that I needed to leave NOW. By the time we made it back to the car at Rubio Woods, I felt like I was on fire and wanted to rip my shirt off. When we arrived home, I crawled out of the car and had the dry heaves. I felt sick for 1 hour and suddenly it was as if something/or someone that possessed my body left.
Date of Occurence: 2012
Experience by: Karl K
I have several pictures from BG that have your usual orbs
and strange shaped things. But way back when I first started
visiting, when walking behind the cemetery by the creek I found what
looked like part of an old leather boot. I still remember the square metal
grommets. Fearful of bringing anything home with me, I left it on the ground
where I found it. I was there that day with my teenage niece who had felt comfortable enough to wander off by herself. We were both outside the cemetery, south of the fence,
when I heard her call my name frantically. She had glanced up and saw a man in
a brown coat andhat. As soon as she called my name, he was gone. I've
been told should have kept that part of the shoe.
I remember a night when I was standing next to the largest headstone at the cemetery, the Fulton grave. I was facing the backside where the infant daughter is buried when I heard a couple girlfriends scream in fright. As I turned around I caught a glimpse of a glowing ball that they said was right behind me.
Date of Occurrence: October 20, 2015
Experience Submitted by: Amilya
Date of Occurrence: Spring 2013
Experience Submitted by: Bill Swinford
I decided to take my dog Bailey to Bachelors Grove one day, Like I always do, it's a good place to walk her, this was maybe 2 years ago, well anyways Bailey is a really good dog, I always take her off the leash there unless there is another dog because I don't know how well behaved the other dogs are. This one day we walked in I took her off the leash, we got a little more than halfway down the path, when I saw a black dog, Right away I put Bailey back on her leash, when we got to the cemetery there was a family there Mom, Dad 2 small kids, I looked around and asked them where is the dog? They responded what dog, I said the black dog that was sitting outside of the gate and walked into the cemetery, they gave me this puzzled look and said we have been here for 30 minutes or so and there is no dog here sir.
Date of Occurrence: 1980's
Experience Submitted by: Tim Chernak
This story happened around 10 years ago in 2006. I was 25 years old at the time, and my brother was 22 years old. I've been hiking the forest for some time with my brother, ever since we were young we would go to the cemetery and the forest. We were drawn by the stories as well as the history of the old settlement. We've seen the old foundations, wells, etc. I don't know what it is about me, some would say I'm sensitive to these places, and I kept going back until recently. Every time we visited, I would get this feeling of pressure on my chest and this overwhelming feeling of being unwelcome when I tour the cemetery. The only way I could explain this feeling is its as if being at a party that no one wants you at and getting stared down the entire time. Every time we visited, we would snap photos, and not one time were we there did we not catch at least an orb or a mist. As we got older and were able to analyze these photos more, we started capturing figures, even one with a girl peeking behind a tree, its almost like the spirits started to be more comfortable with us and showed themselves to us. The odd thing about visiting there is there are times where you don't hear a bird any near there, not even a squirrel scurrying up trees, its almost as if nature has avoided the area. In addition to all of the above, most recently, I've noticed strange things around my house after I visit to the point I'm convinced I've been followed. Things such as noises, foot steps, shadows, strange odors, feelings of being watched, have all happened in my home after recent visits, with me actually requiring my priest to bless my house, which stopped the majority of the activity. Since that time, I've gotten married, had children, and I've not gone there for fear that something may follow me and impact my family. The photos are on my old computer, and when I dig them up, I'll post in the next week or so. We never encountered an apparition until around 10 years ago.
At that time, my brother and I were in the cemetery, it just snowed the night before, and the cemetery and the woods were quiet and peaceful. We walked down the old Midlothian turn pike and entered the cemetery. We went early in the morning to avoid others so we can get crisp pictures. We were the first there and no other tracks, not even wild life was present on the turn pike. As we neared the cemetery, that feeling of pressure on my chest began just like it always has happened. We walked all around the cemetery snapping pictures. On the old turnpike near the entrance to the cemetery we saw a man in all black with a black hood walking a black dog. We didn't think of snapping a picture because we didn't want to look 'weird', after all we were there looking to capture a ghost on film, that's not weird at all. The man and the dog were silent, it was really odd, we thought it was the snow muffling the sounds, but not one sound. We shouted hi, how are you doing? The man and the dog ignored us and walked towards the current day turnpike. The man and the dog seemed to walk from the woods to the new turnpike. My brother and I thought, oh well, and continued to snap photos. When we got done and left, there was not one track on the old turn pike, not a dog, not a human, nothing.
I'm not sharing this experience to gain fame, or to be criticized. I've had many experiences there, and this place needs to be treated with respect. I always found it odd when teenagers would run through this place and do whatever. I'm a believer in this, and if you are not careful something may hitch a ride with you. My theory is that if you can sense them they can attach themselves to you.
The first thing that happened after i got home. I was in my living room by myself. my sister and her friend were in her room. Something didnt feel right. I felt like i was being watched from the kitchen area. I didnt see anyone. So i Continued doing whatever was I was doing on my phone. Then for some reason I looked up and I look towards the kitchen and I seen a I figure between 6' and 6'5". I was very scared. I called my sister but her friend came. I asked her to turn on the light she just stood in the hallway staring what I saw and ran away screaming. She was running towards my sisters room but there was someone in there too I guess I didn't see them I was still sitting in my chair. She ran into the bathroom with my sister. A lot of stuff happened after that for just a couple months
Date of Occurence: 2001
Experience submitted by: Mary Sutherland
I've had a few experiences myself. My brother and I were there in the early fall 2001. We both saw a woman standing by the far west side of the cemetery by the fence. She was wearing a white nightgown and long blonde hair. Then she was gone. Another, winter 2001. It was about midnight and I was driving east on the turnpike. As I passed the cemetery I looked in. There was a glowing orange ball. Ok, one more. Summer of 2002... it was around 3am and my husband and I were driving west on the turnpike. After we passed Central Ave we had to slam on the brakes because there were literally like 75 deer walking out of the forest. Strangest thing I've ever seen . We could only do about 15 mph to get through. As we passed the cemetery we looked in and there were glowing blue and orange balls. We went to Ridgeland did a u-turn to go back. The lights were gone and not a deer in sight.