Carmel High School - Crossroads
October 31, 2000
by Chuck Ciba

Haunted Burial Grounds Chill Illinois

Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery near Midlothian is well known for its haunted past. With over 100 reported paranormal experiences, the old cemetery has many ghost related tales. People have reported apparitions, unexplained sights and sounds, and countless strange photographs.

According to local ghost aficionados Troy Taylor and Dale Kaczmarek, in 1844 the grounds were set aside as a burial ground to be named, Everdons. The cemetery would be in use all the way until 1965.

The last actual burial was in 1989 when ashes of a local resident were spread around the grounds. In the mid 1800’s the cemetery received its name Bachelors Grove. There are two different accounts on how the cemetery received its name.

The first account was that German immigrants lived near the cemetery in the woods. Most of these men were single; hence the name, Bachelors Grove. The second account is that the name came from a family who lived in the area called Batchelder. As of yet, there is no documentation on how the name was derived.

Taylor and Kaczmarek state that problems began in the 1960’s when vandals discovered the cemetery. The vandals often destroyed and disturbed the cemetery which led to its closing in 1965.

It is believed that satanic groups often perform their ceremonies on the grounds leaving their remains behind.

One of the most popular stories is that of a phantom house.

The phantom farmhouse appears and disappears at random. The house is always described in the same way: a white house, porch pillars, a swing, and finally a soft light in the window.

As soon as somebody gets near the house, it quickly vanishes. Matt Huckle and Dale Kaczmarek from the Ghost Research Society state a legend claiming that if one enters the house, that person may never return. There are no records of a house of this description ever on the property.

It was said once that if a person were to stop at the entrance to the cemetery and wait in silence, he could actually hear profanities being whispered.

Directions from the Ghosts of the Prairie Home page to the cemetery are as follows: the cemetery is located west of Midlothian. Take Cicero Avenue to the Midlothian Turnpike and travel west toward the Rubio Woods.