Bachelor's Grove: Desecrated Cemetery's Haunts Are Alive And Well

MANHATTAN, IL — Bachelor's Grove Cemetery, at 5900 West Midlothian Turnpike in Midlothian, has been at the center of conversations of paranormal activity and haunts in Illinois. In fact, the cemetery's website states, "...the amount of information available on the subject of the paranormal as it relates to Bachelor's Grove cemetery would encompass a book." Now inactive, Bachelor's Grove Cemetery is one of the oldest in Cook County, but its history is still alive and well.

Brief history

According to a piece written by Brad L. Bettenhausen, president of the Tinley Park Historical Society, the Batchelder family — early settlers near this grove — was known to have been living in Rich Township by 1845, and it is very likely that this is how Bachelor's Grove got its name. However, according to the claims of Stephen H. Rexford, who settled there with three other men in 1833 or 1834, the settlement was named for the group of single men (bachelors).

Related: Bachelors Grove Cemetery, Setting the Record Straight

According to the cemetery's website, stories centered on paranormal activity there and nearby began circulating since as far back as the 1950s. It became a "favorite hangout" for local youth, and once the Midlothian Turnpike closed, vandalism increased, peaking in the 1970s, in addition to evidence of grave openings, robberies and satanic rituals, the cemetery added.

Families would even relocate their ancestors buried at Bachelors Grove to other, more "prestigious" cemeteries.

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Madonna of Bachelors Grove

Bachelors Grove is also famous for being the rumored site of the "White Lady" or "Madonna of Bachelor's Grove," who, according to legend, was buried next to her child and whose apparition can sometimes be seen holding a baby in her arms. While it's OK to visit the cemetery during the day, police are always on the lookout for nighttime trespassers unless you're part of an authorized ghost tour.

Also known as Mrs. Rogers and Woman In White, a piece written by Pete Crapia (last updated on Oct. 2, 2011) founder of the Bachelor's Grove Cemetery & Settlement Research Center, reports the legendary story dates back to 1982.

"Within the 2000 book Beyond The Grave, on page 224 it states, 'photos taken by the group in 1979 show a monk-like figure standing near the cemetery fence. The figure appeared to be wearing a hooded robe and holding a baby in its arms' It then goes on to mention, 'Oddly, this was three years before the Ghost Research Society collected any accounts of the White Lady!'"

>> Read entire piece here

Phantom Dog

Another legend among the paranormal phenomena reported at or near the cemetery is the that of the Phantom Dog. Last updated in October 2011, a piece written by Crapia describes the legend of the Phantom Dog:

"The legend of the Phantom Dog can be traced as far back as the late 1980s. The first sighting is said to have occurred while two young men were visiting the cemetery. As one of them was walking around inside he witnessed strange flickering lights within the flora. According to the witness, he could not find an explanation for the lights and that there was no object in the area that could have caused a reflection of some sort. Upon turning around, he then witnessed the backside of a black dog and it faded away into what is being described as 'nothingness.'"

>> Read entire piece here

More: Bachelor Grove list of paranormal phenomena, reports

The cemetery's website also provides a compiled Google Map of reported paranormal locations, and said for more information, "please visit the main YouTube Channel or browse through a specific YouTube Playlist that is still being compiled with material."

>> Documentaries about the cemetery

View the haunted locations map (last updated in 2018) here:

Related:

• Bachelors Grove Cemetery, Setting the Record Straight
• Oct. 29 virtual event hosted by Chicago Hauntings founder Ursula Bielski: History & Burials at Bachelor's Grove & Chicago Graveyards

From historic ghosts to unexplained phenomena, here are some scary and spooky tales to get you through Halloween: Illinois Halloween 2020: Urban Legends

Tell us: Share your favorite Urban Legends near you or a spooky experience they have had in Illinois in the comment section, or email rebecca.bream@patch.com.