Morbid - Episode 607: Creepy Cemeteries: Volume 1

Episode Date: October 7, 2024

We continue to celebrate Spooky Season by touching on a few cemeteries that will make your spine tingle! Alaina tells us about the Westminster Hall and Burying Ground and its connection to a ...gothic icon. Ash dives into the stories about the Bachelor's Grove Cemetery and reads a first hand haunting account from a fellow weirdo!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Starting point is 00:01:09 and ad-free right now by joining Wondry+. Hey, weirdos. I'm Elena. And I'm Ash. And this is Morbid. Hey, it's spooky season. We are in it. What is it like when you listen to this October something? Yeah, it's not that right now, but it's that right now.
Starting point is 00:01:42 Whoa, that was super deep, Alina. That was deep. Right now, it's like sometime in September, and that's still spooky season. It's pre-October. It's pre-October. But now it's October, if you're listening. It's Halloween Eve. Halloween.
Starting point is 00:02:00 Halloween. And we, you know what? It feels a little like Christmas because we got some delightful gifts from, we went to our PO box. The PO box. The PO box. And we got, you guys always send the coolest shit. We really do.
Starting point is 00:02:17 We have it decorating our pod lab all the time because you're awesome and you're so fucking talented that it makes me sick. And it's so nice of you. You make me sick. You make me sick. And it's so nice of you. You make me sick. You make me sick. And it's so nice of you just to like send us cool trinkets that you make. And to like use your skills to give us a gift. That's the thing. Cause like, you talk about the first thing we received because I think it's one of the
Starting point is 00:02:38 coolest gifts I've ever gotten in my life. I'm just like in awe of this. So it's from there. It's from, I want you to listen to this. So you can go look it up on Etsy because let's blow her shit up. It's gingerspapery. And it's, let's see, gingerspapery.etsy.com.
Starting point is 00:02:58 And it's papery, P-A-P-E-R-I-E, gingers before that. So this lovely, lovely lady, I don't know if she wants us to say her actual name. Let's not say her actual name just in case. So I'm not going to just in case you don't want me to. But she made us the most beautiful customized journals, like scrapbooky kind of journals that are so pretty, very specific to us. Yes. We sat there this morning and went through every fucking page, every little piece of paper,
Starting point is 00:03:33 every detail. They are the most beautiful things I have ever seen. She's so talented. And every like couple pages, there would be like an insert where you would like pull out even more paper. Yeah, like a little pocket. Little, yeah, and there was just cool little articles, cool poems, cool old ads from vintage ads. Yes, like Ash got a bunch of vintage hairstyling ads. And I got a bunch of old pharmacy ads
Starting point is 00:04:03 and apothecary stuff and like, there was like a old, like this ancient looking to like science textbook page that was in there. It was so cool. She put a zodiac wheel in mine. She included stickers in the back. Honestly, just the coolest, most thoughtful gift. It was really sweet.
Starting point is 00:04:21 It really made our day. And you can order off of her Etsy shop and like customize your journal with her. Like we had our initials on the front. Yeah, it's amazing. I love it so much. So thank you so much. Yeah, you're amazing. That was just so fucking cool.
Starting point is 00:04:36 It really was. Yeah. And then we got this really cool piece of artwork and I don't think it came with a card or like the card got lost somehow, but it's this framed piece. And it's a... It's like a... A cross stitch? No, it's not.
Starting point is 00:04:49 I don't think it is a cross stitch. It's like beads. Oh, it is. They're almost... They almost look like little rhinestones. Oh, shit. And it's a drawing of me and Elena standing back to back. Elena's got black on and I have white and a black skirt.
Starting point is 00:05:01 And we're standing in front of this circle and it says, keep it weird morbid. And it's so cool. And if you sent it to us, you're the fucking tits. Yeah, it was really cool. Name yourself, name yourself, show yourself. Because this is cool. It's going up on my side of the wall. And I'm really excited. There's a literal perfect spot for it. That's the thing. I happen to have the perfect spot. So I said, can it go in my side of the wall? Oh, it is. It's like diamondy. Yeah. Because it just like, it's like glittered when you put it down. Sorry, all my papers are going to go wrong. That's really fucking cool. Yeah. It's really pretty. And I, I'll I, hello? I'm so tired. I'm sorry. This is Wendy's. I don't even know what I was going to say. Yeah. Yeah, you just lie speechless. Oh, I, oh, I was going to say I want to know. I don't even know what I was going to say. Yeah. I just love it. Yeah, you just love it.
Starting point is 00:05:45 Speechless. Oh, I was going to say I want to know, I don't know if this person who made it, if this is like their original drawing, because I've seen a sticker with that too. Yeah. Which is such a cool one. Yeah, it's cool. So if you drew it, I love you. We'll post a picture of it.
Starting point is 00:06:01 I don't know. You guys like just rule a little bit. You're just awesome. And so many people sent us cool books to read. And sometimes people send books for the kids, which is really sweet. Yeah, we appreciate all of it. We just appreciate you so much.
Starting point is 00:06:13 You don't have to send us anything. Oh, that's another one before we get into it. I promise we're gonna get into it, but. Do you have the- I would like to shower you with love. I do. Okay, good. Hold on. So I got a really cool one from, let me see,
Starting point is 00:06:30 the store, her like little place is Bricks by Penelope. Bricks by Penelope. And she takes bricks and she paints them to look like books and shit. And she got me a brick and painted it to look like the butcher in the Wren. I'm going to take a picture of it because it's so fucking cool. It's so cool. It went right in the bookshelf, like right there, right next to me. You would never even know that it's a brick because
Starting point is 00:06:54 it's so smooth and beautiful and just like the details. Because obviously the butcher in the Wren cover has like the eyeball and then there's something in the eyeball. It's so, so impressive. It is so fucking cool. I just, what a banner day. And we needed it this morning because both of us got our flu shots. And I think we were just exhausted. Like, you know, you're fine after a flu shot, but like sometimes your immune system immunes, you know, which is good.
Starting point is 00:07:24 My immune system immune so hard that I want to find it. I just didn't sleep well last night because I was just like uncomfortable. I just didn't feel great. And your arm gets sore. So we were just a little tired this morning and just not ourselves. I thought I was going to yak. Yeah. So it was a nice little like, it was a nice thing because Mikey came in like fucking old
Starting point is 00:07:44 St. Nick with a big sack full of PO Box stuff and we said oh goodies. He's literally stroking his beard like Santa Claus would. Obsessed. So you guys really killed it and we appreciate you and we're gonna post some of it because it's just really cool. You guys are so cute and sweet and kind. You're lovely. You're demure. You're very mindful. Cute to cutesy. I wonder if by the time this comes out, people will be like, what is that? The trend is over.
Starting point is 00:08:12 People are done with that, but I'll never be done with that. Personally. Speaking of very cutesy, cutesy, very demure, very mindful. I think by the time you hear this, it's going to be like what October 7th you said, Mikey? October 7th. And that means guys that our collection, our morbid collection with Spencer's will be launching. Spencer's, remember? Do you guys remember the fucking like, remember you would go to the mall with your friends
Starting point is 00:08:40 and you'd be like, Oh my God, do you guys want to go in the back of Spencer's? And giggle a little bit. We can laugh. We can laugh back there. We have a collection now with them. We do. We have sweatshirts. I'm literally wearing one right now. She actually is. These sweatshirts are really fun. I love them. So comfortable too. So comfy. I recommend sizing up as much as you can because then you'll just be like wearing a blanket essentially. Yeah. And we have a blanket. There's a blanket. There is a blanket, there's earrings.
Starting point is 00:09:07 There's press on nails. There's press on nails. There's, I think, like makeup brushes. There's a palette even, a makeup palette, like an eyeshadow palette. There's cups, mugs. We got cups. We got cups, we're drinking out of cups, being a bitch.
Starting point is 00:09:24 It's great. It's our chair and it's cups, being a bitch. It's great. It's our chair and it's our problem and it's a happy, it's not even a problem. It's a great thing to have. So it's really fun and go check it out. It's in stores. Yes, we're going to go, we're going to be doing a little visit to the Spencer stores. Yeah. And I can't wait.
Starting point is 00:09:40 Yeah, it's going to be exciting. Yay. Pop off by it. So hold on. I just have to, I need you to, I'm going off on a spiel here. Yeah, it's gonna be exciting. Yay! Pop off by it. Oh, hold on. I just have to, I need you to, I'm going off on a spiel here, okay? Here we go.
Starting point is 00:09:50 I need you to watch Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on Hulu. But you told me I might not be able to. No, I think it'll be fine, I decided. Because I was thinking, so I watched it in two days. I started it on Saturday morning and just watched it while I decorated for Halloween. Love that. Watched it the next day.
Starting point is 00:10:09 Drew even got into it. Damn. And I was thinking about some of the other things that happened and I don't wanna like spoil it for you but you just, you have to watch it. It's so good. I'm interested. I keep just saying like, what's gonna happen to MomTalk?
Starting point is 00:10:23 Is this gonna destroy destroy mom talk? And I've seen so many people, like so many of our listeners, like I've posted stuff on Insta and they've been responding to it. And I just wanted to say I'm having the best time. I love that. Just talking about mom talk and Mormon wives. It's so good. Oh, I love.
Starting point is 00:10:38 One of my favorite things is when our listeners are all, like we're all enjoying the same thing. Yes. And then like we're all enjoying the same thing. Yes. And then like we'll post about it and I get a bunch of messages that are just like vibing with it and I'm like, I love this. It's so fun. Because it feels like hanging out with a bunch of people that are really cool. I was just going to say, it's like a big hang sesh.
Starting point is 00:10:55 It's true. I love that. All right. I'll let you get to everything now. All right. Before I begin, John and I are watching Only Murders in the Building and it's really good. So for the last couple of seasons. I was going to say, how many seasons is that at now?
Starting point is 00:11:07 Four, I think. But it's really good. I watched a little bit of season one. Martin Short, Steve Martin, A+, Selena Gomez, so fucking good. So good. Yeah, I watched a little bit of season one, and then I, for no reason, I just fell off of it. I want to get back into it. It's a cozy show.
Starting point is 00:11:22 It is a cozy show. But you know what? I'm going to talk to you about some cemeteries. Cozy. Cozy, I suppose. I think they are. So I have a wild cemetery. Do you? Wild.
Starting point is 00:11:36 It is the Westminster Burying Grounds in Maryland. It is a cemetery that's at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, which is now not the church anymore. It's called Westminster Hall. Okay. And they, it was created in 1786, the burial ground. Damn, that is going back quite a ways. It's old.
Starting point is 00:11:57 It was actually made before the church was even erected and the church was erected over it, which made some catacombs happen. What? Yeah. So, so there's catacombs happen. What? Yeah. Hello. So there's that. That's terrifying. And this happens to have a very famous resident.
Starting point is 00:12:13 Does it? Mr. Edgar Allan Poe himself. I know him. Is in this cemetery, you know him. I've heard of his work, I love your work. And yeah, I love your work. He was actually initially buried in an unmarked grave because of his strange end of his life.
Starting point is 00:12:27 But, you know, we'll talk about that, don't worry. But later, according to morbidlybeautiful.com, which is a very interesting website, a bunch of children from a local school raised money to get him a marker at the entrance of the cemetery. They called the fundraiser pennies for Poe. That's hilarious and adorable. I remember learning about that. Did you really? Yeah. When we talked about Edgar Allen Poe in school. That's so funny. Yeah. Yeah. He was buried
Starting point is 00:12:53 actually three different times in that cemetery. That's crazy. I feel like you probably shouldn't disturb anybody's body that much. Yeah. I mean, he's so wily. Like he was wily in life. He was wily in death. He still is. is. The marker that was made at the entrance of the cemetery was made with some of the raised funds. And it had this little like medallion thing on it with his image on it, and it's been stolen. And it was stolen and ended up being found in a flea market in Charleston, West Virginia.
Starting point is 00:13:21 What the fuck? Yeah, because I guess it was one of them was like bronze or something, or copper, one of those. And then the newer one was marble. Oh, wow. And they stole the marble one. Because that's expensive. But then it showed up in a flea market in West Virginia.
Starting point is 00:13:34 Don't steal things. Don't steal things from graveyards. That's for fucking sure. Don't steal things from anywhere, but specifically not from graveyards. But like definitely don't steal from graveyards. That's bold and brazen. Yeah. from graveyards. But like definitely don't steal from graveyards. That's bold and brazen. Yeah, so he's, people that are also buried in that cemetery a lot, like near Agri-Lem-Po
Starting point is 00:13:50 are his wife, Virginia Clem-Po, and his mother-in-law, Maria Poe Clem. Well, you may be like weird that they have the same last names, but reversed, and you would be correct, but that's because his wife was his cousin. I always forget that. Troubled man.
Starting point is 00:14:05 And then someone tells me that and I say, Oh, okay. First cousin. Yeah. I'm pretty sure. Okay. I think she was also young. I remember that part. He was like 26 or something. She was like 13 or 14. Yeah. He was a, he was a situation. We're going to a restaurant where he drank in the cellars. He drank a lot. So there's definitely that. Let's go drink in the cellars that I'd grow. Drink in the cellars with me where I'd grow and Po drank so I know it's real. Well people will see Po hanging out in this place.
Starting point is 00:14:39 The cemetery? Yeah, the cemetery. Often just standing over his own grave. He would. He really would. And he's always seen like wearing a long black coat. He's wearing a black fedora, like a big one. And he's always got a scarf covering part of his face, almost like he's trying to hide.
Starting point is 00:14:56 That's spooky. Which is really creepy. People believe he may be feeling some regret for how his life panned out because like, sure, he's pretty famous now, but like at what cost. And he really wasn't when he was alive. He wasn't as much. Yeah. So his death was gnarly and I'm sure he is even puzzled by it still.
Starting point is 00:15:14 So let's go on a little side tangent here and let's talk about post mysterious death really quick. Let's… Here's a new escape from a hectic October. Get transported to the tropics with Liquid IV's new hydration multiplier plus immune support mango passion fruit. It is so delicious. With 5 times the daily value of vitamin C and three times the electrolytes of the leading sports drink,
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Starting point is 00:16:38 list of moderately irrational fears that I bring to therapy all the time, because therapy is a great tool for facing your fears and finding ways to overcome them. Sometimes the scariest thing is not facing our fears in the first place and holding ourselves back. I know that sometimes my fear of socialization, my social anxiety, could get in the way of things and then I would miss out on super fun events with my friends, so I bring that fear of social anxiety to therapy and I work it out with my therapist. If you're thinking of starting therapy,
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Starting point is 00:17:19 Visit betterhelp.com slash morbid today to get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp, H-E-L-P, dot com slash morbid today to get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp.com slash morbid. So I'm not going to, I'll go into like, I kind of generalized look at it because I really would like to go into this a little further later. Alina, I think you should do an episode on that. I feel like that'd be good. There's many theories about his death that I think would be very interesting to go into
Starting point is 00:17:46 because they range from like, you know, being beaten to death to carbon monoxide poisoning. So I feel like there would be like evidence of the beating versus if he died of carbon monoxide poisoning. I think you should do that for maybe like, maybe like Halloween. Ooh, there you go. That might be a fun one. Because it's pretty interesting. I think you should do that for maybe like Halloween. Ooh, there you go. That might be a fun one. Because it's very interesting. I don't know if an episode comes out on Halloween. But I'll give you a little generalized look at it.
Starting point is 00:18:13 So September 27th, 1849, 40 year old Poe left for Philadelphia on business. He was set to help edit a collection of poems. It was gonna be kind of a big deal. It was for a well-known poet at the time. So this was like a big deal that he was going to edit them, but he never arrived. And he never showed up and no one heard a damn word from him. He was supposed to be going back to Richmond actually during that week for his own fucking
Starting point is 00:18:38 wedding, because he was engaged at the time to Sarah Elmira Royster Shelton because his other wife had passed away from consumption. Oh, fun. And it's like he vanished for a full week, just vanished. No one knew where he was, didn't contact anyone. And then he was found on October 3rd, a week later, 1849 on election day. And he was found, a man named Joseph W. Walker was on his way to Gunners Hall, which was
Starting point is 00:19:04 a polling station and like a local public house. And outside in the alley, he came across a man dressed like shit, smelling like shit, looking like shit and lying on the ground basically falling in and out of consciousness and unable to move. So he was like, wow, that's crazy. And then he looked at him and he was like, that's Edgar Allan Poe. So he was like, can I call someone for you, sir? Like, you okay?
Starting point is 00:19:28 You good? And by call, I mean, write a letter because it's 1849. And Poe was like, yeah, you can write a guy named Joseph Snodgrass. Snodgrass. Who was apparently a friend, an editor in possession of a really cool name. And also, he side hustled as kind of like a doctor-ish medical person. Side hustled as a doctor-ish medical kind of person. Imagine bringing your new mans around your family and they're like, oh, what are you doing? He's like, I'm a doctor-ish
Starting point is 00:19:59 medical kind of person. I side hustle as that. For my side hustle. Yeah, you know, it was the 1800s. So that was pretty normal. It's giving Dr. Death. So he did, he wrote him according to the smithsonian.com. He wrote it on October 3rd, 1849. Dear sir, there is a gentleman rather the worst for wear at Ryan's fourth ward polls who goes under the cognomen of Edgar A. Poe and who appears in great distress. And he says he is acquainted with you. He is in need of immediate assistance. Yours in haste, Joseph W. Walker.
Starting point is 00:20:28 He is in need of immediate assistance. So let me post mark this, send it to you. Hope it gets to you soon enough. But he did write yours in haste, post haste. I'm Russian. He was brought, he eventually, he showed up and he was brought to get some medical attention and he spent four days in and out of, you know, basically in and out of dying essentially. He was in and out of consciousness and he died on October 7th. During that time he was hallucinating, he was going into fits. Bitch.
Starting point is 00:20:59 What? This episode comes out on October 7th. Whoa. It happens again. It happens again. I didn't even... Wow. That's weird. Because Mikey literally just told us that.
Starting point is 00:21:08 Yeah, we wouldn't have known that. What the fuck? Damn. Why does that always happen? That's so weird. Damn. I meant for that to happen. Totally.
Starting point is 00:21:17 I got full chills about that. Well, during this whole time, he was hallucinating. He was going into fits and he was screaming the name Reynolds over and over. To this day, no one's been able to determine who the fuck Reynolds is. And it's also documented that he was discovered in dirty old clothing that wasn't his. They were not his clothes. No one knows who these clothes belong to, why he looked like such shit, why he was hallucinating, and why he was screaming the name Reynolds,
Starting point is 00:21:46 and then he just died. That's weird. I mean, sometimes when you're, like, about to die, you hallucinate and talk to people that aren't there. But he was, like, really going through it. I mean, he... And he was so bad that he couldn't recollect what had happened to him. Yeah, that's strange.
Starting point is 00:22:01 So, do you think there's, like, a possibility that he just, like, went on a bender? Well, that's the thing. So, he was also supposed to be in Yeah, that's strange. So do you think there's like a possibility that he just like went on a bender? Well, that's the thing. So he was also supposed to be in a sober era. Yes. So this is doubly, you know, he was trying. And you know, again, there's so many theories that go into this.
Starting point is 00:22:18 Like, there's something called cooping back then where these people on election day would like kidnap someone, like beat them and kidnap them and dress them in disguise and make them go vote for who they wanted them to. Yeah. And then release them again. And sometimes they would like keep them in a room and like ply them with alcohol and shit and like make them do it. Oh, that'd be really sad if that happened.
Starting point is 00:22:41 So there is a theory that like couping was responsible for this. And that may be like, that's what it was, which'd be really sad if that happened. There is a theory that like, couping was responsible for this. And that may be like, that's what it was, which would be wild. And just really fucking sad. Yeah, it's like, it's fascinating and really tragic and sad. But like, we'll go into it at a later date, I think, for sure. But just know the man had a strange, troubled, you know, weird death, troubled life. So seeing him contemplating his choices over his own grave after he's died seems pretty fucking Poey to me.
Starting point is 00:23:12 I feel like that would make for the beginning of an awesome movie. Right, just Poe standing over his own grave. And then you just delve into his life and choices. That'd be sick. Somebody made that yet? Well, and he also shows up at the altar inside of like, what was the church? Westminster Hall now a lot, like he'll just be walking around in there.
Starting point is 00:23:30 That's cool. And every year since then, this is just interesting to me, every year since the 1940s, a mysterious figure visits Poe's grave on his birthday. Oh, I knew this. Which I think is January 19th, I'm pretty sure. I'm looking it up really quick. And he leaves three red roses and a half empty bottle of cognac, which is supposed to be Poe's favorite poison of choice.
Starting point is 00:23:52 And then he toasts to him and then just leaves every year. And apparently one year, and he leaves, these people leave notes sometimes. One year there was a note that said, Edgar, I haven't forgotten you. And according to America's Haunted Road Trips, the original person who did this, like started this whole thing, died in 1998. There's proof of that. But they haven't revealed who it is. It's never been revealed. And then someone else took it up after them. After that person
Starting point is 00:24:20 died, someone else has taken it upon themselves to do that. That's the kind of lore that I want going on in my gravesite. Right? Like, be nice at my gravesite. Yeah. And just be dark and leave me weird poison and roses. One thing I would think he'd be pretty psyched about is after he died, one, he became insanely famous.
Starting point is 00:24:38 Yeah. But two, all his shit is so synonymous with like gothic culture and like, you know, spooky ravens and shit like that. He's like the OG goth king. Yeah, it's true. Like he was fucked up, which I think kind of, yeah, like he was fucked up. But obviously his like works are so gothic and wild and like, you know. The deep, deep lore of Mr. Poe.
Starting point is 00:25:04 Deep, deep lore. But that's Edgar on Poe hanging around. That's fucking cool. There's also something that's called the Screaming Skull of Cambridge there. Tell me all about that. Which was what initially actually brought me to this cemetery. It would bring me to that cemetery. I said a screaming skull?
Starting point is 00:25:20 What? You said, hey, what's that about? And I was like, I bet it's not an actual screaming skull. No, it is. Fucking awesome. Yeah. Cause I was like, oh, you're going to tease me with this and then it's going to be something stupid.
Starting point is 00:25:31 Nope. Screaming skull. Apparently a minister, a local minister was murdered nearby. And after he was buried, his skull kept screaming relentlessly all hours of night. And people said the shrieking would drive people mad because it would not stop. So they dug him up. They get, and this is like in the 1800s, they dug him up, they gagged to the skull, encased it in concrete and then decapitated him and placed the concrete screaming skull next to his grave.
Starting point is 00:26:00 I sort of feel like there was a better way to go about that. Probably. But I just sort of feel that way. It kept screaming. Good. I would too. I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd
Starting point is 00:26:12 be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd be like, I'd's like, I ain't getting no sleep because of y'all. Y'all ain't getting no sleep because of me. That's the minister. That's the minister's skull. Gagged it all. That's it. So really was that. There's also a few more stories like Lucia Watson Taylor.
Starting point is 00:26:42 She was a 16 year old girl who passed away. That's a really pretty name. I know, right? In 1816, her ghost can be seen. She has very long, dark hair. Of course. She's wearing a flowing dress. Obviously.
Starting point is 00:26:54 She can be seen on very dark and foggy evenings in full body apparition. And she's always seen kneeling and praying over her own grave. And her app, she is a, that's a real person in the cemetery. Like you can find her grave. And it says, her epitaph says, blessed with peculiar sweetness of temper, a mind pure and exalted, a heart pious and faithful, she died beloved and lamented, early, bright, transient,
Starting point is 00:27:22 chaste as morning dew, she sparkled, was exalted and went to heaven. That is so beautiful. And I was like, wow. People really loved her. I was going to say, what a loved young woman. Yeah, that's a beautiful engraving and also would have been hella expensive.
Starting point is 00:27:43 Very expensive, but it's just like, damn, like that's a beautiful epitaph. It is. Beautiful. That really is. They also just knew how to say shit way better back then. They really did. But I was like, she sounds like a seriously cool chick. But then you wonder, I'm like, why is she praying over her grave?
Starting point is 00:28:01 I know. I hope like, I hope she did make it to where she wanted to go. I know. I'm like, I hope wherever it is, you're happy. Maybe you're just, I'm hoping it's like a residual thing. It's not just actually. But there's another kind of creepier story that is from the catacombs. Because there's catacombs here because the church was built right over the cemetery. That is too much. And in the catacombs, there's a story of a woman named Leona Wellesley. She was a woman from a local asylum who said to be so mad that they buried her in her straight jacket
Starting point is 00:28:37 to keep her restrained in death. Unnecessary. Yeah, that's what I say. Not demure, not mindful. Not mindful at all. And people say they can see and feel her following them around and she will laugh in your ear maniacally. Good.
Starting point is 00:28:52 Which I was like, I probably wouldn't do. I would do the same. Yeah. When also the groundkeeper from long ago named Old Valance. Obsessed. He was the grave digger and the groundskeeper. He'll chase your ass out of there if you fuck around in there. Well, fuck around and find out.
Starting point is 00:29:09 He kept those grounds perfectly and he will not tolerate shenanigans. And when he chases you out, he'll do so with a shovel. So it's just a ghost coming at an old valence ghost running at you with a shovel. Go hit your head with a shovel. Get out of there. And apparently there are rumors of a lot of premature burials that happened here. Sorry, qual? Yeah, you heard it right.
Starting point is 00:29:33 Premature, because it was in the time when a lot of that would happen often. Like, they didn't have all the technology to know when someone was actually dead, which is why they had all those, the bells and the other things where they could like, you know, grave alarms essentially. This happened a lot. So they, I mean, that's a perfect recipe for a ghost, if you ask me. Absolutely it is. And the catacombs are especially haunted down there because of this. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:29:58 Because they are some of the oldest graves. There was also a lot of grave robbing down there, especially in the catacombs. Worst kind of individual. Yes, truly. Worst kind. And full on body snatchings as well. Why? Because this was in the time, there's a medical college nearby and it's an old medical college.
Starting point is 00:30:16 It was in the times when students or people hired by medical colleges would come snatch cadavers to use in the cadaver labs. So that's not great for the people who are buried there. And also bodies were just moved into different areas or gravestones were moved and just left like bodies in different places because of like code violations and shit when they were like redoing this whole place. So they have actually like there's rumors that they found bodies like under walkways and shit.
Starting point is 00:30:47 Oh, man. Yeah. With like no graves. That's really sad. Yeah. So it's gnarly, you know, in these streets. It do be. But when the church and this is just what I'll leave you on for this one.
Starting point is 00:30:57 When the church ceased being an actual church around 1977, in the 19 late 1970s, early 80s, local school children would use the graveyard as a playground because 80s. You probably shouldn't do that. There were reports of people witnessing kids throwing around human skulls and shit. I don't have a lot to say about that. And at the same time, so much to say about that. That's a fucked up kid. That's a lot. If I was a child and somebody threw a skull at me, I'd leave.
Starting point is 00:31:30 I'd leave. I'd leave wherever I was at. I'd call an adult. I'd say, Mom, can you pick me up? I'm scared. Yeah, that would not be something I would engage in when I was little. No. And I would hope my children would have something to say about that as well.
Starting point is 00:31:43 Yeah, they're better than that. If I threw a human skull at one of my kids, they would not just catch it and go about their days. They'd be like, why'd you do that? If you threw a human skull at one of your kids, we'd have to have a serious talk with you. I'd say, John, I'm on my way. John, it's gone too far.
Starting point is 00:31:55 John, I'm on my way. We got to talk to this crazy. If another kid threw a human skull at one of my kids, they'd be like, this doesn't feel right. Yeah, don't. I feel I am confident in that. And also it'd be on site. It's true.
Starting point is 00:32:07 Just kidding, it's true. But yeah, so that's Westminster Hall and Burial Ground in Baltimore, Maryland. Wow. Yeah. Listening on Audible helps your imagination soar. Whether you listen to stories, motivation, expert advice, any genre you love, you can be inspired to imagine new worlds, new possibilities, and new ways of thinking. Find the genres you'd love and discover new ones along the way.
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Starting point is 00:33:31 audible.com slash morbid. In the upcoming episode of Killer Psyche, we will be diving deep into the unfolding case of accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuerman. Heuerman is awaiting trial for the murder of three women, with many more victims still being linked to him. Now, a recently released tell-all bail application goes into unusual details and links to keep him locked away,
Starting point is 00:33:59 revealing shocking updates about the case. Listen as we take a closer look into the newly revealed evidence and charges, bringing new insight into what we already know about the case and what may have motivated him. Follow Killer Psyche on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcast. You can listen to Killer Psyche and more exhibit C true crime shows like Morbid and The Kill List early and ad
Starting point is 00:34:26 free right now by joining Wondery Plus. Check out Exhibit C in the Wondery app for all your true crime listening. All right well my cemetery is Bachelor's Grove Cemetery. And according to many honey many many many bachelors Grove cemetery which is in Illinois is one of the most haunted locations in the world oh we love to see it in this world in our world yeah our universe we love to see a globally recognized haunt. We sure fucking do.
Starting point is 00:35:09 Now, this cemetery happens to be the oldest one in all of Cook County. The first burial on record there took place in 1834. Damn. Yeah, long time ago. Altogether, there's about 80 graves on site, but... That's to get the shit out of me. Oh my god. That's a crazy bark. Either Sydney or Blanche was like, that's wrong.
Starting point is 00:35:28 She was like, she said, there's about 78. She said, don't you dare round up. Don't you round up. I don't know why I made your dog southern. They became southern. It happens. Well, one of them is Blanche, you know, Deborah. Blanche Deborah, she's southern rail.
Starting point is 00:35:44 I know, you know, the Blanche Devereaux. She's Southern Rail. I don't know. You know? But the thing is, a lot of these graves have been dug up, vandalized. Like, this place is desecrated and people treat it like shit. People get it together. So guess what? You're desecrating graves. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:35:59 If you're going to go visit this place, I found differing opinions on whether or not it's open to the public. Like some people say it's closed. Some people are like, no, you can go in the daytime. No, it's open to the public. Like some people say it's closed. Some people are like, no, you can go in the daytime. No, it's silly fun. I don't know. So like enter at your own risk.
Starting point is 00:36:11 But only if you're there to be nice. Yeah. And respectful. Yeah. If you're there to steal headstones, I don't know you and I don't like you. And you know what? You're not listening to our podcast because our listeners are respectful. Exactly. So turn this off if you're not. Turn it off. But anyway, the cemetery most likely
Starting point is 00:36:29 gets its name from the Batchelder family who settled there around 1820. So it's not the bachelor reality show? No. Okay. Well, now it is. Now it is. Because over time, the spelling of the name probably changed depending on the source. And eventually when the family no longer owned the property, there was a group of single men who moved to the area. And that's funny. It was like four or five single men. They were like, Oh my God, bachelor's grove. That's why they started calling it that.
Starting point is 00:36:55 Now eventually ownership transferred over to the Fulton family around the early 1900s, it seems. One of the youngest Fultons buried in the cemetery is Emma Fulton, who's only one years old when she passed away. And she'll come back later. So remember that. Oh, Emma forever. But according to Go City Tours, everything was going pretty well for quite some time while the cemetery was under the Fulton family. But around 1950, I think it's the Midlothian turnpike, it was rerouted. And theachelors grove became an even more rural
Starting point is 00:37:26 area than it once was. So the Turnpike used to like, like it was a very frequently traveled road, but when they relocated it, the old Turnpike didn't really have a use anymore. So it's like really rural now. Creepy. Yeah. Now since it was out of the way of all the hustle and bustle for the city of the city, it was the perfect place for the sixts teens to get their lovers lane vibes on.
Starting point is 00:37:48 Oh, hell yeah, it was. Of course. And of course, for party animals, they could have their woods parties, they could get drunk and go crazy in the cemetery. They could get lit. Exactly. But unfortunately, that came along with a lot of vandalism, including grave digging. Again I say, get it together. Get it together. Get it together.
Starting point is 00:38:10 I was not out here grave digging. No, I was never ever grave dug and I never ever will. No, and you are a pretty reckless teen and you weren't grave digging. This is true. I partied in the woods, but we just partied in the woods. I didn't fuck anything up. If you came across a grave, you left it be. If I came across a grave, I'd probably leave, to be honest.
Starting point is 00:38:30 I'd be like, well, we shouldn't be here. Yeah, this is hallowed ground. This is disrespectful. But this is not the only time this thing is, this next thing that I'm going to talk about has happened. But in 1973, the Chicago Tribune reported that 17s were quote-unquote seized while they were in the middle of trying to dig up a grave. What the fuck was the purpose? Like that's wily. Well, they do tell us the purpose. Oh, the police said the youths arrived Wednesday night, got out and prepared to resume digging when the policemen announced themselves. The youths told
Starting point is 00:39:00 the police they were doing it as a lark, which is like a joke. Just like a fun little joke. They were doing it for lols. Yeah, just doing it for the plot. That's super duper funny. It's all for the plot. Kicking it with the boys. Larking it up. Yeah, just digging up dead bodies. Are you fucking kidding me, bro?
Starting point is 00:39:16 Who are you? Yeah, that's the thing. They got in trouble. I think most of them had to be bailed out and do some community service shit. Why are you bailing them out? Probably the parents. Let them sit in there. I would have. Like most of them had to be bailed out and do some community service shit. Why are you bailing them out? Probably the parents. Let them sit in there.
Starting point is 00:39:28 I would have. If I was my kid, I'd be like, you just dug up a grave. Why don't you think about your fucking life? You just desecrated a grave. You think about your fucking life and I'll think about my choice. You're not a parent. Contemplate your shit. Yeah, we'll do this separate.
Starting point is 00:39:39 But police presidents definitely became more regular once they realized how bad the vandalism was becoming because it got really bad to the point where people were just like knocking over headstones, stealing headstones. That's become such a frequent thing that there are so many graves that are just unmarked. I hope that they are so fucking haunted. Yeah, like those people.
Starting point is 00:39:58 Like, I hope they are being driven mad. Yeah, I hope so too. I truly do. Yeah, that's the thing. You steal a gravestone out of a graveyard or you knock one over intentionally. Like, or like vandalize one in any way. I hope you have the haunting you deserve. I agree. Cause just what are you getting out of that? Yeah. That's so fucking sick. Go to a rage room. Yeah. I just don't get it. Take a walk. What are you doing? Sit down. Graveyards are so peaceful. Just take a walk. What are you doing? Sit down. My teeth. The graveyard is so peaceful.
Starting point is 00:40:25 Just take a walk. Yeah, I agree. Put your fucking headphones on and transport to another time and place. What do you do in knocking shit over? I don't get it. No. But because the vandalism was ramping up, police presence definitely became a more frequent site.
Starting point is 00:40:39 But even as recently as 2009, there's been vandalism discovered with people literally spray painting the tombstones. Like, get a life. Yeah, truly. But some people also say the cemetery became a very popular place with satanic worshippers and even the mob. Whoa, the mob makes an appearance. Yeah, obviously before police presence got a little heavier there.
Starting point is 00:41:00 But there's a swamp behind the cemetery. And it said that after they took people out there, you know, to kill them mob style, they just throw their bodies into the swamp. Yeah. I mean, what else are you going to do? You know, damn, that's crazy. That's some mob shit. That is some mob shit.
Starting point is 00:41:14 And then as far as the satanic worshiping goes, police say that they found chicken heads littering the ground and trigger warning, dead dogs on the property. That's fucked up. Which you know, lends itself to satanic worshiping rumors. Lends itself to asshole behavior. I agree. Is what it does. I agree. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:41:33 One of the paranormal researchers that they had on the ghost adventures episode because... The ghost adventures. There was a ghost adventures episode. John Stevenson, he was one of the paranormal researchers, and he said he remembers being at the cemetery when he was younger. And he said he actually saw what he assumed was some kind of satanic ritual going on, because people were dressed in these black robes,
Starting point is 00:41:53 like standing around a fire and chanting things at the same time. Damn. That's pretty scary. It's pretty satanic. Could be. Fires and chanting. Robes. You know? Togetherness.
Starting point is 00:42:04 Togetherness. Community. V Robes. You know? Togetherness. Togetherness. Community. Vibes. Spooky vibes. I'm like, that could have just been witches. Yeah, that could have just been some witches vibing. I agree. To be honest.
Starting point is 00:42:16 Well, one of the most famous ghost sightings, and my particular favorite ghost sighting in Batchelor's Grove, is the Woman in White or the Madonna, as she's called. I've seen this one, this picture. Oh my God. In a few books. I want it. I was always fascinated by this picture. It's so beautiful.
Starting point is 00:42:33 Yeah, I remember, cause I was one of those kids who would look at haunting books like all the time. Yeah. Like obsessively. We know that about you. Obsessively, in pictures, like there's like the brown ghost or something like that, which is like, and it's like a photo of this like specter coming down the stairway.
Starting point is 00:42:50 Oh, coming down the staircase, right? It's like the brown lady or something like that. I think she's supposed to be wearing like a brown outfit or something, but it looks like a fucking terrifying ghost. I know the one you're talking about. I was so obsessed with that picture, but it fucked me up. I also think, well, if it fucked you up and it still is, I think they debunked that one. Did they?
Starting point is 00:43:09 I think they debunked that one. Fuck. Yeah, it was like somebody like put something on the lens of the camera or something. No. And like fucked with the negatives. I'm going to look this up because I've been holding on to that for decades. Oh no, I'm sorry to have crushed your life. But you know what?
Starting point is 00:43:26 This picture you're about to talk about is another one that I remember just obsessively staring at this photo and just being like, is this fucking real? Because I just couldn't comprehend it. They haven't debunked it. Whoa. They haven't debunked it. Nobody's been able to.
Starting point is 00:43:42 We'll post the picture because she was captured, the Madonna of Bachelors Grove was captured in a now famous photograph, it's the one we're talking about. It is stunningly, hauntingly, breathtakingly beautiful. I will never be over it. I honestly want to get a print for this room and hang it up. Honestly, I agree. It's a gorgeous photo. It's so, it's like melancholy. But whimsical. But beautiful and spooky. It's very, very beautiful. Yeah. In the photo, she's got this long brown hair and she's wearing a white flowing dress
Starting point is 00:44:14 and she's sitting on top of a checkered tomb kind of looking off into the distance and parts of her like translucent. Yeah. It's gorgeous. And they haven't been able to debunk that one. This one. Yeah. Yeah, no. That one, I was looking it up. I haven't been able to debunk that one. This one. Yeah. That one, I was looking it up. I haven't found any evidence.
Starting point is 00:44:29 No, not this one. But other people claim that they've seen this woman wandering around the cemetery and they say she seems to be looking for something or someone. Sometimes she's seen leaving flowers on other graves. In early sighting, she was seen holding a baby. But in more recent sighting, she was seen holding a baby. But in more recent sightings, she doesn't have the baby anymore, which is interesting. Now there's a grave in the cemetery and its headstone just says infant daughter.
Starting point is 00:44:53 So some people think these two things are connected, like the Madonna and the infant daughter. Okay. Something super creepy but sweet is that people will now leave baby toys at that infant daughter grave site. Oh my god. Yeah. That's so scary. It seems that the first reports of the Madonna of Bachelor's Grove came from a radio show in the
Starting point is 00:45:13 70s where someone called in with a sighting. But there are two main theories as to who the woman could be and they both actually come from the same family. So there's Catherine, I think it's Vought Fulton, and then Luella Fulton Rogers, and they were sisters-in-law back in the 1930s. According to grunge.com, the infant daughter marker could be the grave of Marsha May, who was Catherine's daughter. Apparently there was like some turmoil in the family around the time that Marsha passed away because obviously she passed away when she was a baby. Yeah. And for whatever reason, Catherine's parents wouldn't allow their grandchild, a Fulton, to be buried on Voatland.
Starting point is 00:45:51 Hmm. So when Catherine passed away, she wasn't buried in the Fulton plot, but somewhere far away. And some believe that her spirit roams all the way back to Bachelor's Grove, where Marsha ended up being buried, to like check in on her daughter.
Starting point is 00:46:06 Oh, okay. I love that. Yeah. Now, others believe that the woman in white isn't actually Catherine, but her sister-in-law, Luella. Unfortunately, Luella died right near Batchelor's Grove on the week of her 60th birthday. She died in a hit-and-run accident, and she happens to be buried in Bachelor's Grove Cemetery next to her sister, Emma Fulton. Now, Emma's headstone was stolen from the cemetery by some asshat. And because this happens so frequently, the stone wasn't handed back, like wasn't put back in the cemetery.
Starting point is 00:46:41 Instead it was handed over to Tinley Park Historical Society for safekeeping, because they don't want people to just go back and steal it all over again. But those who believe that the woman in white is Luella point to a photograph that bears a striking resemblance, we'll post it. And they say that she's most likely wandering around looking for her sister's headstone. Oh my goodness. That like breaks my heart. I'm not sure which one I believe. Yeah. I feel like either could fit.
Starting point is 00:47:07 It makes sense, both of them. Yeah. And either way, it's really fucking sad. Yeah. Because she seems just lost and like very unsettled. And they care for the baby like a lot. Yeah. And it's interesting that whoever the woman in white was, was carrying a baby for some
Starting point is 00:47:20 time, but now isn't. That is really interesting. Yeah. Now, another paranormal happening that's been reported on for decades at this point with many people saying the same thing is the disappearing farmhouse. In a quiet suburb, a community is shattered by the death of a loving wife and mother. But this tragic loss of life quickly turns into something even darker.
Starting point is 00:47:53 Her husband had tried to hire a hitman on the dark web to kill her. And she wasn't the only target. Because buried in the depths of the internet is the Kill List, a cache of chilling documents containing names, photos, addresses and specific instructions for people's murders. He turns to a journalist for help. That's me, Carmilla. Kill List is a true story of how one writer uncovers a global conspiracy, taking matters into his own hands to warn those whose lives are in danger.
Starting point is 00:48:25 And it turns out, convincing a total stranger someone wants them dead is not easy. Follow Kill List on the Wondry app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of Kill List early and ad-free right now by joining Wondry+. Plus. It's also called the magic house and the phantom house. All right. Spill that shit. Cause I'm in the Chicago tribune. Rote the site also has a disappearing house at night. People see an old one story farmhouse. It's been spotted on both sides of the dirt road as you enter the cemetery, people who don't know each other, all draw sketches of the same house, even down to the
Starting point is 00:49:07 lamp burning faintly inside. They're flabbergasted to know there's no house there. What? So people all say, like people really agree on like most of the details, they all say that the house is a white Victorian era house with a porch, a swing and a white picket fence. What the fuck? The only thing that really varies about this story that people will give is where they see the house
Starting point is 00:49:33 and whether it looks solid or translucent. Some people say it looks like a legit house that is just there. And then other people say it's like almost translucent. And then in every story, the house either shrinks the closer you get to it, or it just completely disappears. Oh my God. I want to see this.
Starting point is 00:49:55 There's also no evidence that a house ever existed on the property. No. So like, hello? Hello? Hello? That's bonkers. That one is crazy. Spectral house.
Starting point is 00:50:09 And the other thing is that people will go and they'll experience that. They'll see the house. It'll disappear or it'll shrink. And then they'll go back with somebody else and be like, I have to show you this. And they hope it happens again. Most people have never seen it twice.
Starting point is 00:50:22 Oh, I love it. Isn't that interesting? I want to see it so bad. Once in a lifetime shit. Now another paranormal sighting is the blue light phenomenon. And this is the most reported one from Bachelor's Grove Cemetery. Okay. According to research done by Peter, I think it's Crepia.
Starting point is 00:50:39 He's the founder of Bachelor's Grove Cemetery and Settlement Research Center. And he's done a ton of writing about the different haunts here so definitely check them out. But he said the first report of this seems to come from Jack Hermanski back in 1970. Jack was out in the cemetery and he said he saw this blue light and he said as he watched it the light quote grew as large as a basketball blinked in 10 to 20 second intervals and rapidly changed positions. Ooh. So the sightings differ and opinions about
Starting point is 00:51:08 when it's sighted also differ. Some people say they see it during the day, but other people say it only comes out on clear, very moonlit nights. Ooh, I love that. Some people have been chased by this light, they claim. Stop. Some people also say they felt compelled to follow it
Starting point is 00:51:25 and have started to follow it and have made it pretty far. And then they'll be startled when it appears right behind them. It'll be leading the way, and then you'll lose track of it, and you'll turn around, and it'll be right behind you. And you're like, what do you want? What's up? What's up, light?
Starting point is 00:51:42 What are you trying to tell me? What do you need? What's going on? That's creepy. One's up, light? What are you trying to tell me? What do you need? What's going on? That's creepy. One account also says that they were pushed to the ground by the light, but I don't personally think the light would be that rude. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:51:54 I agree. I like the light. I don't want the light to be that rude. I don't think it is. Yeah. Now on Ghost Adventures, they actually did see a blinking light off in the distance. It's fucking clear as day. I couldn't tell if it was blue because of the night vision camera, but they captured
Starting point is 00:52:09 it and it like moves and everything. It was spooky as fuck. Yeah, that is spooky. Now, one of the more rare reported sightings is the yellow man. Yellow man. Peter Crepea wrote that the first written record talking about the yellow man sighting was in October of 1984. The Chicago Sun Times reported that researcher Norman Basile, I think it is, saw the apparition and took a photo using a thousand speed film.
Starting point is 00:52:36 Norman Basile told them, a month and a half ago, I saw an apparition standing by a tree. It was a yellow figure, a man with a hat, probably in his 40s. Now, so that's like what got reported. But apparently that night, Norman and a group of paranormal researchers, including Dale Kazmarek, I think is how you say it. He's the president of the Ghost Research Society. And he also, I don't know if it's him who's responsible, if it's somebody in that society that took that famous picture of the white woman, the woman in white. Oh, shit. But he was also camping with Norman, and they were all doing research, but it was one of the other researchers supposedly who saw the yellow man, and there actually wasn't a photo
Starting point is 00:53:18 taken. And they were all so shaken because after the apparition disappeared, they saw quote, red streaking lights and watched in disbelief as a single tree began to shake frantically. What is not fucking terrifying. That is terrifying. After they saw that they packed up and got the fuck out of there. Fuck that. I agree.
Starting point is 00:53:40 But another woman saw the yellow man apparition while she was investigating the area. She was actually getting bored because she wasn't experiencing anything. She went here with these hopes of seeing the house, catching the lady in white, nothing was happening. Yeah. And she was thinking, I'm going to pack up and head out of here soon. Nothing has happened. And that's when she saw the apparition.
Starting point is 00:54:00 Oh, shit. So the apparition was like, all right, you're going to leave. Let me show you something. Now, the crazy thing about this experience is that she was there with two other people and she's the only one who saw it. That's weird. But she literally saw it and just started running. She left. She was so scared. She was like, fuck this. Nope. Another woman who was investigating the cemetery, Nina Jankowski was distracted and standing by one of the graves in the lot when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. And at the time, she started to feel really dizzy
Starting point is 00:54:31 and lightheaded, she said, but obviously she didn't want to miss the opportunity to photograph whatever this was. So she whipped around to take the photo, and she realized that her camera was on a completely different setting than the one she'd put it on. She said, once I started feeling dizzy, it was almost as though I was somehow surrounded and being guided to take this photo.
Starting point is 00:54:50 When I grabbed my digital camera, I noticed that it was turning on and off by itself, and it was on a different setting than the one I had chosen earlier. That's weird. Now, other haunts include people seeing phantom old-timey cars, like still driving on the road. Other versions of the blue light. There's also people that see, like, red lights too.
Starting point is 00:55:09 OK. Some people have seen a phantom black dog, either sitting at the entrance or running along the paths of the woods. I love a black dog. I do too. And guess what? One of our listeners has been to this cemetery... Of course.
Starting point is 00:55:23 ...and wrote us a captivating tale about multiple experiences that they've had. So this is Lady's tale. Hell yeah. Lady says, Hey y'all, Lady here. I love you and your podcast so much and I binged nearly everything in about three weeks. I haven't heard Bachelor's Grove brought up before. Until now, Lady.
Starting point is 00:55:40 Until now. And just wanted to share a few of my experiences from back in the day when I wasn't as much of a little bitch about spooky things. All of these stories took place in the years of 2005 to 2007 while I was a teenager. So they are probably less dramatic than what really happened, but they are things I will also never forget. I also apologize that my broke ass is writing this on my phone since I don't have a working computer. All names have been changed. So they wrote bachelor's grove is a haunted cemetery in Illinois. It's pretty infamous for many reasons, including producing one of the clearest pictures ever produced of a spirit.
Starting point is 00:56:13 There are many fascinating tales about this place and I have a few of my very own, which are probably aren't going to be exactly what you're expecting. I have three scary ass experiences and an ending palate cleanser that's relatively funny. To set this up in order to get to the cemetery, you have to park at a forest preserve across the street and walk a trail that's about a half a mile long. The entrance to this trail has a train has a chain across with a sign saying no trespassing. So I'm assuming it's closed. I was just gonna say maybe that gives us a little tip, which naturally no one gave a shit about. But the Forest Preserve parking lot would close at sundown.
Starting point is 00:56:48 So there was also a long back trail where you would need to park in a neighborhood and walk a few blocks to the forest edge where that trail began. And eventually it meets up with the main trail leading into the cemetery. Everything about this place is straight up creepy. Because of all the stories surrounding the cemetery,
Starting point is 00:57:03 it naturally brought out flocks of teenagers that liked to go there at night, and it was also a place to party. Thankfully, we never partied out there, and a few times we went during the day and would clean up garbage left over from other people. Oh, that's nice. It is. From the first time I went there, I had a respect for the area. The graves were over a hundred years old, and this was a sacred place that others abused, which I do regret taking entertainment from it. However, I'm glad I had these experiences because they've stuck with me all these years. So to get to the juice, my first experience came at about 9 p.m. on a summer night. When I was 16,
Starting point is 00:57:34 my best friend Maggie and I decided to go to the back trail since all our plans fell through. We walked a few blocks and came to the street that leads to the back trail. We were joking around, being kind of loud and annoying. We get about a block away and my friend grabs my arm and just stops me. Maggie says, what the fuck? And points toward the entrance of the trail. There's a massive buck standing in the entrance. Now deer are very common in Illinois, so this isn't unheard of. However, this deer did not move and it wouldn't take its eyes off our faces. We stared at it for a minute and I wouldn't take its eyes off our faces. We stared at it for a minute and I said, fuck no, let's go. Maggie said to wait a minute since it'll
Starting point is 00:58:10 just move. I decided I did not want to be gored by a deer that night, so refused and said, nope, I have the keys, let's bounce. I like that a forethought. Yeah, that's smart. As we went back and forth, the car drove past this deer and it didn't move. It kept staring at us and that image still haunts me. We started walking quickly to the car and turned back a few times and the deer never moved. After walking a few blocks we lost sight of the entrance thankfully but once we turned back there was a dog sitting in the middle of the street just looking at us. If it was the deer I would have literally combusted in the middle of the street. You're not supposed to run from a potential predator, but we just booked it the remaining
Starting point is 00:58:47 few blocks to my car. Isn't that weird? That's creepy. It's like, I feel like there's like spirits like in the animals looking out for this place. Now, second spooky. At this time, my mom and stepdad had an amazing dog named George, RIP. And he was a huge Rottweiler and German shepherd mix. He was the best dog I've ever met. He was extremely friendly and well-trained. The only
Starting point is 00:59:09 time he would ever get aggressive is if you were playing that way or if he came across other dogs. And even then it was out of excitement. I never saw him act aggressively towards other people for no reason. One day another friend, Amanda, and I decided to go to Bachelor's Grove and take Rocky with us. I think the dog's name was Rocky, but it got messed up at the first part. Oh, okay. Since it was during the day, we parked across the street and went to the cemetery, walked around a bit and left after about an hour of just hanging out. During this time, we passed multiple people and a few of them even came up to Rocky and petted him and did small talk.
Starting point is 00:59:41 In hindsight, it's kind of weird of people to do hiking banter when trespassing in a cemetery. But anyway, Rocky was so happy since he loves the attention in the forest. Walking the short trail back to the car, a large man wearing a black leather trench coat was walking the other direction toward the forest. Not really weird, and we initially were not scared because there were people in the cemetery, so we weren't necessarily alone. When we were about 30 feet away, Rocky just stops. I immediately got freaked out because he usually tries to approach people and I usually have to hold him back.
Starting point is 01:00:10 But Rocky then stood in front of me and started growling toward this guy. I had to kneel down and wrap my arms around his chest to keep him from attacking that guy. The dude didn't even look at us. He walked straight past us and nearly ran into the dog since he didn't even move over. He never looked back.
Starting point is 01:00:24 And after he turned toward the entrance of the cemetery, Rocky calmed down enough for me to keep him walking to the car. So that was weird. So that was weird. Final spooky and the last time I have ever been to the cemetery. Amanda and I had a sleepover and being the degenerate teenagers we were, we stayed up all night and thought it would be really cool to go to the bachelor's grove at dawn, since we'd never done that before. Dawn. So it's summer still, and we get there at about 5.30 a.m., and the sun is rising.
Starting point is 01:00:49 It was a little foggy near the ground, but clear outside. Luckily, the Forest Preserve parking lot was unlocked, so we could take the short trail. We get to the entrance of the trail, and for some reason, I just immediately felt dread. I don't know how to explain it. It wasn't like a fight or flight thing. It was just an intense sadness. But I just ignored it and we start walking. We never talked this whole way,
Starting point is 01:01:10 which I didn't realize until after the fact. Every step that I took felt heavy. My whole body felt like it was fighting to push through the space in front of me just to take a step. All the while the dread is growing. I even feel kind of lightheaded. About halfway down the trail I stopped. Amanda also stopped and looked at me, and we just turned around and started walking back to the car. Now my fight or flight kicked in. We went back to the car and shared that we both felt similarly. It was terrifying. I've never felt that intense feeling of dread ever again, and I really hope I never do. I literally never went back after that day, and I never will. Nicole Soule Holy shit.
Starting point is 01:01:43 Amanda Farris Which that had to be like such an intense feeling. Now for a relatively funny story. A few weeks before my final visit, a huge group of us rowdy teenagers decided to go to the cemetery to hang out because why not violate a peaceful place when you're bored and have nowhere to go? See, just what we were talking about. As long as you're not tipping headstones. So it was completely dark out and we needed to take the back way the walk was fine
Starting point is 01:02:06 But we were super loud We get to the cemetery and we break off into groups and walk around after about 10 minutes another group shows up running in Terrifying and said the thing all teenagers dread the fucking cops are the cops Everyone books it in different directions. Keep in mind. This is not a maintained forest air forested area So outside the short main trail to the mind this is not a maintained forested area. So outside the short main trail to the cemetery, it's a fucking forest. So me and like three others trudge into this haunted hell forest trying to find a path to the street so we can just walk back to the car. After about an hour of using our Nokia phones for light, we finally
Starting point is 01:02:37 get to the street. So I am a 5'3", petite white ass girl, and let me tell you what people saw walking out of this haunted hell forest. I was wearing black shorts and a dirty white tank top, and I was torn all up from the thorns and branches. I had small cuts all over my body, including my face that were just dripping blood at this point. Anyone driving past at that moment saw a child walk out of this haunted forest covered in blood all over my body, and no one stopped.
Starting point is 01:03:02 Anyway, you guys are great, and I hope you come to Dallas or Chicago one day. Stay weird. Thanks, lady. Holy shit. Interesting cemetery. That cemetery sounds gnarly. I want to go to there. I want to go to there.
Starting point is 01:03:16 I want to go to there and I want to see the Madonna and I want to see the disappearing house. Yes. I think we should go. Chicago's not even that far. Let's go. I have family in Chicago. You do.
Starting point is 01:03:27 Hi, Tom and Greg. There you go. Hi, Tom and Greg. We love you. We do. They love you so much. I love them. Love.
Starting point is 01:03:34 There's so much love here. So I think we need to go. I think we're gonna go. We need to see these freaking cemeteries. Let's go see some cemeteries. Let's go. I wanna see the Westminster Burying Grounds, but that's just in Maryland. That's not even that far.
Starting point is 01:03:47 What road trip? Cemetery road trip. Cemetery road trip. Let's do it. Oh my God. Someday. Someday. Someday it's just going to be bopping around the cemeteries.
Starting point is 01:03:59 Until then, we hope you keep listening. And we hope you keep it weird. But not so weird that you don't go visit these cemeteries respectfully because they just sound so cool, don't they? Respectfully. R-E-S-P-E-C-T, fully. I know what it means to cemeteries. Oh my god. That was great.
Starting point is 01:04:17 Oh my god. Oh my god. The The The If you like morbid, you can listen early and ad free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple podcasts. Prime members can listen ad free on Amazon Music. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey at Wondery.com slash survey. Are you in trouble with the law? Need a lawyer who'll fight like hell to keep you out of jail? We defend and we fight just like you'd want your own children defended. Whether you're facing a drug charge, caught up on a murder rap, accused of committing war crimes, look no further than Paul Bergrin.
Starting point is 01:06:17 All the big guys go to Bergrin because he gets everybody off. You name it, Paul can do it. Need to launder some money? Broker a deal with a drug cartel? Take out a witness? From wondering, the makers of Dr. Death and Over My Dead Body comes a new series about a lawyer who broke all the rules.
Starting point is 01:06:34 Doesn't it funny how witnesses disappear or how evidence doesn't show up or somebody doesn't testify correctly? In order to win at all costs. If Paul asked you to do something, it wasn't a request, it wasn't testify correctly. In order to win at all costs. If Paul asked you to do something, it wasn't a request. It was an order. I'm your host Brandon James Jenkins.
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