Bachelor's Grove

History:

Originally settled by homesteaders who had relocated from New England in 1835. There is speculation that some of the earliest burials went as far back as 1834 when German immigrant workers were killed while working on the Illinois and Michigan Canal.  Legend has it that the cemetery got its name because only men were buried there, but it actually came from the name of a family who settled in the area. The Batchelders were one family that moved into the area and their name was given to the timberland where they settled (now called the Rubio Woods Forest Preserve).

Originally named Everden Cemetery after the original property owner, Corintha Everden, the first burials were around 1836. The cemetery contained 82 lots and 200 graves, some of which were never sold.  The last burials to take place were believed to have been those of Laura M. McGhee in 1965 and Rober E. Shields, who was cremated and buried in the family plot there in 1989.

The area is also known to be a dumping ground for victims of the Chicago Mafia in the 1920’s and 1930’s (including Al Capone), but this has never been historically proven.

In the 1960’s the adjacent road was closed and Bachelor’s Grove became an even more secluded cemetery - a popular “Lovers Lane” spot and a place for vandals to wreak havoc.  Soon, gravestones were knocked over or destroyed, sprayed with paint, or even stolen.  There are rumors that graves were even opened and caskets were removed, leaving bones strewn about the cemetery. There has also been evidence of occult rituals in and around the graveyard and adjacent pond.

Claims:

Unexplainable orbs have been sighted, phantom vehicles, phantom monks, and a farmhouse that mysteriously disappears when approached. Apparitions of a woman in white carrying an infant have been seen, as well as a farmer and his plow horse who emerge from the pond adjacent to the cemetery.  The cemetery was also featured on an episode of Ghost Adventures in 2012.

Experiences:

The team has visited this cemetery multiple times, and have experienced being followed out of the cemetery by an unseen person, as well as phantom cries of a baby.  Unfortunately, no evidence has been captured on audio or film at this time.