Bachelor's Grove Paranormal Forums
BACHELOR'S GROVE CEMETERY => Upload & discuss pictures from BACHELOR'S GROVE here. => Topic started by: jfloydian on Aug 15 2009 - 11:17AM
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I found this interesting story in case some of you have not heard it yet. (From Bachelor's-Grove.net)
In case some of you missed it, here is a very true and interesting story about a gate that used to be located near the roped off entrance to the path that leads to the cemetery. I have taken some photographs of what remains of this gate and can be viewed below. But be sure to read the story as it is probably one of the more interesting stories for Bachelors Grove.
Here it is.....
All Points Southwest
December 3, 1959
Elmer Lysen
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The newspapers missed a corking good story last Halloween and the incidence is good enough to be repeated now -- weeks and weeks later. It is a tale of humour, and yet of somber, shocking facts.
For a long time workers of the Forest Preserve district in and near Bachelor cemetery on 143rd st. East of Rigeland av. have been concerned about happenings in the ancient graveyard where many pioneers lie buried, their weather beaten tombstones dating back more than 125 years.
The Forest Preserve has taken over all the land surrounding the small cemetery, but the sacred resting place of the area oldtimers was spared.
Something resembling a fence marks the cemetery boundery lines, and what used to be a gate had long since fallen apart.
The Forest Preserve workers noted tombstones began tilting, some marble slabs appeared to have been smashed over other heavier stones. There was evidence that a gang may be gathering regularly in the cemetery.
One morning they discovered that not only has a tombstone been removed over a grave, but a hole had been dug deep enough to reach the top of the concrete vault containing a coffin. There was no dirt to reveal digging had been done.
To the best of their deduction the lid had not be removed nor the dead disturbed.
The thought of the descration of the sacred remains of loved ones and destruction in general resulted in reports to Dan Ryan of the Forest Preserve and to the police.
County and State police began making systematic rounds. Forest Preserve rangers were alerted, and residents of the aea contacted. No one could shed light on the matter.
When the police were around, nothing happened. But when the law turned its face, everything seemed to secthe.
To prevent further destruction, the Forest Preserve crew decided to install a gate across the entrance. It was to be a real gate, too. Which it was.
It was 14 feet long, six feet high, built of heavy galvanized pipe, some of it six inches in diamater. It was bolted, welded and constructed like the sides of a bridge. It weighed nearly 500 pounds.
This jail-like frame was swung across the cemetery entrance and kept shut by the use of a heavy chain, appropriately held together by a huge Yale snap lock.
The climax came last Halloween when the systematic placing of lighted flares detoured road traffic smack into the cemetery past the open gate. A traffic jam developed over the confusion with cars staled among tombstones.
Squads from the sheriff's police and the nearby state police headquarters sped to the cemetery, which shortly became jammed with cars, trucks, police cars and curiosity seekers attracted by the commotion and red police lights blinking among the dead.
A complete search of the cemetery failed to yield anything other than confusion with everyone asking the other why he was there.
The police said nothing important had happened and decided everyone should leave the cemetery.
It was then the big discovery wa made: While all the commotion was going on in the cemetery, someone or something had swung the big gate shut and snapped a new and string lock through the links of the big sturdy chain.
There they were, state and county police, throngs of persons and scores of cars, securely locked up in the cemetery.
Try as they did, the prisoners could not break the lock. Someone decided it was a case for an expert. While the throng remained in the cemetery, a garage man from Orland was summoned. he arrived with a torch and burned apart the chain and released the prisoners.
It would be well if the story ends there. But it doesn't.
Week in and week out since October, the cemetery has been patrolled. Traps have been set. Plain clothes men were assigned to duty. A dedicated program of protection had been pledged and carried out by all concerned.
Monday of this week Forest Preserve workers reported the big gate missing--all 14 feet and 500 pounds of it. So was the sturdy chain, and the great big pad lock. It had been removed between 11 o'clock Monday morning.
It all adds up to one of the biggest mysteries of the time. And there are those who tilt their head, and blink their eyes, and say: "Well, what can you expect? It's a cemetery isn't it?"
Police who don't believe in that sort of thing admit they're baffled. They will tell you that they have done everything possible to stop the strange goings-on. They admit they are "perplexed."
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Yes I seen that story and it is funny as well. Who ever took down the gate and posts must of made a couple of bucks on the scrap metal. I do know the cement is still there and you can see that the posts were cut off right down to the cement.
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I know! It is crazy even the fences there have a story to tell. Well...whats left of them. LOL
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You are right about that for sure. I have a cousin who in the 50`s went there with another couple as it was a makeout place back then and they got out and were walking around the cemetery at night. He said that some of the graves were sunken in as they were disturbed even then. They got back to the car and a cop put a shotgun to his head while he was in the car and asked what they were doing there. He said that experience was enough for him to not go back again as it scared the you know what out of him. che
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What an amazing story!! I have never heard that story. Thanks for posting that story on here. I can't believe that I've never come across that with all the hunting for BG stories that I've done. Bachelors Grove Cemetary has certainly gone thru some interesting times thru the years. There is no telling what kind of things the land went thru even before it was a cemetary. It could be one of those places that has just always been a place of mystical awareness. I barely know what that means but the Irish believe that some peices of land have been set aside for spiritual and/or mystical awareness. Such as a place for fairys and the little people to live on and certain places that will always be a cemetary. It wouldn't surprise me a bit if the land had been a cemetary to other natives of the land. However I know there is no such proof of that and so far as i know not even a rumor of it so I'm just sayin...... :Spying: eno Stop me now! lol
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Haha...no I get it tottaly!
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:lol6: Thank You J! :smiley31:
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wow, what can i say? i've been to bg many of times and never saw what you wrote. it just amaze's me on how cool this site is and what i can learn about the grave yard. i also would like to be notified if there is going to be anyone or a group of people from this site that is planning a trip some weekend on or befor halloween to go here.i would love to take another trip , its been a while since i've been out here.
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I would love to go one more time before halloween too che
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Interesting story! Thanks for posting it!
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Anytime :) got plenty more comin. che
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That is a great story. I am wondering who placed the flares to reroute traffic into the cemetery in the first place?
That must have been a strange scene.. :055confused:
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Very strange! It must have been some smart kids........I do not think it was kids. Whoever they were, they were smart. To this day noone knows how they managed it.