Are you the type who enjoys exploring abandoned places and ruins in and around the Land of Lincoln? Do you enjoy giving yourself a good fright? There is one place that we think may just offer the creepiest hike in Illinois—and we dare you to explore it. You may be wondering where in the Prairie State such a hike may be found. It’s in an abandoned cemetery in Illinois: the abandoned ruins of the historic Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery in Midlothian. And yes, you can hike through the cemetery. Would you be brave enough to tackle this creepy abandoned cemetery hike in Illinois? Let’s find out.
For many people, cemeteries can be quite creepy places. Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery in Midlothian, however, is by no means an ordinary cemetery.
Bachelor’s Grove is an abandoned cemetery in Illinois that is also considered haunted—in fact, it may be one of the most haunted cemeteries in the United States. The area where the cemetery is located was first settled by Irish, English, German, and Scottish immigrants, starting in the late 1920s and lasting through the 1940s.
Over time, Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery was established within the settlement. In fact, it is one of the oldest cemeteries in the southern part of Cook County. Eventually, however, the small, one-acre Bachelor’s Grove cemetery became inactive. It became a frequent target for break-ins and vandalism. Many of the cemetery’s headstones were damaged, destroyed, or even removed altogether.
One of the last burials at Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery took place in 1965. The next—and final—person was interred almost a quarter century later, in 1989. Since that time, there have been no other burials, and the cemetery—along with its residents—was largely forgotten and, ultimately, abandoned. One has to wonder what became of the relatives and loved ones of the people buried at Bachelor’s Grove. The fact that so many graves were left unvisited and untended would certainly stir up some discontent among the souls buried there.
Perhaps for this reason, if you take a hike through Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery, you may get a little more than you bargained for.
While it’s fascinating to see all the historical headstones marked with names and dates, there have been numerous reports of paranormal activity in and around the graveyard and the woods that surround it. If you don’t mind seeing apparitions like ghostly figures and orbs of light, or hearing disembodied voices speaking to you, a visit to this fascinating abandoned cemetery in Illinois is for you…