with the inscription, “Holy Mary Mother of God Pray for Us.”
READ DUNNING MEMORIAL PARK
6596 West Belle Plaine Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60634
directions
From the center of Chicago, take I-90 West for about 7.5 miles to Exit 43C, the Montrose Avenue exit. Turn left onto West Montrose Avenue and follow it for about 2.5 miles. Turn left onto North Narragansett Avenue and follow this for about 0.5 mile before turning right onto West Belle Plaine Avenue. Follow Belle Plaine Avenue until it turns sharply to the left. The memorial grounds will be at the corner on your right.
history
In 1851, construction began on the Cook County Insane Asylum or Read Dunning Insane Asylum on Oak Park Avenue. The asylum was a massive structure that dominated the area. Thousands upon thousands of people entered its doors. The asylum not only housed the insane from the Chicago area, but also was used to house sick and disabled people, the poor, and orphans. Many of the people who were housed at the asylum were treated poorly, and many died here and were buried at the cemetery that was on the asylum grounds. Many estimates state that more than 40,000 people were buried in this asylum cemetery.
Eventually, the asylum was moved and the old massive building was razed. The land was left vacant for some time until, in 1989, a shopping complex called Dunning Square was built on the site. Construction crews started digging up the land and were shocked to discover piles of bodies. It was quickly determined that they had come across the asylum cemetery grounds, so as many bodies as they were able to dig up were moved to the current site of Read Dunning Memorial Park.
The bodies were reburied in mass graves marked by the type of person that they were burying. One marker marks the burial location of orphaned children. Another marks victims of the Chicago Fire. Still others mark graves for the sick and the insane.
ghost story
Some people who enter these memorial grounds feel uncomfortable or feel like they are being watched. Others think that they hear footsteps approaching from behind them or hear the distant laughing of children.
Ghosts are also often seen at the memorial grounds. People see white transparent specters throughout the park. The most often-seen specter in this place is that of an elderly woman who is wearing a white hospital gown. Those who see her immediately know that she is a ghost because they are able to see through her. Those brave enough to approach witness her slowly fade away into nothingness. While the old lady in the gown is the most commonly seen apparition, other ghosts wearing similar white hospital gowns are seen roaming through the memorial grounds at all hours of the day and night.
visiting
This park closes at dark, although there are no signs that post hours at the gates. This is OK because the specters are seen during the day as well as at night. Furthermore, you are able to see into the park from outside the gates at night. When the specters appear at night, they will often have a soft white glow, so they are visible from outside the gates.
RESURRECTION CEMETERY
7200 Archer Road, Justice, Illinois 60458
directions
From the center of Chicago, take I-55 South for a little more than 10 miles until you get to Exit 282, IL-171 South towards 1st Avenue. Follow IL-171 for about 1.5 miles before merging to the right onto Archer Avenue. Follow Archer Avenue for about 2.5 miles. The cemetery will be on your right.
history
A small, unassuming headstone in Resurrection Cemetery holds the name Mary Bregovy. She died in an automobile accident in 1934. The world knows her as Resurrection Mary.
Mary was at the Oh Henry Ballroom (see Willowbrook Ballroom chapter) with her boyfriend when they got into a fight. It was a cold, dark night, but Mary was so upset that she opted to storm out of the ballroom and face the freezing walk home. She walked out onto Archer Avenue. Not far down the street, a car hit her. She fell to the side of the road. Had the driver stopped, she may have gotten to the hospital in time, but the driver drove on. Mary died from her injuries and the cold.
Her parents, worried since she had not arrived home, went out looking for her. They came across her body beside Archer Avenue. They were completely distraught. They decided that they would bury her in her beautiful white dancing dress and shoes because she had loved dancing so much.
ghost story
Perhaps the most famous ghost in the Chicagoland area is that of Resurrection Mary. While phantom hitchhikers have become somewhat of an urban myth throughout the country, the legend seems to have started here, and upwards of 50 documented cases of her appearance have only bolstered the legend over the years.
As early as the 1930s, men have reported seeing a woman in a white dress walking alongside Archer Avenue between the Willowbrook Ballroom and Resurrection Cemetery. Sometimes these men will pick her up because it’s cold outside and she seems upset. Other times, she will be hitchhiking, so they will stop to pick her up. She is always described as a beautiful young woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. She is always wearing a white dress, dancing shoes, and will often be carrying a small purse.
The men will pick her up and begin driving down Archer Avenue. At Resurrection Cemetery, she will be asked to be let out. Sometimes she will get out of the car and walk into the cemetery and vanish. Other times, she will vanish from the car, the door never having opened at all.
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