Bachelor’s Grove Trip 14
Trip 13 or 14... I have lost count to be honest, but the allure of the legend and the cynosure of the site itself has not diminished over time or frequency of visits ...
The last time around I wandered father out beyond the perimeter of the cemetery across the creek and adjacent to the old road that is in tact in some spots and is virtually undistinguishable from the forest floor in others...from an archeological standpoint it was interesting to see that there are still excavation endeavors in progress there, the shards of broken plates and jars were still placed for observation at the edge of the two dig sites I found along with two additional wells that were filled in long ago...
I remember that the exposed bricks of a foundation unearthed by some determined diggers along with the classic creepiness perpetuated by the preternaturally still woods tempted me to probe the crevasses between the blocks for more of the missing Heather Donahue/ Blair Witch documentary footage canisters...
This trip was the third in a row that the “Attention Seeker” did not accost me halfway down the path ...
Admittedly the particularly tragic spectral visage of this young lady in a parka that prompted me to finally seek council from a much more adept psychic the first still fills me with apprehension with each visit following the first initial contact...and as advised ‘the drama queen that seeks attention ‘ is better served ignored as initiating spiritual intervention would only further enable and encourage this one ...and as I was deemed as ill equipped by this trusted medium to properly execute this particular rescue (a real boost to the ego) she did not appear to me after the consultation perhaps as means of circumventing the indignation of indifference I would have expressed if my fortified shields were somehow breeched by the garrulous ghost...this was verified by a second medium with no affiliation to the other, both of which described the apparition with impeccable accuracy and detail with the exception of the color of the parka ...
Apparently the frequency of visitors to Bachelors Grove by those that have marginal or undeveloped abilities are enough of an attraction and the often adrenaline charged anxiety of novice ghost hunting thrill seekers provides enough of irresistible energy source to keep some of these entities that are drawn or confined there in a state of almost incorrigible complacency even though some of them have seemingly transmogrified into a semi predatory state by the constant infusion of etheric energy this site must provide upon becoming a prominent tourist attraction ...
I have neglected to bring my token trinket tithing for the grave of The Infant Daughter the last few visits ...a ritualistic and customary faux pas on my part being one that observes and embraces all of the subtle nuances associated local lore...this time around I made sure to bring her something a little more generous to make amends for the past few oversights ....
The brooding woods along the path never fail to assail me with mixed signals...some may be perceived by veridical input, some may be simply imagined but it is often disconcerting non the less...unless you have been there words can not adequately describe the surrealism that the first glimpse that of the old chain fence materializing through the underbrush on the right instills ...
And while this world famous haunted location entertains a steady stream of visitors from neighboring communities and afar, the Halloween season is obviously te busiest and despite the vigilant preservation efforts from private and civic organizations alike, the volume of seasonal curiosity seekers usually renders the recently defoliated and debris cleared cemetery reverted to its usual litter strewn state ...but not this year... in fact an industrial sized drum intended to serve as a garbage receptacle is now placed prominently at the entrance spray painted silver and marked as property of the F.P. and BachelorsGrove.org ...kudos to the ongoing efforts of all that have strived to maintain and rejuvenate this as a burial ground that should be treated with the same reverence as all of the others ...I suspect that the recent monumental disregard for the dead that the Burr Oak Cemetery scandal in neighboring Alsip Illinois was an added motivation for mobilization at B.G. and I didn’t even realize jut how inured to the neglect I had become until I
was shocked by the improvements....
The act of littering in the woods alone is unconscionable, but the abject disrespect for the dead by way of intentional vandalism there is beneath contempt ...the knocked over markers, graffiti, and the ritualistic desecration of the graves all may be a contributing factor to the activity here ...
I have of course contemplated implications of the nearby power lines that feed the southwest grid, the massive cell tower located mere yards from the path entrance ...the fact that there is a pond a creek and a small tributary that outlines 3 sides of the cemetery ...
The reports of paranormal activity are in the hundreds and increase incrementally as time passes ...
There reports from credible witnesses include Forest Preserve Rangers and local police one of which is the testimony from patrolling officers that witnessed the apparition of a man on a horse drawn carriage emerge from the pond ( see below)...
Most of you are probably familiar with the famous Madonna Of Bachelor’s Grove photo and the legend associated with the woman that lurks near the gates and while I am unsure if I have encountered this specific woman I have a notion that this location was not only a popular picnic spot in the past but the site of prurient parades of nudity, drunkenness, and reckless abandon if not intentional debauched desecration in the 1920's or perhaps even from the onset of this sites inception as a burial group as early as the 1820's, but several mediums/psychics/sensitives have alluded to this citing the inordinate amount of nudity prevalent there without any sort of prompting from me when appraising my photos in the past...
And in accordance with F.P. rules I have observed the sunrise to sunset visit window but as I have never hesitated to frequent some of the most “haunted” famous sites I cover in the vale of darkness alone, I really do have my qualms about this site as my guides, my intuition and perhaps my common sense have all have urged me to make an exception in the case of Bachelor’s Grove ...of course as I make preparation to convert my old 5.0 camera to I.R. the temptation may become irresistible ....
Saturday morning was the wet and damp as 3 days of incessant rain tapered off to a periodic mist on my windshield...there is a sweet musk associated with the fall leaves now blanketing the forest floor that belies the insinuation of decay they imply ...a more altruistic perspective may view the
seasonal changes that this region of the Midwest exemplifies as a transitory or cyclic natural order, but the woods beyond the tangled thatch and bramble along te path have a uncanny ability to present only an immediate impression...
Some newly exposed stones, markers and assorted nondescript artifacts unearthed by way of the recent weeding expeditions where an added point of interest this time around ... And despite the absence of a certain precocious poltergeist that took particular delight in accosting me in the past, the usual certainty of “a general presence” there has not diminished but my management of these sensations have made them less overwhelming ....
The autumnal colors were at the optimal stage of opulence , so I am pleased that in defiance of te inclement weather; I elected to make the journey south on that rainy morning that kept the mini vans loaded with adventurous, Halloween thrill seeking families from annoying Mr Halfhand lol...
more on the net:
legends and history:
http://www.prairieghosts.com/bachgrov.htmlwww.bachelorsgrove.comwww.bachelorsgrove.netwww.bachelorsgrove.orgHere are the unedited (compressed) photos from trip 13 or 14... 10-24-09 (67 total) ....b
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