Greenwood Cemetery, Decatur, IL
Case File 07-0622: Decatur, IL
Classification: Commercial, Cemetery
Investigators:
Billie
Shanna
Matt
While in Decatur, Illinois for a conference, iGHOST had the
opportunity to investigate the town's famous Greenwood Cemetery. The cemetery is closed to the public at dusk, but we
were able to obtain permission from cemetery personel to investigate after hours.
We scouted the cemetery during daylight hours (3:00-4:00 pm) to familiarize
ourselves with the layout and landmarks, and to locate specific areas in order to investigate more fully later that night.
An overview of Greenwood Cemetery and some of its legends:
|
| Greenwood Cemetery. |
Greenwood Cemetery is home to a number of ghost stories,
and is considered to be quite active. Witnesses have reported seeing phantom funerals, dark specters, and the spirit
of a young bride.
When iGHOST got the opportunity to investigate Greenwood Cemetery, it was a dark and ominous
night. The weather was threatening, and shortly after arrival, the skies opened up and we were forced to abandon the
investigation. We arrived at approximately 10 p.m., and in anticipation of the rain (and hearing the distant thunder
moving closer to us), we immediately headed to the area where the mausoleum once stood.
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| The black sky was illuminated by several flashes of lightning. |
The mausoleum was torn down in 1967 due to break-ins that
had eventually made the tomb structurally unsound. The bodies were removed and reburied across the driving path; they
were buried in random order with no one ever attempting to identify the individual remains. There have been reports
of noises and cries coming from the nearly empty mausoleum prior to demolition, as well as strange activity coming from the
"common graves" the bodies were moved to.
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| The foundation lines of the mausoleum are still visible after 40 years. |
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| Near the old mausoleum's unknown graves. |
On the western side of the cemetery, there is a short
stone stairway known as the "Barrackman Steps". At the top of the steps are four graves of the Barrackman
family, and it is said that at sunset, one can see a spectral image appear at the top of the steps. The spirit appears
as a woman in a long white gown, and appears to be weeping, although no one who claims to have witnessed this has ever reported
that she makes any sounds. When the sun dips down below the horizon, she disappears. We arrived too late to investigate
this legend, however.
|
| The Barrackman Steps. |
|
| Shanna and Billie on the Barrackman Steps. |
Another legend tells the story of what has come to be known
as the "Greenwood Bride". Supposedly, in the early 1930's, a young man and woman were in love and wanted to
marry. The girl's parents did not approve of the young man, so the couple made plans to elope. They were to meet
one night and run away together, but before they did, the young man was murdered. Distraught, the young girl became
inconsolable and fled her family, only to be discovered a short time later face down in the river near where her lover was
found dead. The girl's parents were understandably upset, having realized that if they had just given their blessing
to the couple, they would still be alive. The girl's family found the wedding dress that she had planned to marry in
and decided that as a last gesture, she would be buried in it. To this day, there have been reports of people seeing
the spirit of a young woman in a flowing white gown on the hills of Greenwood Cemetery.
|
| The reported grave of the "Greenwood Bride". |
Greenwood Cemetery also contains a fairly large section dedicated
to the remains of Civil War soldiers. Here, heroic Illinois soldiers who bravely fought for the Union are scattered
among some of their enemy. During the war, Confederate prisoners arrived in Decatur, many who were sick, injured, or
already dead. It was often difficult to tell the living from the dead, and therefore it is believed that many Confederate
soldiers were buried alive in Greenwood Cemetery. Most, if not all, of the Confederates are unknown soldiers, scattered
throughout the cemetery in unmarked graves. Some were intentionally buried at the top of a fairly steep hill, as it
was seen as the least desirable place to be buried in the area. Ironically, years later, a memorial to the Union effort
was placed at this location.
Not surprisingly, there are reports of spectral soldiers, cries, wails, and general sounds
of torment in this area.
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| The Civil War section. |
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| Billie and Shanna in the Civil War section. |
