Resurrection Mary/Vanishing Hitchhiker

by Caroline Petersen

Mr Harmen. The main gate of Resurrection Cemetery on Archer Avenue in Justice, IL. September 8th, 2006.

It is said that up in Chicago, Illinois there has been sights of a pale girl with blue eyes and blonde hair on the street corners proceeding to ask for rides. She has frightened people since the early 1930’s on Archer Avenue. One night a young girl was walking home from a dance, which is now O’Henry Ballroom, alone crying after a fight with her boyfriend, when unexpectedly was hit on the side of the road as the driver drove off leaving the girl to die. Mary Bregovy who died December 25, 1932 and was buried in the Roman Catholic Resurrection Cemetery in Illinois. Some say she still walks the streets looking for a way to mend her broken heart in her white dress. Some also say she was a to-be young bride looking for a husband. Legend has that she asks for rides from taxi drivers and disappears in the back seat every time they pass the cemetery where she is buried.

Many people over the years have had different encounters with Mary they have reported. One that seems to stand out the most to people is with a man named Jerry Palus. Jerry, in the 1930’s went to the same ballroom years after Mary’s death, and noticed this beautiful girl dressed in white, who he danced with all night. Jerry that night asked if Mary needed a ride home from the ballroom as she accepted and gave Jerry her address to where her family lives. On the way to drop her off, Mary asked Jerry to stop by the cemetery. Of course, he took her, but as he tried to get out to come with her she insisted for him to stay in the car. As he followed her command, Mary walked towards the gates and vanished in the air right before Jerry’s eyes.

 Rivas, Titus. “Resurrection Mary.” April 7th, 2017. YouTube.

Works Cited:

Tilstra, Elizabeth. “Resurrection Cemetery and the Ghost of Resurrection Mary.” The Lineup, 05 Jul. 2016. https://the-line-up.com/resurrection-cemetery-and-the-ghost-of-resurrection-mary 

Grundy, Pamela. “Resurrection Mary & the Vanishing Hitchhiker” ParanormalPopcorn.blogspot.com 22 April 2010. Web. 17 October 2012 

“Resurrection Mary.” 29 Sept. 2018. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resurrection_Mary 

Kaczmarek, Dale. “Resurrection Cemetery (Home of "Resurrection Mary") 13 Jan. 1979. http://www.ghostresearch.org/sites/resurrection.html

Links for further research:

The Haunting Story of Resurrection Mary 

https://www.historicmysteries.com/resurrection-mary/

The article talks of various things such as the story behind Mary, excessive sightings, and how the ghost tale extends.

Vanishing Hitchhikers/Resurrection Mary

Allie Johnson

The photo above might seem a little weird to some. It is a picture provide to the viewers to see the vanishing hitchhikers.  Vanishing Hitchhikers is either a myth or a legend. If you are confused as to what a myth or a legend is, you can visit this website to learn more. http://myths.e2bn.org/teachers/info311-what-are-myths-legends-and-folktales.html After reading this website’s blog, readers can than make an opinion on what they believe. Vanishing Hitchhikers have been dated all the way back to the 20^th century, but goes back much later.  The reason this story is told so much today is because humans have reported actually seeing vanishing hitchhikers in real life. A vanishing hitchhiker is someone who calmly gets in the car with others after being offered a ride. After a little while of riding, or coming to the spot that the hitchhikers needs to go. The hitchhikers than just disappear without warning or without any signs. It has been said that some hitchhikers leave a garment that they are wearing, or a tissue that they had when they got in.  It is said, that the very first hitchhiker was the Apostle Philip (Myths and Legends).  In the bible, (Acts 8:26-39) it tells readers about how an Ethiopian who was driving a chariot picks up Peter; the Apostle baptizes him and then disappears (Myths and Legends). 

While there are countless stories that have been reported about Vanishing Hitchhikers. The most common story that is told is the story about a girl named Mary. This story is called Resurrection Mary. The first time she was seen was in 1930. She was spotted in Chicago. On the Archer Avenue road.  People have said they have seen her around there, while others have said to have seen her around the ballroom, or near the graveyard in Chicago; the one she was buried at. But who is she and how did she become vanishing hitchhiker. It is said, that one night a young girl was out with her boyfriend at the ballroom. As the night got longer Mary and her boyfriend got into an argument. Mary decided to walk home, because she would rather face the cold, then have to spend another second with her boyfriend. As she was walking home in the dark, she was hit and killed by a driver on Avenue road. The driver of the vehicle fled the scene. Mary’s parents buried her in the resurrection cemetery. Many believe that she returning from the dead to have one last dance with her boyfriend. While others believe that she is returning to gain revenge on her killer. While there could be many reasons as to why she returns.  All the witnesses that have seen her can agree on one thing. SHE’S REAL!!!!!!!!

Works Cited:

Beardsley, Richard K., and Rosalie Hankey. "A History of the Vanishing Hitchhiker." California Folklore Quarterly 2.1 (1943): 13-25. Web.

“Myths and Legends.” Origins of the Hitchhiker. N.p, n.d. 17, October 2016

Troy Taylor,” Vanishing Hitchhikers: Real or Legend?” Vanishing Hitchhikers: Real or Legend? N.p., n.d.  17, October 2016.

“Resurrection Mary!”, Resurrection Mary! N.p., n.d. 17, October 2016.

Further Research: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NR0wZu7_b8

The link above is a video that was posted to give viewers a short and brief summary about Resurrection Mary.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3ejU0ZXWWg

The link above is another video that provides viewers a story about the vanishing hitchhikers.

https://books.google.com/books?id=eY-W_LiKe18C&source=gbs_navlinks_s

The link above provides readers with a better understanding of myths and legends. 

Resurrection Mary the Vanishing Hitchhiking

Author: Danielle Riley

It has been reported that, a young lady with pale skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes, has been hitchhiking her way around town. She’s found walking in a white party dress, white high heels, and a thin shawl. Often, after being picked up by a naïve man, she is asked to be dropped off in front of Resurrection Cemetery, as she begins to walk in the cemetery this beautiful young lady vanishes into thin air. Weird you might say? Well, weird it is, this is the story of Resurrection Mary the Vanishing Hitchhiker.

            A cold winter night in Illinois around the 1930’s, a young lady named Mary Bregovy, her boyfriend and a group of friends decided to go to a party. As they were at the party the lady and her “significant other” got into a serious argument causing Mary to storm out of the party because she decided she would rather walk home in the freezing cold than stay with her boyfriend who she hated at the time. As she was walking home tragedy struck and Mary became the victim of a hit and run car accident.  That night her body was found on the side of the road by her parents. 

Mary

Mary Bregovy is buried in one of largest cemeteries in the world located in Justice, Illinois. With over five hundred forty acres of land Resurrection Cemetery is filled with more than one hundred fifty thousand grave but the most famous grave site would be Mary’s. The beautiful young lady leaves her grave and tries to live a life that was tragically taken from her at the young age of twenty one. 

            Reports of Mary’s ghost roaming Chicago have been cited. The first coming witness would be Jerry Palus in the 1930’s. He believes that he has danced with Mary at a club in Chicago and even kissed her. According to Mr. Palus, they fell in love and he was going to take her home but she was asked to be dropped at the cemetery. While she was walking into the cemetery, she vanished and was never seen by Mr. Palus again. Later, Jerry Palus went to the former home of Mary and was astonished when he found the young lady he danced with was dead. This is not the only sighting of Mary.  John Palus later did an interview which was seen on Unsolved Mysteries. He explains how beautiful Mary was and cold her body felt. Well, when you’re dealing with a dead corpse, it is not going to be warm!

                Obviously she loves to dance because she always “seen” wearing her white party dress and white party shoes prepared in her party outfit to dance the night away! According to Claire Lopez- Rudnicki, who in 1980 believed she saw Mary walking alongside the road near Resurrection Cemetery, “She was bright, very bright, like illuminating. She was just walking very slow.” I could only imagine seeing Mary. Seeing a glowing girl walking the streets at night at would scare me, and especially after hearing the story about Mary!

            Eyewitness Bob Main is the only known person to have more than one encounter with Mary. While Bob Main was a manager of a night club, he saw this young on a late Friday night then again two weeks around the same time. As stated in an article entitled, Resurrection Cemetery: Home of Resurrection Mary, Bob Main described her as, “a woman between the ages of twenty four and thirty… blonde hair to the shoulders with “spooly” big curls.” (Resurrection Cemetery…) He then went on to say, “She sat right by the dance floor… she danced by herself.” “Who is the most bizarre person?” The thoughts that were probably going through everyone’s heads were probably crazy! Seeing a beautiful young girl with pale skin just dancing all alone would have my mind wondering.

So, if you ever decide to visit Illinois and you see and glowing, radiant, and beautiful young lady in her all white party dress, with blonde hair, beware it just may be Mary. Although she’s not out to seek revenge or hurt anyone, her immortal soul is out lurking the streets. So, don’t be afraid… she just wants a ride back to her resting place!

Works Cited:

Grundy, Pamela. “Resurrection Mary & the Vanishing Hitchhiker” ParanormalPopcorn.blogspot.com 22 April 2010. Web. 17 October 2012

Kaczmarek, Dale. “Resurrection Cemetery: Home of Resurrection Mary”. Ghostresearch.org.    Ghost Research Society, 2011. Web. 16 October 2012.

MileyAngel321. “Resurrection Mary Unsolved Mysteries” Youtube.com. Youtube. 27 November 2009. Web. 17 October 2012.

Selzer, Adam. “Resurrection Mary: Mary Bregovy?” chicagounbelievable.com. 21 October 2008. Web. 16 October 2012.

Taylor, Troy. Resurrection Mary: History & Hauntings of Chicago's Archer Avenue. Decatur, Ill.: Whitechapel Productions Press, 2007. Print.

    

Links for Further Research:

Resurrection Mary

http://graveyards.com/IL/Cook/resurrection/mary.html

Gives a small summary on the ghost of the Resurrection Cemetery

Chicago’s Favorite Ghost

http://www.wbez.org/blog/john-r-schmidt/2011-10-31/chicagos-favorite-ghost-resurrection-mary-93531

Speaks on sightings of Mary and talks about personal thoughts and feeling about the Chicago’s favorite ghost.

The Ballad of Resurrection Mary A Cemetery Story

http://thelostdutchman.hubpages.com/hub/The-Ballad-of-Resurrection-Mary

Gives first person narrative story on the sightings of Mary Bregovy.