A Vanishing Hitchhiker; Resurrection Mary

Author: Tatyana Maddox

In Chicago, Illinois during the1930s there was a young woman who had wanted to get pretty and go out and dance. Her name was Mary. She was well dressed in white with blonde hair, she had blue eyes, and her skin was quiet pale.

While she was dancing with her boyfriend, they got into an argument. Mary no longer wanted to be at the dance with him so she storms out. She begins to walk home and is hit by a car. Mary is killed by the accident and the driver of the vehicle leaves the scene instantly. Mary’s parents had been walking along the same street and find her dead body lying in the street. They buried her at Resurrection Cemetery. 

Gate of Resurrection Cemetery
from Graveyards.com

It was said that she now roams the streets where she was murdered at. If searching for Mary’s parents burial records you will find that they’re buried in a cemetery called Resurrection Cemetery but Mary’s records do not show up. It has also been reported that multiple men have picked up a woman in white who has blonde hair, blue eyes and wants to be dropped at a Resurrection Cemetery. She would get into the car and be very quiet. She asks to be dropped off in front of the gates of a cemetery. They have said they seen her disappeared into thin air.

Back in the 1939 Jerry Palus was the 1st reported story about Resurrection Mary. Jerry was at one of his favorite Halls. Where he had went regularly. He had been dancing with a beautiful young woman all night. She asked for a ride home on the same street where Mary goes to be dropped off. He does give her a ride and she gets out at the cemetery. As usual she vanishes away into the air at the gates of the cemetery. There are two people they think stories match up with Mary’s. One lady’s name was Mary Bregovy and she was in a car and drove off into a ditch. The other lady was Anna Norkus she had died in a car accident leaving from the Hall where she was dancing at.

This story is one of the most popular ghost stories in Chicago. Every time it’s been told the story always seems to have the same theme. If you ever go to visit Chicago they have tours that take you around to show you where it took place. It takes you to let you see for yourself. 

Works Cited

"Resurrection Mary: Chicago's favorite ghost." Chicago Examiner (IL) 17 Aug. 2011, Chicago Paranormal Examiner: NewsBank. Web. 15 Oct. 2013.

Johnson, Raymond. "Does Resurrection Mary have a family tree? New info on Chicagoland's most beloved ghost." Chicago Examiner (IL) 3 Oct. 2009, Chicago Haunted Places Examiner: NewsBank. Web. 15 Oct. 2013.

Fadden, Edward. "Chicago's most wanted ghost: Resurrection Mary." Chicago Examiner (IL) 4 Jun. 2012, DuPage County Community Issues Examiner: NewsBank. Web. 15 Oct. 2013.

GATEHOUSE NEWS SERVICE, MIKE RAMSEY. "Ghost ride / Chicago has a hitchhiking spirit: Resurrection Mary." State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) 28 Oct. 2007, CITY/STATE: 11. NewsBank. Web. 15 Oct. 2013. 

Links for Further Research:

http://www.unsolved.com/ajaxfiles/gho_resurrection_mary.htm

Explains the story in-depth, tells how it came about and talks folks who have seen her

http://www.chicagonow.com/chicago-quirk/2011/10/meet-chicagos-most-famous-ghost-resurrection-mary/  Tells how Chicago has this ghost and talks about the story.

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

Shows images and talks about how people reported seeing a young lady locked in the gates of the cemetery.

The Grey Lady

Author: Sheetal Choony

 The Grey Lady spotted at Willard Library

            The Willard Library is considered one of the most haunted libraries in the world. Located in Evansville, Indiana, this buzzing city has a rich history of spooky speculations. According to Willard Carpenter, the founder of The Willard Library, he stated that his library would be “a library for use of the people of all classes, races, and sexes.” In 1885, the construction of this library was finished, just two years after Willard Carpenter’s death. Most would think that Willard himself would be haunting the library. This is not the case! It has been reported that Willard’s daughter, Louise Carpenter, is the one said to haunt the library throughout history. Shortly after her father’s death, she had stated that her father was under too much pressure and excessively influenced to build this library. She even tried to sue the city council to claim her royalties. Eventually, she lost the court case and lost all rights to any of the library’s property and market value. Because of this reason, it is said that her ghost will continue to creep in this library until her name has been recognized.

            There have been many reports and sightings of her ghost around the library building. Most observers have reported the ghostly figure to sport out a grey veil and general grey Victorian-era clothing. Most librarians have stated that “The Grey Lady” lurks around the Children’s Area of the library, occasionally picking up books and propping them back on the shelves, despite her reported hatred and disgust for the library. Children are most likely to see the ghostly figures, but cases have reported that a child’s parents are unable to see her. Actual documented evidences involving pictures or movie clips have been up for controversial debate stating this legend’s legitimacy.

            One specific example that I remember from seeing all the articles is that of the janitor’s story. In 1937, the janitor of the library was there to shovel coal. It was the middle of the night, roughly around 3am, when he heard some suspicious noises. He shone his flashlight in the direction of the noise only to see a lady covered in grey. This has been reported to be the first sighting of “The Grey Lady”. The janitor quickly saw the ghost subside into a foggy mist and soon disappeared. He was so startled that that he dropped his flashlight and ran out of the library. It has been confirmed that he soon quit his job after this sighting stating that he would never return again! They Grey Lady may still lurk the ominous library hallways even today!

Works Cited:

Marimen, Mark, James A. Willis, Troy Taylor, Mark Moran, and Mark Sceurman. Weird Indiana: Your Travel Guide to the Hoosier State's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets. New York: Sterling Pub., 2008. Print.

Norman, Michael. Haunted Homeland: A Definitive Collection of North American Ghost 

Stories. New York: Tom Doherty Associates, 2006. Print

Wolfsie, Dick. Indiana Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff. Guilford, CT: Morris Book LLC, 2009. 

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.