Greenwood Cemetery
Greenwood Cemetery – Decatur, IL
By Michael Kleen
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Greenwood Cemetery is rumored to be one of the most haunted locations in central Illinois. According to Troy Taylor, a popular author on haunted locations in the Midwest, the land that would become Greenwood was originally an Amerindian burial ground, and then was later used by the first white settlers to bury their dead until the late 1830s. These graves have since disappeared. The oldest visible marker on the grounds dates back to 1840, and Greenwood Cemetery was officially established in 1857. Between 1900 and 1926, the cemetery was the premier location to be buried in Decatur, but by the end of the ‘30s the cemetery association ran out of money and the grounds were barely maintained.
In 1957 the city of Decatur took over ownership of the cemetery in an effort to save it, but they estimated that repairs would cost around $100,000. Volunteers gathered, and after much effort, the cemetery was restored. However, vandals plagued the grounds, and rumors circulated regarding ghost lights and eerie sounds that emanated from the old public mausoleum. In an effort to control who went in and out of the cemetery, the city sealed two of the three entrances and closed a road that ran through the woods west of the cemetery.
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I used to live in the neighborhood that USED to be greenwood. The cemetary actually backed up into our backyard. Apparently when they moved the stones, some of the bodies were left, but definatly the souls of those who were disturbed. We had all types of things going on in that house. Anything from EVP’s to poltergiest activity, possessions, our daughter being harmed, feelings of not being wanted there. The former owner of the house also haunted it as well. If you would like to learn more about it, let me know and you can email me off page.
Harleyryders4@aol.com
I still live in Decatur, when I was in my teens my “steady” and I used to walk around Greenwood Cemetary and look at the old graves, it was fascinating. I have heard so much about it being haunted, never did back then. We did discover how large and deteriorated it was but never felt a sense of spookiness about it. How long ago was it that you lived in the house you described?