While many historians have been quick to dismiss tales of witchcraft as “superstitions of the past,” these stories have been told in the Prairie State throughout its history, from the very first French settlers until the present day. This month, we at the Legends and Lore of Illinois have scoured newspaper archives and dusty volumes to bring you some of the most exciting and obscure accounts of witchcraft in Illinois. Which story will prove to be the most compelling?

10. St. Omer “Witch’s Grave”

Ashmore, IL

St. Omer Cemetery is home to an unusual family monument that some say looks like a crystal ball on top a pyre. According to local lore, Caroline Barnes, one of four people buried under the massive stone, was put to death for practicing witchcraft. It is said that no pictures can be taken of her monument, and that it glows on moonless nights. The only evidence for the legend seems to be the gravestone’s dramatic design, the way local citizens grow nervous whenever the story is mentioned, and most strikingly, Caroline’s impossible date of death chiseled in the granite: February 31. The monument also faces north and south, while most headstones are oriented east-west. There is no historical or documentary evidence supporting the notion that Caroline Barnes was accused of witchcraft, but never-the-less, the legend has persisted.

9. The Chesterville Witch

Chesterville, IL

Chesterville is a small Amish and Mennonite community that consists of no more than a few dozen houses located a couple of miles away from Rockome gardens. Within the neatly trimmed grounds of Chesterville Cemetery, an old oak tree stands at the edge of the woods that separates the graveyard from the river. The peculiar thing about this tree is the iron fence that surrounds it, and the old stone marker that no longer bears a name. According to Troy Taylor, this is the grave of a woman who turned up dead after being accused of witchcraft in the early 1900s after she challenged the conservative views of the local Amish church elders. The town planted a tree over her grave to trap her spirit inside and prevent her from taking revenge. Her ghost can still be seen from time to time hanging around the area.

8. The Persecution of Toby Allen

Joliet/Chicago, IL

In 1879, the Chicago Daily Tribune ran a series of articles about a man named Toby Allen, who alleged that the State of Illinois had hired a witch to torment him. It began with a letter that Toby sent to his Chicago alderman. During his incarceration in the Joliet State Penitentiary, he explained in the letter, the State of Illinois hired a man named Johnson to practice witchcraft on the inmates in order to keep their bedclothes clean. Instead, this Mr. Johnson caused the deaths of several inmates, compelled Toby to cut off one of his own fingers, and “whispered in his ear so that he couldn’t work.” Toby appealed to his alderman to have the mayor look into the matter and alleviate his torment, but no public action was ever taken.

7. Strange Case of Elizabeth Friend

McDonough County, IL

On a farm near the meandering banks of Hogwallow Branch in southwestern McDonough County, a man named James Spiva tossed and turned at night, felt tired during the day, and was afflicted with bad luck. First his cows gave bad milk, then his favorite dog died, and finally his oxen went missing. His brother William, a “rural physician,” suggested that James had been bewitched. Their suspicion fell on Elizabeth Friend, who was sick with typhoid fever. James drew an image of her, nailed it to a tree, and shot it with a silver bullet. Around the same time, she succumbed to her illness. James openly claimed that he had rid himself of this “witch,” and so he was tried and convicted of her death. Luckily for him, a skeptical lawyer passed by while his execution was being carried out and convinced the judge to let James free. Years later, the New York Times reported on this incident, but mixed up the names of the participants.

6. Beulah, the Meridian Witch

Rockford, IL

A witch named Beulah was rumored to have lived along Meridian Road west of Rockford, Illinois during the 1960s and ‘70s. It was said that she developed her powers as a young girl after being disfigured by shards from the lens of her glass speculum. She refashioned the shards into a divination mirror. She was also said to have two hounds, one black and one white. In 1965, it was alleged that Beulah caused the disappearance of several local teens who had gone looking for her. According to author William Gorman, Beulah was actually a widowed hermit who lost her mind after several school children died in a fire at the one room schoolhouse where she taught. Gorman believes her spirit is not at rest because of the torment she suffered in life.

Check out these stories and more in Michael Kleen’s
Haunting Illinois: A Tourist’s Guide to the Weird and Wild Places of the Prairie State!

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