Does Reading and Writing About Haunted Places Encourage Vandalism?

November 2, 2012 By 6 Comments

I received the following message on Facebook concerning Volume 3 Issue 2 of the Legends and Lore of Illinois about Ramsey Cemetery. I have always felt it was wrong to blame fans of folklore and ghost stories for the vandalism that occurs at rural cemeteries whether they are rumored to be haunted or not. Others, however, have a different opinion.

“I am writting you about your write up about Ramsey Cemetery in Feb. 2009. This is my family cemetery. It is not haunted. There is no werewolf or warlock or ghosts. These are all stories that have been imagined by people that were either high or drunk. This beautiful cemetery has been plagued by partiers, drinking, drug use, littering and vandalism. Tombstones have been toppled over and destroyed. Graves have been dug up, property has been destroyed.

This Cemetery is not a long forgotten place that has been left for decay. It is the finally resting place of my loved ones…my grandparents & great-grandparents, aunts, uncles & cousins. My Uncle that died serving his country is resting here. One day I will lay my parents to rest here and some day it will be my finally resting place as well. Please try to show respect for those buried here and their familes that mourn them.

You wrote about the Ramsey Cemetery in Feb. 2009. In April 2009, 40 tombstones were pulled down. Including my grandparents and Uncles stones. Thank you so much for encouraging people to find my family cemetery, walk through my family property searching for non-exsisting caves and ghosts, werewolves and warlocks. One question? Did you have permisson to tresspass on private property looking for caves, werewolves, warlocks and ghosts?”

A link to the Illinois laws and statutes governing cemeteries has been available on this website for a long time. Here was my response to this lady’s concerns:

“I am aware of what happened at Ramsey Cemetery and other cemeteries like it. It is a tragedy that some people do not respect burial places. However, you cannot blame my publication for what happened. Those stories are well known in the area and have been written about in books and articles, and elsewhere on the Internet. I am simply retelling the stories. Many rural graveyards (unfortunately) suffer vandalism without having any stories associated with them. I have never encouraged any acts of vandalism and, in fact, am very interested in cemetery history and preservation. One of the purposes of my publication was to provide pictures and as much information as possible so that people do not feel the need to go there. But even if they did, my readers are respectful of burial grounds and take care to leave them as they were found.”

What do you think? Vote in our poll or leave your comments below.

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Interview with Dan Norvell of Small Town Paranormal

November 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Dan Norvell is founder of Small Town Paranormal and for the past year has worked to raise awareness of the damage caused by vandals to Blood’s Point Cemetery in Boone County.

Why were you first interested in Blood’s Point Cemetery, and how did you become involved in helping to restore it?

I was interested in Bloodspoint Cemetery because of all of the stories that I had heard growing up in the area.  What really peaked my interest is all of the vandalism to the cemetery.  In one weekend, the cemetery suffered more than 8,000 dollars of damage to the stones.  When people hold the final resting place of others in such disregard, that just lit the flame under me.

What does Dan have to say about the vandalism at Blood’s Point Cemetery? What are his plans for the Small Town Paranormal Cemetery Crawl?

Check out the entire interview here and find out!

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Burr Oak Scandal update

August 6, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Alsip cops dropped ’05 probe of Burr Oak after brief investigation, report shows
48395502By Kim Janssen
Chicago Tribune
August 1, 2009

Less than a week after Alsip police found human bones and shattered vaults dumped in plain view at Burr Oak Cemetery in 2005, detectives told the woman now accused of masterminding a massive grave desecration that they had no interest in investigating further, a police report shows.

During that meeting four years ago, cemetery manager Carolyn Towns gave several excuses for the exposed bones, suggesting “animals may have brought the remains to the site after coming upon them elsewhere in the cemetery,” the report says.
The police report stems from allegations made by subcontractors working for Commonwealth Edison Co., who said they were installing power lines on March 17 of that year when they found human skulls along the cemetery’s northwest edge. One of the workers took a skull to his motel room before turning it over to police, the report says. It’s unclear where the skull or other remains were before that, or where they eventually ended up.

Read the entire article…

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Grisly Find at Burr Oak Cemetery in Suburban Alsip

July 9, 2009 By 3 Comments

This time the culprits were the cemetery’s own caretakers. Is nothing sacred anymore?

p16_1Bodies dug up at historic cemetery

July 8, 2009 (ALSIP, Ill.) (WLS) — More than 100 graves were dug up in the historic Burr Oak Cemetery, according to the Cook County sheriff’s office.

Five people, including a cemetery manager, have been arrested for allegedly digging up the graves and then dumping the remains to make room for new bodies.

Heaps of cement – cracked open burial vaults – lie in the cemetery. In the weeds behind them, sheriff’s police found bones, headstones and other evidence that the dead were dug up and discarded like trash.

“What we found was beyond startling and revolting,” said Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart during a news conference on Wednesday afternoon at the gates of the cemetery in south suburban Alsip, Ill.

Read the full story…

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When “Ghost Hunting” Goes Wrong

June 16, 2009 By 1 Comment

I’ve often criticized those who blame paranormal enthusiasts for vandalism at cemeteries, but here’s a story out of Florida (of course) that is too strange to deny.

Hernando teens charged with grave robbing

SPRING HILL, FL — Hernando County sheriff’s deputies say two teenagers broke into a tomb at a Spring Hill cemetery and stole the skull inside.

According to a police report, deputies were patrolling the cemetery, which has become popular with drug users. They noticed a concrete tomb that appeared to be opened.

The report says, “Inside this concrete tomb was a badly decayed wooden casket with no top on it. It appeared as though the top must have decayed and was extremely old and in poor condition. Looking inside the coffin, deputies observed the remains of a deceased subject, dressed in a suit consistent with a male’s attire. Missing however, from the grave was this unknown subject’s skull.”

As deputies were investigating the crime, two teens walked out of the woods. The teens told deputies, “that the cemetery was possibly haunted and they were looking for antique landmarks in the woods.”

Read on…

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