Greenwood Cemetery in Decatur, IL is know for being one of the most haunted
cemeteries in Illinois. The actual date burials began in the area that is the cemetery
now is unknown. Troy Taylor, noted historian and well known haunted author,
has said that there is evidence that the site was the location of a Native American
burial of those murdered in 1820. The first recorded burial was in 1840 but it was
noted that multiple burials already existed.
During the Civil War years the legend associated with one of Greenwood's most
haunted spots was born. The story goes that a Union troop train traveling with
captured Confederate soldiers was en-route to a war prison outside of Chicago.
During the journey yellow fever broke out. When the train stopped in Decatur
it unloaded all of those that had died of the sickness onto wagons that took them
to a hill in Greenwood for burial in a huge mass grave. Some of those buried were
rumored to have still been alive.
Several years later the river that runs next to the cemetery and close to the hill
flooded the entire area. When the waters receded many of the confederate bodies
buried in the hill had washed away. Those that were found were reburied in the
cemetery as "unknown soldier".
It was during this time that crying, wailing and strange noises were commonly
heard in the area as well as lights. Locals said it was the poor souls whose bodies
were lost in the flood wandering. Possibly searching for their lost body or maybe
just confused and lost themselves. One visitor reported seeing a man in tattered
clothing who appeared to not know where he was. When they went to assist the
man he disappeared!
On the other side of the cemetery sits a set of steps up a small hill leading to the
plot of the Barrackman family. The Four graves that sit at the top of the steps
belong to members of this family that passed from 1878 to 1919. It is here
that an apparition of a young woman in a long dress has appeared many times to
visitors. Laying on the steps, hiding her face as if weeping, she has only ever been seen
at dusk. Current reports of the lady still come to light every so often. No records on
the four buried here have surfaced so nothing is really known about them, who this
sad lady is or why she appears briefly to some just as the sun goes down.
At the turn of the century Greenwood became the popular place to be buried.
In 1908 the public mausoleum was built. Bad construction led to severe structural
issues. It was at this time that the stories of seeing lights inside and hearing
strange noises in the mausoleum began. The mausoleum was closed in 1957.
Families of the deceased housed in the mausoleum were asked to make arrangements
for their family members to be moved. The mausoleum was finally demolished about
ten years later. More than 100 bodies were never claimed. Some could not even be
identified. The cemetery made the decision to bury them in mass lots across the street
from where the mausoleum stood. To this day even though the building is gone the
reports of seeing random lights and noises still surface!
The Greenwood Bride is one of the cemeteries most notorious ghosts to be spotted wandering through gravestones in her wedding gown weeping. The legend tells of a young woman who got engaged to a man who sold illegal booze. Her parents did not approve so the couple planned to elope after one more last booze run that would pay for their wedding and set them up for a new life. At the appointed place and time the young lady waited for her man to no avail. He never showed. She learned of his death the next day when the mans body surfaced. He had been murdered and thrown into the river near Greenwood where two fisherman found him. His death must have been to much for her to handle as she disappeared after a public breakdown only to be found a few days later in the river near where her fiance had been found. She was buried in her wedding gown on a hill in Greenwood Cemetery. She is the most encountered spirit in Greenwood and can still be seen gliding through the headstones in mourning of her lost lover.
Right around this time in the late 20's the cemetery started its decline and over the
next thirty years or so was ravaged slowly by a plethora of problems that led
to its ruined condition. By 1957 it had become so bad that the town of Decatur took
possession of the site and the Greenwood Cemetery Association was formed. It was
a huge task estimated at the time to cost over $100,000. Over 200 volunteers gathered
in 1958 with the mission of restoring the cemetery. They were successful and since
then the cemetery has been well kept but has still had issues with vandalism.
In more recent years Phantom mourners have been reported and are one of the
unique legends that have come from Greenwood. A woman visiting her fathers grave
said she saw a woman in a long black dress holding yellow flowers, standing by
a tree nearby. She looked away for a moment and when she looked back the woman
in black was gone! A former Greenwood employee tells of seeing an entire funeral
party while taking a break from mowing. He and his co-worker briefly walked away
to give them privacy. When they returned a few minutes later the area where the mourners
had been was completely empty. The entire funeral party having disappeared. A second
employee recalls witnessing a very similar event some time later. While raking leaves he
noticed a funeral party was gathered around a grave site. He did not recall a funeral being
scheduled for that day. The odd thing that stood out to him was that all the cars parked
nearby appeared to be from the 1940's. When the man looked at the schedule for that
day he saw that no funeral had been scheduled.
Greenwood Cemetery is still regarded as one of the most haunted locations in southern
Illinois! A Google search shows that the cemetery is open to the public weekdays from
8 am to 4:30 pm and closed on Saturday and Sunday. A groundskeeper now lives on
premises to keep everything running smoothly and trouble away! The cemetery is
beautiful and full of history. A must see if you are in the area! Further reading suggestions
below!!
Greenwood Cemetery photos by WMR
Further Reading:
Kleen, Michael. Legends and Lore of Illinois
Black Oak Media, Inc., 2013
Taylor, Troy. Beyond the Grave: The History of America’s Most Haunted Graveyards.
Alton: Whitechapel Productions Press, 2001.
Taylor, Troy. Where the Dead Walk: History & Hauntings of Greenwood Cemetery.
Alton: Whitechapel Productions Press, 2002.
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