Haunted locations guide
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
By Ben Crane
As Halloween approaches, Douglas County residents don’t have to look far for a few good ghost stories. Several nearby sites have gained reputations for unexplained activity, unusual architecture, and long-standing folklore that continues to draw attention every fall.
Chesterville Cemetery (‘The Witch’s Grave’)
Just a few miles north of Arcola sits one of the most talked-about graves in east-central Illinois. Chesterville Cemetery is home to what locals call the “Witch’s Grave,” a burial site surrounded by an iron fence with a large oak tree growing directly through it.
According to local legend, the woman buried there was accused of witchcraft more than a century ago. The fence, it’s said, was meant to contain her spirit, while the tree was planted to hold her down. Over time, the trunk has swallowed the bars entirely, creating one of the most distinctive gravesites in the region.
No record of a witch trial or execution in the Chesterville area has ever been found, and historians generally view the story as folklore. Still, the imagery of a tree and fence locked together above a single grave has helped the legend endure.
Saint Omer Cemetery
In Ashmore in Coles County lies another grave with a similar reputation. Saint Omer Cemetery is known for the tall monument of Caroline Barnes, who died in 1882. Her headstone is topped with a glass orb that some visitors claim glows under the light of the moon.
Over the years, rumors have circulated that Barnes was accused of witchcraft and placed a curse on the town before her death. Historians have found no evidence to confirm those claims, but the odd glow of the monument—likely caused by reflected light—continues to feed speculation.
Interestingly, her death date is marked as Feb. 31, 1882. It is said to be a preventative measure as witches “come back on their death date.”
Saint Omer has become a popular stop for ghost tours and amateur investigators who consider it one of Illinois’ most photographed “haunted” cemeteries.
Ashmore Estates
A short distance away on the outskirts of Ashmore stands one of the region’s most recognizable haunted landmarks. Ashmore Estates was built in 1916 as the Coles County Poor Farm before being converted into a psychiatric hospital. It closed in the late 1980s and has since been restored and reopened for historical and paranormal tours.
Visitors have reported doors slamming, footsteps echoing through empty hallways and voices coming from upper floors when no one is there. The site has been featured on national television shows including Ghost Adventures and Destination Fear.
While the stories have never been proven, county records confirm that dozens of residents died on the property during its decades of operation, giving weight to the eerie atmosphere that surrounds the aging brick building.
Pemberton Hall
In nearby Charleston, Eastern Illinois University’s Pemberton Hall carries one of the state’s oldest campus ghost stories. Built in 1909, it remains Illinois’ oldest women’s dormitory and has been associated for more than a century with a matron named Mary Hawkins.
According to campus legend, Hawkins continues to patrol the halls after death, checking rooms and watching over students as she once did in life. The story began in the early 1900s and has persisted through generations of EIU students.
University officials acknowledge the legend as part of campus tradition, though they note that Pemberton’s activity today is more likely caused by late-night studying than supernatural events.
Harrison Street Inn
In Sullivan, the Harrison Street Inn adds a lighter note to the region’s haunted folklore. The century-old building, which operates as a small inn, is said to experience occasional footsteps, flickering lights and doors that open on their own.
Former owners and guests have described the activity as harmless, suggesting that if spirits remain, they are attached more to the building’s long family history than to any tragic event. The inn’s long-standing presence and preserved architecture make it a frequent mention on Illinois ghost-hunting routes.
Folklore and Local Identity
Together, these sites form a map of local superstition that stretches across the quiet prairies of east-central Illinois. While historians tend to view the stories as products of imagination and coincidence, the legends themselves have become part of the region’s identity.
Each October, travelers and residents alike visit these places out of curiosity, reflection or tradition. From Chesterville’s iron-fenced oak to the looming halls of Ashmore Estates, the stories endure because they connect history, mystery and the enduring appeal of a good ghost tale.