by Michael Kleen
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.
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