One of the first ghost stories I ever heard was of Resurrection Mary, the beautiful phantom that can be found hitchhiking on Archer Avenue in the Chicagoland area. This story has always been near and dear to my heart if only because Resurrection Mary haunts the cemetery where generations of my Polish relatives have been buried, Resurrection Cemetery. Many cities across America have stories of phantom hitchhikers, but I believe Resurrection Mary was the first. All roads (especially Archer Avenue) lead back to her.
The story goes like this…
Mary was a young, gorgeous woman who loved to dance. She spent her weekends cutting a rug at the swanky ballrooms sprinkled in and around Chicago in the early 1930s. One night, after dancing the night away at Oh Henry’s Ballroom in Willow Springs, IL, Mary and her companions were heading home down Archer Avenue. The car veered off the road, into a ditch, tragically killing Mary. Mary would never put on her dancing shoes again. Or would she?
Fast forward to another night at Oh Henry’s Ballroom. Several gentlemen out for an evening of dancing and drinking try to catch the attention of a beauty in a white. One man is lucky enough to catch her eye and sign her dance card. As they waltz across the dance floor, he notices how cold her skin feels, but only uses this as an excuse to hold her closer. At the end of the evening, the girl asks the young man for a ride home. Not being one to leave a lady in distress, he agrees to take her home.
She directs him to drive north down Archer Avenue. He complies and attempts to make small talk. Why would such a beautiful girl seem so sad and lonely? She doesn’t say much, just directs him down the road. As they approach the gates of Resurrection Cemetery, the girl yells frantically at him to stop. He slams on the brakes, his beautiful date opens the car door and runs towards the locked cemetery gates. Surprised at her reaction, he just watches as she reaches the closed gates, floats through them, and disappears…
Over the next 90+ years, many men have been baffled by the disappearing dancing queen in white. Resurrection Mary has been spotted at Oh Henry’s Ballroom which changed its name to the Willowbrook Ballroom before it burnt to the ground in 2016. Some have glimpsed her walking forlornly in her white dress down Archer Avenue. Others have met her at Chet’s Melody Lounge across the street from Resurrection Cemetery in Justice. No matter where Resurrection Mary is found, the stories all end the same, with her disappearing without a trace.
Mystical Minds 