The Ghost World of Rockford, Illinois

By Dark Starr


While Alton and Cairo, Illinois might be the central clearing house of hauntings in Illinois, and Chicago’s Resurrection Mary, the State’s most famous current former resident, the Rockford area has its share of ghostly appearances. It should be pointed out that Wormwood Chronicles, full-fledged contributor to chaos and anarchy that it is, in no way endorses people going out on their own ghost busting excursions. Most of the areas mentioned in this articles are private property, and you would certainly be subject to arrest for trespassing. That is, if the spirits inhabiting the areas let you live that long.

We will start our spirit quest by looking at some of the stories surrounding the city itself. The first point of reference is the old Wagon Wheel Lodge in Rockton, Illinois. Dr. Mality himself was employed there at one time, and I have it from him that he never saw any ghostly activity. Still, perhaps his presence kept them at bay. ( I think that the resort was the gateway to Hell itself and I was acting as "sentinel" ...Ghostbuster Mality) This resort dates back to the 1930’s, and according to the stories that have circulated has been haunted for a very long time. Apparently there were a couple of different ghosts "living" in the old building. The first was a bellhop who disappeared there, and the other is a guest who hung himself in one of the rooms of the resort. No one seems to pinpoint just which ghost is responsible for which activity,but there are stories of the usual strange sounds, mystery lights and a face in the window. The interesting thing, though, is that the building sat empty for years after suffering numerous fires. According to reports the face and lights still showed up,even when there was no electricity running to the building. Keep in mind that this summer the last building was razed, so perhaps that’s the end of this particular haunting. Still, if a spirit hangs around after all those fires, one has to wonder how they will like whatever building is put there next.

Now we look to the other corner of the Rockfordian outskirts, Bloods Point Cemetery. This graveyard is located in the township of Flora, between Cherry Valley and Belvidere. It’s 4 1/2 miles south of Belvidere off of Pearl St. Rd., and there are many many stories of strange happenings in and near this particular site. Interestingly enough, when you look at all these independent tales some remarkable common instances show up.

The area around the cemetery seems to be patrolled by phantom vehicles. Many visitors report being followed by either a car or big black rig that chases them at ever increasing speeds. Some say that it begins the chase at first with no lights on, then ignites them as it carries on the pursuit. In any event, in virtually every story, eventually the vehicle simply disappears. According to one witness, "We were searching for the road when we came upon a cemetery. We were not yet on Blood’s Point but we decided to walk in that cemetery anyway. It was around midnight when we pulled up and noticed another car already parked next to the gate. We figured someone was already in there so we decided to just turn around and continue looking for Blood’s Point cemetery. We turned around right next to the other car as it was right next to an intersection and right after we did so the car began to follow us. The roads were deserted. It was just us and this other car. We drove faster, it drove faster. It became obvious this car was chasing us. We would turn, it would turn. Finally we made a turn and could no longer see the other car. It seemed to have just disappeared."

Another person who reported the phantom vehicle also stated that when they arrived the gate to the cemetery was shut with a chain and lock, but when they turned around the gate was standing open, inviting them in.

Other happenings near that cemetery include stories of floating orbs in a field nearby and a bridge which will shut down your car and not allow it to start again. There are also quite a few stories of other electrical disturbances in the general vicinity of the cemetery. Once you get inside the graveyard, though, there are other phenomenon that have been said to occur. For instance, a shed inside has been repeatedly told of as being surrounded by the laughter of children. Phantom children have also been seen, not just heard in the graveyard. In fact, several people have told of having objects thrown at them by the children, and when they approach to confront them, the children simply disappear.

There is one reported haunted spot in the Loves Park area, the corner of 173 and Mitchell Road. Apparently there is a rest stop there, and the sounds of phantom children have been heard there. There are also reports of cars not starting and being shaken all the while the ghost kids make their sounds. Other areas with less frequent reports include Cherry Vale Mall. Apparently several employees have reported being followed by unseen forces, seeing merchandise move by itself, and having bathroom doors held shut by something.

One of the more active and rich haunting areas in the city, though, is Rockford College. Apparently Adams Arch, the last remaining piece of the original campus of the school is frequently surrounded by the sounds of laughter. The haunting in the Burpee Building, though, is far more profound and well defined. Apparently some of the manifestations in this area that have been seen include doors that shakes violently or slam shut, the sounds of footsteps and a male voice. Just about a year ago, though, an answer to the source of this haunting may have been found. Apparently a man working late at night in the basement caught the reflection of a person in the window. He looked around to see who it might be, and the papers he had been working with on his desk blew away ? all except one. When he picked up that one paper it was an archival account of a man committing suicide in the building.

Another building on the campus that has had more recent information regarding hauntings is McGaw Hall. Apparently it has been pretty well known for many years that the fifth floor of the building is haunted. Much of the information before now has centered on the fifth floor, though. However, in August of this year a cheerleading squad stayed in the building (on the sixth and seventh floors). They had numerous occurrences to indicate a haunting. For one thing there was frequently the sound of singing as they were taking their showers. A male voice was heard at times. This is unusual for a number of reasons. For one thing, there were no men present in the building. Even the janitors were women.

For another they could never find the source of the voice or figure out what it was saying. The cheerleaders staying in room 603 repeatedly heard the sound of a chair sliding across the floor in the room above them, 703. The thing is that room was locked and vacant. (I haunted some cheerleaders there myself, but unfortunately, the ladder fell down!--Dr. Mality)

Finally, the theater areas of Rockford College are said to be quite well haunted. The Clark Arts Center is rumored to be occupied by the ghost of a professor who designed the building. According to the stories, lights flicker, the sound of piano music is heard and footsteps on catwalks can also be heard. Maddox Theater also shares the flickering lights. A bell in a prop room has been known to ring for no apparent reason.

While these hauntings are some of the more dramatic in Rockford, there are several other reports. Many have spoken of weird occurrences in the Coronado Theater. Twin Sister’s Park Woods is said to occasionally have an apparition of a small girl. Even Jefferson and East High have been told to be haunted. So, although Rockford doesn’t get as much press as being a center of hauntings, it indeed seems to have its fair share of them.