Perhaps Resurrection Cemetery is more than just a final resting place. It might be a gateway to the uncanny. Resurrection Cemetery is famous. It is known for Resurrection Mary. She is the hitch-hiking ghost. She supposedly haunts Archer Avenue.
Since the 1930s men driving along Archer Avenue have told stories. These drivers picked up a young woman. She was hitchhiking. The woman dressed in a white party dress. She had light blond hair and blue eyes. As they neared Resurrection Cemetery she disappeared.
Richard Crowe is a full-time ghost hunter. He has collected many reports of Mary sightings. These reports span from the 1930s to today.
Legend says Mary spent an evening dancing. It was at the Oh Henry Ballroom. She argued with her boyfriend and stormed out. As she walked up Archer Avenue a hit-and-run driver struck her. The driver fled. Mary died at the scene. Her parents buried her in Resurrection Cemetery. She wore a white dancing dress and shoes. The hit-and-run driver was never found.
In 1939 Jerry Palus met someone at the Liberty Grove and Hall. He believed it was Resurrection Mary. They danced and kissed. She asked him to drive her home along Archer Avenue. She exited the car and vanished. It happened in front of Resurrection Cemetery.
In 1973 Resurrection Mary appeared at Harlow’s nightclub. That same year a cab driver went to Chet’s Melody Lounge. He asked about a young lady. She left without paying. There were sightings in 1976 and 1978. Sightings also occurred in 1980 and 1989. Cars struck or nearly struck Mary. It happened outside Resurrection Cemetery. Mary vanished each time.
She supposedly burned her handprints into the cemetery fence in 1976. However officials deny this. They say a truck damaged the fence. There is no ghost evidence.
Bill Geist wrote about a cab driver named Ralph. Ralph picked up a young woman. She was near a shopping center on Archer Avenue. She jumped and said “Here Here”. Ralph hit the brakes. She pointed across the road and said “There”. When he looked back she was gone. The car door never opened.
Some researchers connect Resurrection Mary to burials in Resurrection Cemetery. One focus is Mary Bregovy. She died in 1934 in an auto accident. It happened in downtown Chicago. Ursula Bielski suggests Anna “Marija” Norkus. She died in a 1927 car accident. She was returning from the Oh Henry Ballroom.
Resurrection Cemetery is also home to a Mausoleum. The 1969 Resurrection Cemetery Mausoleum is a modern architectural wonder. Harley, Ellington, Cowin, and Stirton designed it. They were from Detroit. The firm is now Harley Ellis Devereaux.
The mausoleum is designed in a mid-century classical style. It is known as New Formalism. It resembles a classic Greek temple. Bright white concrete was used. The building sits on a rise near a small lake. Green lawns surround it. A colonnade of white columns wraps around all four sides.
The east-facing main façade rises to the colonnade level. A volume projects past the colonnade. It displays a large sculpture of Jesus Rising. A long black canopy leads to the front door.
The inner temple has walls of dalle de verre stained glass. There are 2248 panels. Gabriel P. Cartwright designed it. He was from the Conrad Pickel Studios. The stained glass walls are the world’s largest installation. They measure 22381 square feet.
The interiors are dominated by these window-walls. The glass glows with reds greens oranges and blues. It casts light on the walls floor and furniture. Stories from the life of Jesus are depicted. Other scenes include dinosaurs in the Garden of Eden. There are also jet airplanes skyscrapers and an atomic explosion. A Saturn V rocket launches into space.
The interior has works by Polish artists. One panel is by Józef Sławiński. It shows a cavalry charge. Murals by Melville P. Stienfels show Polish heroes. Ferdinand Rebechini carved marble saints for the Terrace Level.
Stories swirl around Resurrection Cemetery. Whether you seek art history or ghostly encounters it offers intrigue. As you leave remember the tales of Resurrection Mary. Keep her legend alive. Perhaps you will catch a glimpse of her yourself.