Where do bachelors rest in peace? LbNA #24326 (ARCHIVED)

UPDATE: Box is MISSING as of 9/6/09 due to the removal of the tree in which the box was hidden. Will be replaced soon!

(Note: all info here has been cited from http://www.bachelorsgrove.com – a great resource for more info. Also, when looking for this letterbox, I’d recommend printing a copy of the cemetery map, found at http://www.graveyards.com/IL/Cook/bachelors/map.jpg , as many of the graves and sites are difficult to see with all of the plant overgrowth.)

Bachelor’s (or Batchelder’s) Grove Cemetery is well reputed for its ghostly ambiance. Once a peaceful settling in the early Orland township, it is now one of the oldest cemeteries in Cook County. No longer an actively used cemetery, it has become lost in the midst of what is now forest preserve. The cemetery can be accessed by parking in the lot for Rubio Woods on 143rd, just east of Ridgeland, and walking across 143rd to the well-traveled path that was the old Midlothian Turnpike (marked by a CLOSED sign, meaning to traffic, not to pedestrians.) It’s a fairly even hike, though I would not recommend strollers or small children, as some of the terrain through and around the cemetery is tricky. Follow the path to the cemetery’s entrance on your right.

Once through the cemetery’s gates, continue on the walking path forward (northwest). As you near the rear of the cemetery, stop at the spot in the path where you see 3 significant sights: to your left will be the large Fulton grave, where a little ghostly girl is said to like to play “Hide ‘n Seek”; ahead of you near the fence will be what looks like the rectangular borders marking a now forgotten grave; and just to the right of that, you can find the grave of the Shields family, the most recent and final burial at Bachelor’s Grove. (Look carefully, as it no longer stands upright.) In the area between the Shields grave and the back fence of the cemetery, you should see several downed trees that have fallen over the fence and atop some of the cemetery’s markers. Find the fallen tree that is over the fence and has a limb that juts out at a right angle. This limb has a peeking “eye” in its structure to help protect the letterbox from vandals. Search under this mysterious tree limb to end your search. There’s much seclusion for stamping, but please replace carefully, as this cemetery is quite popular.