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James N. Brown, Photographer
Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia
Resting place of songwriter Johnny Mercer.
Resting place of Little Gracie Watson.
Not shot by me, a short video about Bonaventure.
Colonial Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia
These are just a few of the headstones attached to the back wall of the cemetery. It is said that when Sherman's troops arrived in Savannah, some of them set up camp in this cemetery, which had apparently become overgrown due to neglect. They supposedly removed some of the headstones to make room for themselves and their horses, and after they left, the people of Savannah lined them up here rather than try to guess where they belonged.
Resurrection Cemetery, Justice, Illinois
Resurrection Mary
While tales of vanishing hitchhikers come and go like the hitchhikers themselves, Justice, Ill., in southwest suburban Chicago, is home to the famous — and enduring — tale of Resurrection Mary. The ghost is said to be that of Mary Bregovy, a Polish girl who died March 10, 1934, in a car accident while coming home from a night of dancing at the O. Henry Ballroom (now known as the Willowbrook) down Archer Ave. from Justice in Willow Springs. Still others believe the ghost to be that of Mary Miskowski, also said to be buried along Archer in Justice at Resurrection Cemetery, one of the Chicago area’s largest cemeteries.
A few months after Mary died, reports of her reappearance began making their way around town. Stories say Mary often is seen walking barefoot down Archer in a white dancing dress, holding her dancing shoes. Many people stop and offer her a ride home. As people drive her home, she asks them to stop in front of the cemetery gates on Archer. She gets out of the car, runs across the road and dematerializes at the gate.
Could this be the famed Resurrection Mary as some have claimed?
The famous gates that some say Resurrection Mary bent and scorched in August of 1976 have been removed, and recently replaced with these new metal gates.
While being home to Resurrection Mary, Chicago's most famous ghost, Resurrection Cemetery also boasts the world's largest stained glass window, which encloses the mausoleum near the main entrance of the cemetery.
Showmen's Rest, Woodlawn Cemetery, Forest Park, Illinois
On June 22, 1918, at about 4 am, the Hagenback-Wallace Circus train was heading toward Hammond, Indiana, carrying 400 performers and roustabouts. The train stopped near Ivanhoe in order to cool an overheated wheel bearing box. Red lights were turned on to warn any other approaching trains that a train had stopped on the tracks.
An empty troop train was approaching at full speed from behind, piloted by engineer Alonzo Sargent, who had previously been fired for sleeping on the job. Ignoring the red lights, and the efforts of a flagman to signal the oncoming train, it plowed into the back of the circus train, destroying three cars before finally coming to a halt.
A fire then broke out. Survivors of the crash, trapped under the wreckage, were unable to free themselves and escape the flames. An estimated 86 people died in the accident.
Most of the dead were never identified. Circus performers were often known only by nicknames, and many had joined only recently. The stones shown here are labeled "Baldy" and "4 Horse Driver"; almost all of the others simply read "Unknown Male", followed by a number.
