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| Ridge Cemetery - what looks to be a face over the middle tombstone |
Since my third
book is published, it’s time to think of the next one. I’ve been tossing around the idea of
writing historical fiction, a genre that I love to read, and I think I’ve found
the basis of the story. Research
for it began with a trip in August.
My husband and I
drove to south central Illinois to an area of the state that technically no
longer exists. Well, one area
does, which is a reminder of what used to be, I suppose.
The town of
Williamsburg, Illinois was a thriving community, which began in 1839. Its prosperity was due mostly to the
stagecoach line that ran through the village. The demise of Williamsburg came in 1880 when the railroad
constructed its line to the east of the village. Stagecoach travel died and the residents of the town moved
to be closer to the railroad. Williamsburg
became a ghost town and there is nothing left of it.
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| Ridge Cemetery Cropped Photo - Face over Tombstone |
However, the
village included an area known as Williamsburg Hill, which rises over 800
feet. Somewhat of an anomaly, its
location is in the middle of flat cornfields. It’s easy to see once you get there but mapping it was a
little difficult for us. The GPS
in the car had us driving through cornfields; thankfully my iPhone led us
directly to it.
On top of
Williamsburg Hill is Ridge Cemetery and if you believe the folklore written about
the area, it is haunted. I did not
wish to go to Ridge Cemetery (reading about it “gave me the creeps”), but when
you’re the passenger in a vehicle driven by a determined human being, well,
sometimes you end up where you didn’t intend to be.
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| Ridge Cemetery - Williamsburg Hill |
And that is how we
ventured onto the grounds of one of the “Top 10 Creepiest Cemeteries in
Illinois” (per Mysteriousheartland.com). The road leading to the cemetery has a sign warning all
visitors that the grounds close at night and trespassers would be
prosecuted. Fortunately, it was
mid-afternoon.
The path to Ridge
Cemetery was dark due to the overgrowth of trees on either side of it. This caused my anxiety level to go into
overdrive, as shadows played across the road and I had no idea what we were
about to meet. Then once we reached
the cemetery at the end of the road, the area brightened to a serene and
peaceful looking resting place on the other side of an unlocked gate.
As we were the
only people there, I didn’t even want to get out of the car. It felt as if we were trespassing or
intruding on something intensely private.
But when my fearless co-passenger issued a hearty, “We’re here, might as
well get out,” I could do nothing but follow his lead.
I grabbed my
camera and started taking photos of the area outside of the gate, constantly
looking over my shoulder as if something might appear and spook me. The intent was to never, in any way, go
onto the grounds. However, hearing
a “Let’s go in,” meant either following the leader or standing by the car by
myself. The answer was clear and I
was sticking close to the spouse.
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| Ridge Cemetery - Williamsburg Hill, IL |
Quite honestly,
the grounds were very beautiful and I felt comfortable for part of the
time. Even though the cemetery
dates back to the nineteenth century, families in nearby communities still bury
loved ones there. Fresh flowers
graced some of the tombstones.
I began taking
photos in a rapid sequence with my digital SLR camera, never concentrating too
much in one area. I moved around a
bit, got a lot of photos and then the part came when I didn’t feel
comfortable. It was accompanied by
a terrible smell that would linger then dissipate. This happened several times and I was ready to leave. The fear factor had returned.
When I looked
through the photos later, I was very surprised. While several images have some strange shadows, there was
one sequence of photos that seem very clear. I’ve included one of them here in this blog post, cropped
and at normal size. Other
than annotating with a copyright, the photos are not fixed in any way. In other words, I did not add that
large, floating face above the middle headstone.
I’m not sure if I
captured something, but it looks as if I did. At any rate, the experience might cause Ridge Cemetery to find
a place in my story somehow.
