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HAUNTED CHICAGO THE HAUNTED
INTERSECTION |
Could it be possible that ghosts are
actually trying to prevent accidents at a dangerous Chicago area intersection?
Many people believe so and the site had been the source of many years of
research by author Dale Kaczmarek. He
has also taken dozens of people to the wooded spot on his popular ghost tours.
I have been lucky enough to be one of them and Dale also took me to the
intersection a couple of years ago while I was sightseeing around Chicago’s
spirited spots.
While I didn’t see any ghost animals or riders while I was visiting the
location, other people cannot say the same thing! This intersection is located
on the south side of the city, on the edge of the Cook County Forest
Preserves. Nearby are a number of stables and horse-riding trails that wander
through the forests and at one point are forced to cross this roadway. Here,
at this corner, a number of horses and their riders have been killed while
trying to cross this busy street, which divides a trail. Those who have been
killed are often struck by vehicles that are traveling eastbound from LaGrange
Road. As the automobiles near the intersection, they climb a small rise and
anything on the road ahead of them becomes invisible. By the time they see the
riders, it is usually too late.
But do events from the past leave an impression on this spot, or do ghosts of
the animals and the riders reappear here today? You see, some pretty strange
things have been reported at this intersection. Drivers and passersby have
claimed to see horses and riders crossing this roadway long after the riding
stables have closed for the night. According to Dale Kaczmarek, a young couple
were traveling eastbound on 95th one night. As they neared Kean Avenue, they
saw the transparent figures of a horse and a rider crossing from north to
south. As they neared the top of the hill, there was inexplicably no one
there! They knew what they had seen, but the mysterious rider had vanished
into thin air!
During the time of the majority of accidents, there were only stop signs on
Kean Avenue and no traffic controls at all on the busier 95th Street. The
danger to riders was enhanced by high speed limits and little or no
enforcement of the speeds. In recent years, traffic lights and “horse
crossing” signs have been added, but some believe the ghosts of the
intersection have more to do with the safety enjoyed by current riders. They
say that these ghostly animals are more of a deterrent to speed than any
traffic sign or police officer ever could be!
Local legends also say that the horse crossing signs have occasionally been
maintained by other than human hands. Shortly after the signs were erected,
branches from the overhanging trees obscured them. Then one morning, the
branches were found to have been cleared... but how? Apparently, they had not
been cut but had been broken by hand. Some of the branches were far out of
reach too, as much as ten or eleven feet off the ground. There was no logical
explanation as to how the branches had been broken!
And no sane explanation exists for the other ghost who haunts this
intersection either! Many who ride horses here say that their animals are
often spooked near the corner. There have been reports over the years about a
ghostly dog that warns riders from danger around the busy road. It is believed
this dog may be the ghost of Felix, the former mascot of the local fire
department. He accompanied the firemen for years and was credited with saving
a number of lives while on active duty. When he died, he was buried at this
intersection and a stone was mounted in his honor. Could it be his ghost the
horses are sensing as he still tries to do his duty from the other side?
If you ever get the chance to travel out to this intersection, be sure to keep
your eyes open.... not just for the living horses and riders, but for the
ghostly ones as well!
The reportedly haunted intersection of 95th Street and Kean Avenue is located in the south side suburb of Hickory Hills, Illinois.
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(C) Copyright 2001 by Troy Taylor. All Rights Reserved.