Three Illinois cemeteries rank among nation's scariest, survey finds

ILLINOIS - A new survey by Choice Mutual lists Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago, Bachelor’s Grove in Midlothian and Springdale Cemetery in Peoria as the top three most frightening graveyards in Illinois.

What we know:

Each Illinois cemetery has features that helped it earn its respective place among the eeriest in the country. 

Rosehill Cemetery is the largest cemetery in Chicago that blends history with a good scare. Security staff have reportedly spotted figures inside locked mausolems and some drivers have even claimed to see movement in the stained-glass reflections.

Those who visit Bachelor's Grove Cemetery in Midlothian have described seeing orbs, phantom horses and a "White Lady" carrying a baby while visiting. 

Springdale Cemetery in Peoria is one of the state's largest and oldest cemeteries with winding roads and an eerie river fog. 

John Feltham walks through the cemetery at the edge of his family farm on Feb. 24, 2023, near Williamsfield. (Shanna Madison/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Life insurance agency Choice Mutual surveyed 3,004 Americans ahead of Halloween asking "which graveyard would you be least prepared to visit alone at night?"

Cemeteries in the Midwest were typically voted among the scariest in the country because of the mystery surrounding them, according to the survey. In Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin, legends about cemeteries are viewed as "weird" due to their historic tales of phantom lights, laughter or disappearing dogs. 

The 10 scariest graveyards around the county are: 

1. Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Sleepy Hollow, New York
2. Gettysburg National Cemetery, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
3. Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles, California
4. Pine Hill Cemetery ("Blood Cemetery"), Hollis, New Hampshire
5. Boothill Graveyard, Tombstone, Arizona
6. Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum Cemetery, Weston, West Virginia
7. St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, New Orleans, Louisiana
8. Old City Cemetery (Historic City Cemetery), Sacramento, California
9. Salem Cemetery, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
10. Old Hill Burying Ground, Concord, Massachusetts

Many of the graveyards included on the list don't have reputations for being haunted, but rather lingering stories and ghost tales. 

"You don’t need to believe in ghosts to feel something in these places," Anthony Martin, founder of Choice Mutual said. "Cemeteries are where stories outlive the people who told them – and that’s what really makes them haunting. The fear is just the surface; underneath it is memory."

For the full survey results, visit the Choice Mutual website.