Calling all lovers of horror and frightening tales! Sometimes just sitting alone and reading a sinister, true tale can be more terrifying than a walk through the graveyard. Are you in the dark? Is it past the witching hour? Then it's the perfect time to learn the history behind the city's best ghost story.
Gather round for a Chicago chiller that not everyone knows about. It goes like this:
Our tale begins at Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois, where a number of famous gangsters — including Chicago's most famous one — are buried.
But this ghost story has nothing to do with murder, robbery, or black market drugs. It concerns the death of Julia Buccola Petta, who is better known today as the "Italian Bride."
Julia died in childbirth at a young age in 1921, and shortly after, her mother began experiencing strange dreams where Julia came to her and insisted that she was still alive. The dreams continued for six years as the mother tried to get the grave opened, convinced her daughter was alive inside.
It is believed that Julia was buried in her wedding gown, as was customary at the time.
The grave was finally allowed to be opened in 1927. When officials opened the casket, Julia's body was still in place, but something was very odd...
Julia was found in perfect condition and appeared only to be sleeping in her coffin. To this day, no explanation has been given as to why the body did not decay over those six years.
Though Julia's body was exactly as it had been the day she died, her stillborn infant, who lay at her side, had suffered decay. Locals decided this meant she was a saint, and they reburied her with a grand memorial.
Nowadays, reports of seeing a woman in white near the grave are common. Locals claim she wears a glowing bridal gown and wanders the cemetery late at night. Her plot is located near the gates of the cemetery and is easily found due to the life-size statue of the woman sits atop the marker.
For more tales of terror, check out these seven urban legends straight out of Chicago.
Do you know this ghost story? Share your version with us!
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