CAHOKIA HEIGHTS, Ill — It’s time to explore another ‘Spooky Spot’ around the bi-state.
This week, our Sydney Stallworth takes us over to the Metro East. For the folks in Cahokia Heights, Cemetery Road is known to be haunted.
It looks like a regular street, but our news crew took a closer look with a local paranormal pro.
Mark Farley, owner of the St. Louis Paranormal Research Society pointed out a stone peeking over the grass to our reporter.
“See the headstone? There’s headstones all along this hill here.”
Once you notice one, you spot another, and another!
Hundreds of graves are hidden in the overgrown woods along Cemetery Road in Cahokia Heights, lending to a local legend that goes back decades.
“This comes back from the '30s and '40s," Farley said. "All these graves have been relocated. People have talked about seeing shadows moving in the woods at night. Moans and groans as they used to drive at night.”
Whether you think it’s lore or ludicrous, the headstones along this street are plain as day.
There is a history behind these headstones.
“Most of these graves have come from East St. Louis,” Farley said.
The Belleville News Democrat reported in 1968, an East St. Louis company moved thousands of mostly African American graves from Douglass Lawn Ridge Cemetery to Booker T. Washington Cemetery and Sunset Memorial Gardens, near this area.
“East St. Louis has a lot of history that’s basically being forgotten about,” Farley said.
Mark Farley said disturbed graves can make a hotbed for haunts. He’s from Dupo, and grew up hearing whispers about spirits along Cemetery Road.
“When I was a small kid hanging out at the Dupo Barber Shop, some of the older men, especially around this time of year, would talk about Cemetery Road,” Farley said.
Decades later, Mark has his own stories to tell.
“Down the road here is Sunset Cemetery and St. Clair Co. Potter’s field is located there.” he said. “While driving to Potters Field, we saw what looked to be a person crawling out of the ditch. When we got closer, we didn’t see the person.”
Mark has come here year after year and looks, but never touches. He hopes the area is preserved and protected, for the sake of the very real souls buried here.