Mysterious Places           PAGE:- 1  2  3         

                                                                             Resurrection Mary
                                                                    March 1934 - Chicago, Illinois ~ 10 Cents a Dance?

The O'Henry Ballroom in Chicago must have been a place of music, dancing and laughter. Imagine the noisy smoke filled room with the lights down low, glasses clinking together, flirting eyes darting from place to place, the men and women enjoying each other's company.

One of the people who frequented O'Henry's was a blue-eyed, blonde beauty, named Mary. One cold, sad and lonely night, the music for Mary stopped and to this day, she is longing to hear it played again.

It has been said, that on this particular evening, Mary and her male companion had an argument. She left the Ballroom and while hitchhiking down Archer Ave. was killed by a hit and run driver. Ever since then, this beauty has been seen, wandering down Archer Ave. dressed in a long white gown.

There are many varied reports of Mary and her antics, her escapades have become infamous in Chicago, as well as around the world.

She "danced" with a gentleman named "Jerry Palus." The year was 1939. He described Mary as a "beautiful blonde Polish-American girl in a long white gown with her hair in ringlets." They danced most of the evening away, and while dancing, "Jerry" noticed her hands and the small of her back, were ..... COLD as ice. He offered to take Mary home, and she gratefully accepted. Her directions included Archer Rd. When they reached Resurrection Cemetery.  Mary jumped out of "Jerry's" car, dashed away into the night, through the dark and mysterious gates of the cemetery.

Also, in 1939, a cab driver, known only as "Ralph" stopped to lend Mary a hand. He never expected this fare to not pay her way, but Mary succeeded. It was January, cold and bitter as Chicago nights can be. Mary got into the cab, directed "Ralph" to travel North on Archer Ave. Upon approaching Resurrection Cemetery, Mary was no longer riding in that cab. The doors NEVER opened, yet Mary was gone.

These now famous Gates of Resurrection Cemetery are known for another incident more than likely connected with Mary.

In 1976, someone driving past the cemetery noticed a woman who seemed to be trapped inside the Gate. Police Sergeant "Pat Homer" was sent to investigate.  When he arrived, he found no one there, but what he did find will make you wonder! Two bars of the Gates had been literally PRIED apart! Further investigation reveals that there are HUMAN hand prints imbedded into that steel. Attempts were made to "erase" the prints, but as you would suspect from Mary, the prints are still there to this day. Not only is Mary beautiful, She is extremely strong!

In researching this article about Mary and the subject of Ghosts, in general, I have learned it is very unusual for more than one person to "see" an entity at one time. Mary breaks the RULES here as well.  There is a report given by "Shawn and Geri Lape" and I'm sure they will remember this the rest of their lives. They were driving down Archer Ave.   ..yes..  near Resurrection Cemetery when out of nowhere, a girl in a white dress darted out in front of them. They say timing is everything. Well, Mary managed to vanish, just as "Shawn" applied the brakes and brought his vehicle to a slamming halt. Try to picture in your mind, what must have been going through "Shawn's" mind. Trying desperately to stop and not hit her, only to find no "THUD" no crash, no body, nothing but screaming silence to pierce the night. Mary vanished again.

It has also been reported that Mary's habit of hitchhiking occurs around 1:30 am, which was the normal closing time for O'Henry's Ballroom, circa 1934. Most of the sightings of Mary give the impression of a sad, lonely and forlorn woman, as told by a majority of those who claim to have seen her.

Her name was Mary and many believe that she may have been a young Polish girl named Mary Bregavy, although her exact identity is still unknown. I wonder why. A woman of her youth and stature must have had family. Surely her boyfriend realized something went terribly wrong that cold, dark night in Justice, IL Why did he not report to the police that she was missing? Could it be that he was the hit and run driver?

To our Guests here at Mystical Universe. If you know of, or have "seen" Mary? Please drop us a line and give us your account of what you know or have heard.

Somewhere, Mary is looking for another sweet night of dancing, music and laughter along Archer Ave.
Nancy, Director of Operations, Editor
For more information, click here: Ghost Research Society

November 26, 1999 - Resurrection Mary: UPDATE
The Enigma

Resurrection Mary has fascinated me since I was a teenager. Now that I have an opportunity to write about her, I have tried my best to find the most current information about her and any possible recent encounters.

It has taken months of e-mailing, reading, and research. I have been in touch with various Psychics, Authors and Ghost Societies. To date, I am sorry to report that no matter how strong my desire, I cannot locate any new data on Mary.

This bothers me for several reasons. One author is quoted as saying that Mary is probably the MOST witnessed "ghost" in the Chicago area, and I have no doubt that is true. My original intent was to provide YOU, our Guest with interviews with those who claim to have seen her. Here, I struck out as well.

What I can do is give more detailed information, and revise a portion of the original "story" on Mary.

It seems that over the past century, the area "haunted" by Mary, Archer Ave. has experienced dozens of unusual happenings, not just Mary. There have been many who speculate that the area is a "magnet" for Paranormal activity due to it's origins as an Indian Trail.  Perhaps those who carved out the territory hundreds of years ago, knew by instinct that Spirits were comfortable here and so they remain to this day.

No matter the reason, it is easy to understand why the human mind wants to have answers to those questions that are so baffling.

With Mary, nothing is more confusing. We don't even know WHO she was, in human form. We do know that her parents buried her in a white gown, in Resurrection Cemetery, immediately following her untimely death, by a hit and run driver those many years ago. In my original report, I referred to the possibility that she was a young Polish girl named Mary Bregovy. I have now found evidence indicating that this is in fact, incorrect. In 1934, Mary Bregovy was also struck down in an automobile accident although that accident involved her being thrown through a windshield, not killed by a hit and run driver, as was Resurrection Mary.

Mary Bregovy was also buried in Resurrection Cemetery. Her appearance does not match what those have reported about the "lady in white" who effortlessly wanders down Archer Ave. even to this day. According to the photographs that still exist of Mary Bregovy, she had dark, short hair and not the long blonde hair of the infamous Mary of Archer Ave. It is reported that Mary Bregovy was buried in an orchid colored dress, not the white attributed to "our" Mary.

What makes all of this so frustrating, is Mary herself. So many unanswered questions. Why don't we know who she was?  Who were her parents? Who were her friends? Who was that hit and run driver that ended Mary's young life that cold, unforgettable Chicago night? What ever became of her "beau" with whom she argued and ran into the night, only to be sent to the world of the dead?

Then, I must reiterate the intensity of the witnesses. There is no doubt in my mind that these individuals who have "seen" her know they experienced someone from a world not of this Earth. Their encounters with her are so real, so "normal," so unnerving that I do believe they have been the lucky ones. They have been chosen by Mary to become involved, somehow, someway. This connection to her is vital, but unfortunately, I cannot provide you with any new information and for that I am sorry.

Mary, you are an enigma that only you understand. You have worked your way into so many lives, and still leave us wondering.

The music still plays, the winter nights are still bitter and damp. The dancers still dance, the laughter still rings out, the lights are still low in that ballroom that drew Mary, like a magnet, to her death.