- Moon Point Cemetery
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Moon Point Cemetery, July 2011
Moon Point Cemetery, or Moon's Point Cemetery, (often mistakenly called 'Moon Creek Cemetery') is a memorial site located south of Streator, Illinois off of Route 23, in Livingston County. It pre-dates the Civil War and inters several of the original European settlers of Livingston County. It has been the subject of ghost folklore for generations of Streator area residents.
Contents
History
The origin of the cemetery's name is not as clearly evident today as it was in the 19th century. Jacob Moon and his family were the first European settlers in the area.[1] Moon and his sons, Rees, Albert and Thomas, and a daughter, Margaret arrived just after the Black Hawk War of 1832 and settled what would become Reading Township.[2] The cemetery was likely established as the Moon family cemetery, which was a common practice at the time.[3]
Jacob Moon was born in 1781 in Berkeley County, Virginia (present day West Virginia). He married Leah Reese in 1806, and they moved to Fayettesville County, Ohio in 1808. Moon served in the war of 1812. After the war, Moon returned to his family in Fayettesville County, and farmed there until they moved to Reading Township between 1830 and 1833. In the early 19th century a finger of wooded land extending approximately one mile from the river along the course of a tributary, now known as Moon Creek, was a prominent feature of the landscape. "They were from the State of Ohio, and, like all early emigrants from the wooded countries, were attracted by the timber and water features of this country, and hence settled in the immediate vicinity of the river, and near the little stream of water which now bears their name.[4]"
After the Land Ordinance of 1785, the law required teams of surveyors to subdivide the land into 6-square-mile (16 km2) parcels to be sold by the government. On February 1, 1836, Jacob's son Albert bought the southwest quarter of Section 11 of Reading Township from the government for $1.25 per acre. On May 18, Jacob bought the northeast quarter of Section 10 for the same price. Two years later, Albert bought an additional 80 acres (320,000 m2) immediately east of his first purchase.
Folklore
Various area residents often claim that a large number of eerie happenings take place upon visiting the cemetery, among them: ghostly apparitions of a "Hatchet Lady", strange disturbances and malfunctions of cars that are driven there, the disembodied sounds of young children laughing, and oddly behaving, anomalous spook lights. According to Streator area residents, the legend has been ongoing for at least fifty years.
Although it is unknown exactly when the stories of hauntings at Moon Point began circulating, there have reportedly been a number of supernatural incidents over many years time.[5] Since at least the 1970s there have been stories circulated about unusual happenings that take place upon entering Moon Point Cemetery. An apparition of a female figure, referred to in local lore as the "Hatchet Lady", has been searched for by paranormal groups and written about extensively[6] among followers of fortean phenomena. This story has many variations, though the best known version claims that a woman began visiting the cemetery to protect her son's grave after his death during the Civil War. The legend purports that she stood near the grave for most of her life, protecting it from those who ridiculed her son during his life. After she died, her soul returned to the cemetery each day with a hatchet to ward off those who did not belong there, her ghostly voice wailing, "Get out!"
Many other incidents that have occurred in and around the cemetery have also been reported to local law enforcement over the years. In August 2002, a man claiming to be a "ghost-traveler" said he visited the cemetery one night and filmed ghostly images of a 19th century boy who materialized in a tombstone, clad in clothing of the time in which he had lived. The man claimed to have seen strange lights "dancing around the gravestones", as well as strange red and white orbs appearing and disappearing in the cornfields that surround the entrance. The man also reported hearing the unified sounds of fists banging on casket lids from within the graves, and the sound of a sarcophagus lid (heavy concrete resting upon concrete) being moved. According to his claims, the "Hatchet Lady" whispered in his ear several times, in earnest, for him to "Get Out!" and that he could feel her breath on his neck when she hissed at him.[citation needed]
Vandalism
an example of vandalism at Moon Point Cemetery, outside of Streator, ILThe popularity of the ghost stories surrounding Moon Creek Cemetery and it's isolated location have contributed to random incidents of vandalism to grave markers and fences. Nearby residents and Livingston County police make efforts to keep thrill seekers from frequenting the cemetery at night, when it is illegal to trespass there.
In Popular Culture
A film entitled "Moon Creek Cemetery", produced and written by former Streator resident Mark A. Pierce was filmed in 2009, featuring footage shot in the cemetery.[7] It is tentatively planned for release in late October, 2011.[8]
Burial list
Thomas Moon, son of Jacob, was the first person buried in the cemetery after his death on October 8, 1844.[9] The following is an incomplete list of other people buried in the cemetery:
- Maggie (Dav_?) Montgomery Died Oct. 15. 1870 Aged 5M 15D
- Ulysses Grant (son of T S_?) Murray Died July 30, 1880
- Milo O. E. Holcomb Died Oct 21 1881 Aged 22 Years
- Caleb Mathis Born Oct. 24,1822 Died July 27, 1895 "Thy spirit is at rest yet thy council ever guides us."
- Bert A Massey, Illinois Wagoner 155 Depot Brigade World War I, November 9, 1895 (__ber?) 25 1951
- Henry Fox (no other information printed on gravestone, emblem on stone is similar to others in cemetery that are Civil War veterans)
- William Spicer (no other information printed on gravestone, emblem on stone is similar to others in cemetery that are Civil War veterans)
- Reason Syphers, CO A 129 REGT ILL INF, 1837 1871 (Same emblem as above two stones)
External links
References
- ^ The History of Livingston County, IL. Wm. LeBaron Jr & Co, Chicago, IL. 1878.
- ^ http://genealogytrails.com/ill/livingston/community_southstreator_history.html
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cemetery#Family_cemeteries
- ^ http://www.angelfire.com/fl3/hrywlfrd/MOONSPOINT.html
- ^ http://www.ghosttraveller.com/illinois_streator_area.htm
- ^ http://en.wordpress.com/tag/hatchet-lady/
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86mbh_x4JzA
- ^ http://www.markapierceinc.com/LUNDY-STREET-PRODS--PROJECTS.html
- ^ http://sites.google.com/site/frandanielsgenealogy/Home/barrickman-pittenger
Categories:- Protected areas of Livingston County, Illinois
- Cemeteries in Illinois
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