Taken by Ghost Guests during Historic Ghost Tours of Naperville, Illinois ghost and cemetery tours
GHOST PHOTOS OF NAPERVILLE
Taken by Ghost Guests during Historic Ghost Tours of Naperville, Illinois ghost and cemetery tours
The taking of photographs during the Historic Ghost Tours of Naperville is not only encouraged ... we even hand out cameras for Ghost Guests to use on their ghost tour! The following original, untouched photographs were taken by our Ghost Guests and graciously submitted to us to exclusively post on this site for everyone to enjoy ... and ponder over. Enjoy! -Diane Ladley, "America's Ghost Storyteller"
NAPERVILLE CEMETERY: SHADOW MAN GHOST SIGHTING? Taken by Greg Novak, May 2007
"I think it was more a shadow woman, least I thought it was.
I swear the being looked like it was wearing what I thought was a dress. Cause when I first saw it I was looking at the ground, and from what I saw, it looked like it was wearing something down to its knees. Hence why I thought 'dress'.
I wasn't the only one who saw it that night though. I remember the Ghost Guide was giving the info on one of the ghost stories there. She thought she saw something move in the same direction that I saw the thing move."
-- Greg Novak
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There have been many eyewitness accounts of the Shadow Man (woman?) of Naperville Cemetery. This forlorn spirit slowly wanders among the gravestones with bowed shoulders -- the picture of abject depression. He's been seen everywhere within the cemetery, including the hallway inside the Troost Monument Building! Other times he's quite lively. Two eyewitnesses reported seeing a shadowy "panther-like" figure leaping the chain link fence at the west end, then circling around and jumping back over! It is interesting to note that the land behind the cemetary, though currently used as sports fields for Naperville Central High School students, is officially cemetery property ... expansion land to provide plenty of resting places for hundreds more souls.
--Diane Ladley
ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH - Figure is in yellow boxed inset
Close up view of ghostly Shadow Man?
CLOSE UP VIEW OF LIGHT ANOMALY IN YELLOW BOXED INSET
NAPERVILLE CEMETERY: ORANGE LIGHT STREAKS,
TAKEN BY "DEBRA", MAY 2007
"We brought our two girls on the tour last Sunday and brought along a camera with a night time mode on it to take some pictures. I'm attaching one picture that my boyfriend thought was especially interesting. Check out the streak at the top, then enlarge and enhance (contrast and brightness) the area just to the right of it. Weird! Is it just light? He said that the mode on his camera is supposed to adjust for glare and stuff so ... let us know! Thanks so much!"-Debra (last name withheld by request)
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My first guess is that the camera caught another Ghost Guest wielding an EMF meter in the distance. However, there is an old Naperville legend that says the spirits of the children buried in Naperville Cemetery love to play hide-and-seek among the tombstones, appearing as tiny blue, yellow, green, or red/orange dots of light ... a phenomenon witnessed by many Naperville residents and ghost tour guests, myself included, on Halloween night 2006. Look closely to the right of the orange streak; you'll see it repeated (reflected?) two more times. Oh, and don't worry about the ghost children. Several highly reputable witnesses have reported seeing a cheerful ghost dressed like Mary Poppins (she even carries a carpet bag), briskly walking down the road in Naperville Cemetary. Rest assured, the child spirits of Naperville have the finest nanny of all taking good, loving care of them! -Diane Ladley
"The first stop on my Historic Ghost Tours of Naperville ghost walk tour is a doozy ... the "Bloody Red Geranium" as it's billed. The shadowy ghost of a tragic suicide has often been spotted by tour guests, standing and gazing out the windows of the now-empty former gift shop/art gallery and private home.
This photograph may have captured the shadowy form watching our ghost tour group. I've blown up the image as much as possible, but unfortunately the shadow is much harder to make out on the web site than it is in printed form. The photo was taken in black and white, which is helpful in distinguishing subtle shades of gray; otherwise the shadow might not have been spotted.
But if you look carefully at the closeup view, you might be able to make out a slender man's form in a lighter shade of gray standing in the window. And since that particular window was left open to air the abandoned building, and the room inside is totally barren of furniture or anything else that might cast a shadow, then one wonders ... what's casting the shadow?!
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URGENT WARNING:
PLEASE READ!
Though the Red Geranium is empty, the property is privately owned. Yet people who have heard about the reported haunting have broken into the house to hunt the ghost. This is not only trespassing; it's breaking and entering into a private home, which has severe penalties. The owners have installed a security system, and the last two people who have broken in were promptly arrested. Even climbing onto the porch and peering into the windows is illegal tresspassing. If people continue to trespass, the owners have warned me that I will be asked to remove the Red Geranium from my Historic Ghost Tours of Naperville.
SO FOR ALL OF THESE REASONS,
PLEASE DO NOT APPROACH THE HOUSE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.
UPDATE: Due to continued problems, I have voluntarily removed the Red Geranium from the ghost tour route for 2009.
ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH - FYI, the light streaks are reflections of the street light and lights from the parking garage across the street, combined with a slight movement of the camera.
CLOSE UP VIEW OF SHADOWY GREY FIGURE - It's difficult to make out the image online. It's much more evident on the print. Look for the man-sized figure in a lighter shade of gray inside the open window.
THE POPULAR "GHOST TAILS DOG WALK & GHOST TOUR OF NAPERVILLE" AT THE RED GERANIUM
"Despite the dramatic light effects, there is nothing unusual or mysterious about this photograph. No ghosts, no orbs, no unexplained anomalies. I put it in just because I think it's a pretty cool photo! Check out the 'lightning' striking the lantern in my right hand! Ooooh!" - Diane Ladley
NAPERVILLE'S FIRST CEMETERY, FORMERLY LOCATED AT THE CORNER OF BENTON & WASHINGTON: MISCELLANEOUS PHENOMENA
Ghost photos 1-4, taken by multiple tour ghost guests, October, 2007
#1 CEMETARY ORB -This mysterious orb appears directly over the spot where lively EMF activity has occurred during five ghost tours in 2007; and where a psychic reported the presence of a very old spirit buried there who may have had something wrong with both of his/her legs ... particularly the thighs.
#2 RED LIGHT AT CEMETARY -For the first time ever, the EMF was indicating a strong reading under the sidewalk instead of the lawn. Can you see a red light anomaly in the yellow boxed inset?
At first glance you might think it's merely a reflection of the EMF meter's indicator ... but, as you see from the meter itself, the EMF activity had lessened to below the alert threshold. The red EMF alert light was not illuminated when this photo was taken!
#3 ANOTHER EXCELLENT ORB AT THE OLD CEMETERY
#4 A CLOSER LOOK AT THE SAME ORB
NAPERVILLE'S FIRST CEMETERY, SAME LOCATION AS ABOVE:
MYSTERIOUS FACE & FIGURE AT WINDOW Taken by Anonymous, October, 2007
Original Photograph
Close up of window
SITE OF THE GREAT NAPERVILLE TRAIN WRECK, 4TH AVENUE & LOOMIS STREET: MISCELLANEOUS PHENOMENA
Ghost photos 1 & 2 taken by multiple ghost tour guests, Oct. 2006
"On April 25th, 1946, at 1:03 in the afternoon, the Burlington's Exposition Flyer passenger train rammed into the back of the Advance Flyer passenger train stopped for a maintenance check at the Loomis Street railroad crossing. 47 people died - many of them soldiers returning home after World War II. Horribly mangled bodies were laid out along 4th Avenue until school let out and children came running to see the tragic accident. The bodies were then moved across the street to the Kroehler Furniture Manufacturing Company - now beautifully restored and open for business as the 5th Avenue Station Mall and Office/Condo Center.
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Several houses along 4th Avenue, the grassy area where the bodies had been laid out, and the old Kroehler building have all reported extensive and varied paranormal activity, from orbs and strange temperature recordings, to women feeling unseen hands caressing their hair, and presences displaying intelligence, awareness ... and a romantic attraction toward women!
Photo #1 taken by Christine Wedryk: Multiple orbs photographed on 4th Avenue at the exact site where the 47 victims of one of the worst train disasters in American history had first been laid out by rescuers ... until the elementary school let out up the street. How many orbs can YOU spot?
Photo #2, taken by Jim Martinson: EMF readings have been consistently recorded up and down the block of 4th Avenue and Loomis Street. As the ghost tours became more frequent in October 2006, the activity intensified and showed definite signs of intelligence; for example, the EMF alerts would go off the correct number of times in uncanny response to questions asked aloud by ghost tour guests.
ACTUAL QUESTION FROM GHOST GUEST & AN IMMEDIATE REPLY:
"If there are spirits present tonight, please make this EMF meter beep five times."
Beep!Beep!
Beep!Beep!
BEEP! (EMF falls silent)
ABOVE PHOTOGRAPH: "On Saturday night my wife Rita and I took the 6PM Naperville Haunted Trolley tour. The last stop on the tour was at the location of the 1946 train wreck in which 47 people were killed. They tried to identify the people by laying the bodies along Loomis Street. We were given a flashlight and an EMF meter that would flash if any paranormal activity is in the immediate area, and got off the trolley and walked along Loomis street.
My wife’s meter flashed once, very quickly and stopped. A few steps in the opposite direction on Loomis street, it started flashing constantly. Several other people's meters in the immediate area were also flashing. My wife asked me to take a digital photo of her with the flashing meter, and I took a picture with no camera flash.
When we got home I downloaded them to my PC. One of them was very interesting. I have attached a non-retouched photo of my wife on the left hand side with her meter at waist height and away from her body (ABOVE). There is one of the other ghost tour members standing to her left and another in front of her, and a very strange red glow between them.
We have not been able to explain what caused the glow. It was raining lightly. The area was streetlight illuminated, but the area had no fog, and was clear of any smoke or exhaled breath. The temperature was in the mid 40’s." -Jim Martinson
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"Do YOU have a possible explanation for this glowing red light?
Email me your ideas, comments and observations! I'll post the best explanations here."
