Ramsey Cemetery is a cemetery located in Effingham county, Illinois, with the nearest town being Shumway, Illinois. The cemetery has been associated with many different legends and lore around the local area. The main attraction is the collection of caves that are situation near the cemetery. It has also been nicknamed the Casbar Cemetery. Ramsey Cemetery is a popular area for teenagers around the area, and the eeriness of the place continues to interest people from all over. The area is rumored to be haunted and remains a popular nighttime hangout.
Location
editRamsey Cemetery is located in Effingham County. It is approximately six miles away from the intersection of the I57 and I70 interstates. Next to the graves are a collection of caves, or rock shelters. These caves are made of sandstone and are thousands of years old.
History
editRamsey Cemetery began as a private project in 1851 with the burial of 29 year old Alexander Ramsey. Within the next three years, three more Ramseys were buried, and it soon became a community cemetery. Although it is unsure how it became nicknamed the Casbar Cemetery, there are many attempted explanations. One of these is that the nickname came from the song "Rock the Casbah," by the Clash. Others speculate that the name came from "Algiers," a popular movie from 1938, first introducing many Americans to the Casbah, the center of the city Algeria, Algiers.
A small chapel also used to accompany the grounds from the 1920's to the 1960's to benefit mourners of the cemetery. A young man in the 1960's drove out the the cemetery and shot himself inside of the chapel. The chapel has since been torn down due to vandalism.
Legends and Lore
editThere are many legends associated with Ramsey Cemetery that make the area so popular and spooky. The legend of the man in the black cloak and glowing red eyes is one of the most popular stories about Ramsey Cemetery. It has been said that he comes from the activity of the occult that used to take place in the area at night.
One popular lore is that if a person was to put a penny heads up on a tombstone, upon arrival another time, the penny would then be turned upside down.
Another legend is that a werewolf inhabits the small caves around the cemetery.
Professional Work
editRamsey Cemetery has been mentioned in the works of "Legends and Lore of Illinois", by Michael Kleen. It is a monthly publication that featured Ramsey Cemetery in February of 2009. Each issue focuses on a unique location in Illinois and the experiences that the team go through while at a site.
Ramsey Cemetery was also mentioned in the book "The Illinois Road Guide to Haunted Locations," by Chad Lewis and Terry Fisk. This is a popular book about finding anything that is haunted in the state of Illinois.
References
edithttp://www.unexplainedresearch.com/media/rumors_linger_about_ramsey_cemetery.html
http://www.blackoakmedia.org/LegendsandLoreofIllinois/Ramsey.html