Publication highlights Moon Point Cemetery

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Publication highlights Moon Point Cemetery
June 1, 2009
Melissa Garzanelli
mywebtimes.com

Legend has it that night-time trespassers to Moon Point Cemetery, south of Streator in Livingston County, will find themselves at the mercy of the "hatchet lady,"the ghost of a woman who lost her mind following the death of her child.

And if a train passes by while visitors are at Moon Point, their cars will not start, leaving them trapped in the cemetery.

Or so the story goes.

Such are the yarns spun by local residents, according to Michael Kleen, who publishes an online serial called "Legends and Lore." And these kinds of tales are right up his alley.

Kleen recently visited Moon Point Cemetery after hearing these local legends and included his investigation in the May edition of his publication, available at www.trueillinoishaunts.com.

"It is stories like this that make our small towns interesting and unique," he said. "The legends of Moon Point have been passed down from one generation to the next, playing an important role in forging a sense of community."

Kleen took some time to talk to The Times via e-mail. Here's what he had to say about Moon Point, the paranormal and what he enjoys about his investigations.

Q. Can you tell me a little about yourself and your publication?

A. I earned a master"s degree in American history from Eastern Illinois University in 2008. I am the author of several books, including "Tales of Coles County, Illinois," "Six Tales of Terror" and "One Voice." I've spoken on local history and folklore at Teapot"s Café in Beecher, Charleston Middle School and the 2007 Conference on Illinois History in Springfield. I have appeared on Joliet Paranormal Radio, AM-1050 WLIP, and have had several articles published in Paranormal Underground magazine and KILTER — the journal of Gothic Art Chicago. I am also the publisher of Black Oak Presents, a quarterly digital journal of Middle American art and culture.

The Legends and Lore of Illinois is a monthly serial that highlights places of folklore and ghost lore in Illinois that anyone can download and read for free. It is in its third year, and I recently released a book comprised of the first 24 issues. The Legends and Lore of Illinois tries to examine places of folklore in Illinois from a unique angle, including using fiction and humor. Our motto is "leave science to the scientists." I take a lot of pictures of each place, but I don't go around pointing thermometers at headstones.

Q. How did you first become aware of Moon Point Cemetery?

A. I learned about Moon Point Cemetery, like many places, on the Shadowlands Index of Haunted Places. Unfortunately, most of the places on that Index aren't really worth looking into, and there are a lot of errors on there. When I determine subjects for future issues, I make sure there is plenty of information available about each location. When I looked up Moon Point, I saw it had a Wikipedia entry, and it was mentioned in a number of other Internet postings, so I thought it was interesting enough to include in an issue.

Q. Did you visit the cemetery? What were your impressions? Do you have a protocol you follow when visiting these places?

A. I did visit the cemetery. I make sure to go to every location I write about and I take dozens of pictures to make sure each "Legends and Lore" issue is well illustrated. One of the purposes of the serial is to allow people who aren't able to go to these places to see what they look like. Not everyone has as much free time as I do! My impressions of Moon Point were basically the same as what I get at every allegedly haunted cemetery. When you've been to as many as I have, they all start to blend together after awhile. I think Moon Point is interesting because of the variety of stories associated with it, and it isn't every day you hear about the ghost of a "hatchet lady," so that was what drew me to the place. For the record, no one threw hatchets at me while I was there.

Q. How did you become interested in "legends and lore?" While this legend involves the supernatural, do all of your visits center around that?

A. I've been interested in the paranormal my entire life. Of course, everyone wonders what happens after they die, and I certainly look for any shred of evidence that a part of me will continue on. I think these ghost stories are oddly comforting for people. It makes you think maybe there is a chance you just won't blink into nothingness. Most of the locations I write about center around the paranormal, but they don't have to. For instance, next month's issue will be about the Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, which has been abandoned for a number of years. I haven't heard of any stories associated with it, but I thought it would be an interesting subject.

Q. What is it you enjoy about putting out this publication?

A. I ask myself that question every day, because it is really difficult to go to all these places, do the research, put out an issue every month and work on all my other projects. I guess what keeps me going is the thought that somewhere out there, someone is sitting at home reading my work and really getting something out of it. I want to make that connection, and I love when people write to me and say how much they appreciate it. Also, I love going on road trips and exploring new places. There's always a chance something interesting might happen, so it keeps me coming back.

Q. What kind of reaction do you normally get from locals when you visit?

A. I tend to avoid other people when I go to each location, but I've had locals e-mail me after an issue has come out and shower me with all kinds of information you couldn't get anywhere else. The people living around these places know so much more about them, but the question is, where do you start asking? You can't just go up to someone's house, so you'd have to start asking around at gas stations and McDonald's. "Hi, I'm just some random dude off the street, do you know anything about that creepy cemetery outside of town?" Come to think of it, that might make these trips a lot more interesting... As for the local police, I don't ever have much trouble with them. But if they ever ask what I'm doing somewhere, I simply tell them and usually they don't seem to care. I always go to these places during the day, so there's never a problem.

Q. I notice the publication includes a fictional component. Why mix both reality and fantasy? What do you want readers to get out of experiencing both?

A. Ah, yes. The fictional element of each issue follows the adventures of a group called The Fallen, who investigate each location and get into all sorts of trouble. The stories keep things interesting, for me especially, and also for the readers. I really want to stoke the imaginations of my readers. I think with the "investigation" craze, there's a tendency to want to reduce paranormal experiences to some kind of Tinker Toy experiment, but I firmly believe the best part of the paranormal is its ability to inspire wonderment and creativity. We all know a hatchet lady doesn't really lurk in Moon Point Cemetery, but it's fun to pretend and it's fun to go somewhere and be scared. Why come in and ruin that? So that's why I think fiction and storytelling are such important parts of the creation of ghost lore, and it's something I'd like to encourage, as long as people can tell the difference when the lights come on.