Witches or ghosts? ‘Hauntings’ in historic Lockport Runyon cemetery

Editor’s note: Whether or not you believe in ghosts and hauntings, this is one of several spooky tales of local lore that Shaw Local News Network will be sharing with readers in the spirit of Halloween.

Deep in a Lockport preserve are the three gravesites of family members of Lockport’s first settler.

It’s a place where people hear ghostly voices and witches’ cackles, even in daylight, according to local legend.

But is it true? Or is it just Will County lore, a story to tell on Halloween?

And who’s even buried there?

The cemetery at Runyon Preserve holds the remains of Anna Hornbecker Runyon, Winfred Runyon and Oliver Runyon. These are the first wife and two sons of Armstead Runyon, Lockport’s first settler.

Anna Hornbecker Runyon died at age 38. Winfred died shortly before his second birthday. Oliver died at age 7.

The first 14 children of Armstead Runyon were born in Lockport. The last seven were born in Onisbo, California, according to the December 1995 Sacramento River Delta Historical Society newsletter.

Armstead Runyon’s youngest child died at age 1 in 1867, according to the newsletter. Alexander Newton, the seventh child, moved back to Lockport at some point, the newsletter said.

Armstead Runyon died on Sept. 8, 1876, in Santa Rosa, California.

The Forest Preserve District of Will County currently owns both the preserve and the cemetery.

Mary Lou Wohlstrom of Joliet, founder of the Chicago Paranormal Research Society, heard of the legends surrounding Runyon Cemetery and Runyon Preserve. So one day in 2013, Wohlstrom said, she took a team to study the area.

We felt safe inside the cemetery. Outside the cemetery was totally different.”

—  Mary Lou Wohlstrom of Joliet and founder of the Chicago Paranormal Research Society

Wohlstrom said people warned her to stay away from the area because witches practiced there. She said she even thought she heard cackles as she parked her car at the site.

But Wohlstrom didn’t know precise details about the cemetery, so she was surprised to find only three graves.

“The cemetery itself was pretty peaceful,” Wohlstrom said.

Most of the activity Wohlstrom sensed was actually in the woods, she said.

“There seemed to be, for whatever reason, a lot of activity there with the equipment,” Wohlstrom said. “But there was nothing electrical there, no reason for the equipment to act crazy. But in the woods, it didn’t feel good.”

Wohlstrom said she also heard a sound in the woods that resembled a hawk scream or someone in pain.

“When it happened again, we saw something run behind us,” Wohlstrom said.

That’s when Wohlstrom ran through the possibilities:

“OK, maybe it wasn’t a bird.”

“OK, we are out in the open and someone saw us coming up there.”

“Maybe someone is messing with us.”

Wohlstrom said she had a sensation of people surrounding her in the woods. She said a “sensitive” in her group felt as if they were being ambushed.

“She was on high alert,” Wohlstrom said. “She felt something wasn’t right here. And she kept wanting us to leave.”

Wohlstrom said she also heard chanting in the woods. But she couldn’t determine whether the sound was paranormal or “goofy people trying to scare us off.”

“We felt safe inside the cemetery. Outside the cemetery was totally different,” Wohlstrom said. “It was the weirdest sensation.”

So the team returned to the cemetery, where Wohlstrom thought she heard a woman crying, she said.

“But it was like a gentle, soft cry,” she said. “The only [electronic voice phenomenon] that we got was what sounded like a little boy calling out for ‘Mommy.’ ”

Wohlstrom said that they said a little prayer for the people to “rest in peace.”

“And then we left,” she said.

The Lockport Area Genealogical and Historical Society and the Forest Preserve District of Will County offer plenty of information about Runyon Cemetery and Runyon Preserve.

Visit lockporthistory.org/runyon/runyon.htm and reconnectwithnature.org.