Urban Legends: The Vanishing Hitchhiker

Resurrection Mary

One of the most well known vanishing hitchhiker tales is that of Resurrection Mary in Chicago, so named after the Resurrection cemetery which is believed to be her burial place. With long blonde hair, blue eyes and seen in a long white dress and shawl, Mary is a very beautiful ghost. Ever since 1936 drivers have offered her ride but she always vanishes just as they drive past the cemetery.

According to legend Mary was killed in an automobile accident in the winter of 1934 after a dance in the Willowbrook Ballroom. In some of the accounts of this story the Willowbrook Ball was for an event or Christmas. During the ball Mary got into an argument with her boyfriend, left the ball and began to walk home. One her way home she was struck by a car and killed. Both the driver and the car were never found after fleeing the scene. Mary’s body was buried in Resurrection Cemetery in her white dress and dancing shoes.

Mary’s first appearance after her death was in 1936  when a young man named Jerry Paulus met a young woman with blonde hair and a white dress at the Willowbrook Ballroom. They spent the evening together, even though the woman seemed distant and quiet. Her skin was clammy and cold, as were her lips when he kissed her. at the end of the night the girl ask for a ride home. During the drive she directed him down Archer Avenue where she told him to stop outside Resurrection Cemetery. Then she whispered in his ear before getting out of the car and vanishing through the gates of the cemetery.

Nearly all of the sightings of Mary after this one have been similar. Most have occurred in the Archer Avenue area in winter. Sometimes she can be seen hitching a ride to the Willowbrook Ballroom. Other times drivers stop and offer her a lift.  In other reports she walks up to cars, opens the door and climbs inside before asking for a lift. She always asks the driver to go down Archer Avenue and either vanishes from the car as it passes the cemetery or she asks the driver to stop before getting out and disappearing through the locked gates. On rare occasions she has even been seen inside the cemetery grounds staring through the bars of the gate.

Mary does occasionally change her pattern. Drivers have reported hitting a girl in a white ball gown who suddenly ran into the road in front of their car. Sometimes the car passes through her before she disappears. Other times motorists hit her and call for help but the body always vanishes before help arrives.