Old Book (ghost)
Encyclopedia
Old Book is the name given to a purported ghost
or spirit
which haunts a cemetery and tree on the grounds of the Peoria State Hospital
in Bartonville, Illinois
. While rumors of ghosts and ghost stories are highly speculative, the Old Book tale has been documented many times. Among those documenting the tale is the first director of the state insane asylum, George Zeller.
during his time at Peoria State Hospital
. It is said that following burial services for deceased patients he would lean against an old elm tree
and weep for the dead. Various sources report that Old Book's real name was along the lines of A. Bookbinder.
tale surrounding Old Book is somewhat unique among ghost stories in that it was reportedly witnessed by hundreds of people. The story goes that when Old Book died his funeral
was attended by hundreds of patients and staff members who became witnesses to the ghostly phenomena that was about to transpire. As workers were attempting to lower what should have been a heavy casket they discovered that it instead felt empty. Suddenly, a crying sound echoed from the Graveyard Elm and everyone in attendance turned and looked, including Dr. Zeller, who later detailed Bookbinder and the surrounding events in his diary. They all claimed to have seen Old Book standing by the tree. They so believed it to be true that Zeller had the casket
opened to ensure that Old Book still lay inside. As the lid was opened the crying ceased and Old Book's corpse
was found undisturbed in the coffin. Days passed and the tree began to die. Several of the grounds crews tried to remove the Graveyard Elm or the "crying tree," as it is also known, none where successful citing the weeping emanating from the tree..
In later years the Elm was struck during a lightning storm and was finally removed from the potters field.
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
or spirit
Spirit
The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
which haunts a cemetery and tree on the grounds of the Peoria State Hospital
Peoria State Hospital
Peoria State Hospital Historic District, also known as Bartonville State Hospital or Illinois Asylum for the Incurable Insane, was a psychiatric hospital operated by the State of Illinois from 1902 to 1973. The hospital is located in Bartonville, Illinois, near the city of Peoria in Peoria County...
in Bartonville, Illinois
Bartonville, Illinois
Bartonville is a village in Peoria County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,310 at the 2000 census. Bartonville is a suburb of Peoria and is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
. While rumors of ghosts and ghost stories are highly speculative, the Old Book tale has been documented many times. Among those documenting the tale is the first director of the state insane asylum, George Zeller.
The Living Old Book
The name Old Book is the name given to a popular patient at the hospital. The well-liked Old Book worked as a gravediggerGravedigger
A gravedigger is a cemetery worker responsible for digging graves used in the process of burial.-Fossors:Fossor or Fossarius , from the Latin verb fodere 'to dig', referred to grave diggers in the Roman catacombs in the first three centuries of the Christian Era...
during his time at Peoria State Hospital
Peoria State Hospital
Peoria State Hospital Historic District, also known as Bartonville State Hospital or Illinois Asylum for the Incurable Insane, was a psychiatric hospital operated by the State of Illinois from 1902 to 1973. The hospital is located in Bartonville, Illinois, near the city of Peoria in Peoria County...
. It is said that following burial services for deceased patients he would lean against an old elm tree
Elm
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The dozens of species are found in temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ranging southward into Indonesia. Elms are components of many kinds of natural forests...
and weep for the dead. Various sources report that Old Book's real name was along the lines of A. Bookbinder.
The Crying Tree
The superstitiousSuperstition
Superstition is a belief in supernatural causality: that one event leads to the cause of another without any process in the physical world linking the two events....
tale surrounding Old Book is somewhat unique among ghost stories in that it was reportedly witnessed by hundreds of people. The story goes that when Old Book died his funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
was attended by hundreds of patients and staff members who became witnesses to the ghostly phenomena that was about to transpire. As workers were attempting to lower what should have been a heavy casket they discovered that it instead felt empty. Suddenly, a crying sound echoed from the Graveyard Elm and everyone in attendance turned and looked, including Dr. Zeller, who later detailed Bookbinder and the surrounding events in his diary. They all claimed to have seen Old Book standing by the tree. They so believed it to be true that Zeller had the casket
Casket
A casket, or jewelry box is a term for a container that is usually larger than a box, and smaller than a chest, and in the past was typically decorated...
opened to ensure that Old Book still lay inside. As the lid was opened the crying ceased and Old Book's corpse
Cadaver
A cadaver is a dead human body.Cadaver may also refer to:* Cadaver tomb, tomb featuring an effigy in the form of a decomposing body* Cadaver , a video game* cadaver A command-line WebDAV client for Unix....
was found undisturbed in the coffin. Days passed and the tree began to die. Several of the grounds crews tried to remove the Graveyard Elm or the "crying tree," as it is also known, none where successful citing the weeping emanating from the tree..
In later years the Elm was struck during a lightning storm and was finally removed from the potters field.
External links
- Bartonville Insane Asylum: on Prairieghosts.com