Haunted Archer Avenue: Fairmount Hills

Haunted Archer Avenue: Fairmount Hills Oct 30, 2011 20:54:01 GMT -5

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Post by barekhalfhand on Oct 30, 2011 20:54:01 GMT -5

Haunted Archer Avenue: Fairmount Hills-Update
by Barek Halfhand

The afternoon sun was warm on my short sleeve shirt-ed arm as I crossed the bridge over the I&M Canal and Des Plaines River... a bridge that leads to Willow Springs terminating at Archer Avenue which acts as a line of demarcation to an area vetted as one of the most haunted in the nation...the pleasant view of the sun-sparkled waterway of the canal oddly triggered the memory of a certain bad, made-for-TV movie called “Deadly Matrimony” (1992-Brian Dennehy, Treat Williams ) based on the twisted, sordid murder-for hire and coverup plot that transpired here back in the early 80's involving prominent divorce/criminal attorney Alan Masters and the town’s chief of police ...the attorney conspired to have his (often battered) wife Dianne murdered to cash in on a $100,000 life insurance policy after years of abuse pushed her into threatening divorce and into the arms of another man ...

The scheme culminated in Dianne Masters getting brutally beaten by Alan with a pistol when a friend of his spotted Mrs Masters with her extramarital paramour covertly cavorting about town and promptly phoned him ... Alan evidently had the corrupt Willow Springs Police Chief and a high ranking Cook County Sheriffs Police Commander in his back pocket to protect the racketeering, gambling and prostitution interests of his clients that pervaded the southwest suburbs at the time...so when he bludgeoned and crushed the skull of poor Dianne in a fit of rage after she returned home one mid March of 1989 morning, he knew just who to call ...

Police Chief Corbitt allegedly found her still alive and moaning faintly in the trunk of her car in the Masters’ secluded driveway so without hesitation he shot her twice, closed the trunk and proceeded to drive the car back to his home jurisdiction of Willow Springs...he probably drove casually down along the train tracks, any one of many gravel power line service roadways or perhaps even one the recreational off-road trucking trails adjacent to canal then unceremoniously dumped the Cadillac containing Dianne’s pummeled, bullet invaded body in the canal where it slowly sank to the murky depths and sat for nine months until recovered ...

The pernicious layers of corruption, deceit and malfeasance that quietly coexisted with the suburban country charm of this scenic forest-side community mere decades ago seems almost unfathomable today as I sat at the Archer stoplight watching a young couple perambulate between the unique, tree bluff ensconced specialty shops of the Willow Hill strip mall... Economic uncertainly has not quelled the residential and commercial development endeavors along the train tracks based on the new condos and office buildings strategically and tactfully blended into a homogenous architectural design ...

The fall draped asphalt of Archer Avenue has become a favorite circuit for bikers and this was confirmed by a consortium of assorted Harley’s roaring the opposite direction as I made my way west...some may have just departed from the pub across from the Willow Brook Ballroom’s enigmatic neon sign ...I doubt even Resurrection Mary would have hitched a ride with some of the scoot-jockeys that used to frequent that establishment in the past, but for the most part it looked to be a more upscale crowd of weekend warriors enjoying the afternoon sun on the patio that unseasonably mild October afternoon... One
of the most notable permutations along that stretch I noticed (aside from the tavern’s name change and less frightening clientele) was the addition of a very large funeral home/chapel on the left, just before the gates of Faimount Hills came into view ...

There is a protocol observed by many of us that photograph these sites that dictates a measure of respect and reverence, not only for those that have passed but also for the living with loved ones committed there...this should never be a group or “team” effort spectacle by way of the inclusion of ghostbuster gadgetry ...I always make a concerted effort to pick up litter, straighten up floral arrangements and grave-side adornments, dress appropriately and behave respectfully ...obviously posing for a self portrait in front of a grave marker is not an aspect of the aforementioned protocol but a grossly insensitive vanity nuance that needs to cease in the para-community and I believe the impetus for change is within our grasp (end lecture) ...

Short of the lone statue of Martin Luther along the south fence, the cemetery is almost completely devoid Christian allegory in favor of Masonic symbolism ...a pumpkin placed near the tower even has crescent moons and stars drawn for eyes with a black marker...The letter “G” framed by a square and compass seems to be the most prevalent, the “G” is said to represent geometry or even “God”...another recurrent theme is a simple dark red or obsidian urn atop a simple stone monument ...

I didn’t notice the “all seeing eye” within a pyramid which almost always seems to be inexorably linked to Freemasonry, The Illuminati, secret societal orders and even ancient alien theories thanks to The History Channel, Erich Von Daniken and Giorgio Tsoukalos in particular, who’s hair looks to be of extra terrestrial origin itself....Oddly the Savage Tower seems almost congruent with one of the more dubious postulation made by Danikens’ didactic disciple which lays claim to the Washington Monument being secretly constructed as an antennae or funnel for global/galactic/universal energy...a concept perhaps exemplified by the very credible work of Nikola Tesla even though the culpability of media sensationalism can quickly transform “Chariots Of The Gods” wisdom into “horse and buggy thinking”...

The feeling of light-headedness close to the tower has remained a constant on each and every trip and the latest visit was no exception ...the tiny windows of the metallic, padlocked doors are opaque with grime and obscured by decorative grid-work ...The inside looks unchanged with the two chairs centered at the base of the structure with a small coffee table between them topped with a modest floral arrangement...around the back walkway there is a roughly three foot wall with square inset cremation slots available, some of which already have inscribed covers with names and dates on them...

It could almost be a peaceful setting overlooking the solitary, hillside crypt along the main road...a narrow, winding road leading in from the main gates and running the entire length of the west grounds below the tall, silent trees before continuing south or forking left and back east then circling the crest of the properties centerpiece ...Anyone from this area is surely familiar with the
glowing yellow clock on the upper north side of the tower that glowers at Archer Avenue motorists like an evil eye after dark ...the hollow chimes of the hour bell clangs ponderously from a concealed speaker and timer tripped PA system within, lethargically heralding the passage of time when it tolls from the darkness above ...

A lone police car with a lightly tinted UV resistant windshield that sat dormantly at the edge of the pond when I arrived was still visible below and through the amber, orange and yellow of the autumnal tinted foliage skirting the tower...it was gone the when I looked again moments later...

A sudden fatigue overwhelmed me and as took a brief respite on a section of the walkway wall where there were no names, I peripherally caught movement on the tower’s back wall ...small orange and black dots covered the stone blocks, some were stationary, some not ...Closer inspection revealed that literally hundreds of Lady Bugs crawled the west wall of the burial obelisk and as I turned the corner back to the front I was shocked to see that the entire surface of the building hosted the polka dotted insects ... retreating to my awaiting vehicle I made my way back south toward the central low lying area of the site where some of the more interesting photos were captured few years back ...a throng of bikers rolled through and the ground continued to reverberate even as they passed from site around the bend ...I accepted the tremulous incursion with the realization that this was a sound of summer and warm weather that would end soon ...

I kept hearing what distinctly reminded me of haunting opening notes to Pearl Jams’ “Release” looping over and over in the distance like a malfunctioning music box or a very slow moving ice-cream truck ...

Here are the (compressed to 1MB) photos...some have been slightly sharpened or color enhanced (10-2011) 7
7 total....b
s473.photobucket.com/albums/rr97/BarekHalfhand/Haunted%20Archer%20Avenue%20-Fairmount%20Hills%20Update/

Pearl Jam: Release
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPUwtyZglQI

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