It’s not too often that I go wandering through cemeteries. They always give me a creepy vibe. I can’t help but notice the fresh dirt and wonder if something just went in or just came out.
Earlier this week, my girlfriend (who doesn’t quite have an obsession with cemeteries) asked me to go with her to Miles Mausoleum (apparently known as one of the most haunted spots in Illinois, but I will get to that later). She actually found it by mistake a few months ago. She was driving around Columbia, Ill. looking for photo ops when she saw it on top of a bluff.
It is about a 30-45 minute drive from our house. After getting off of the interstate, you wind down a long road until there is nothing but farmland and a few hills. Then you turn off the main road and go up one of those hills. Eventually you turn down what looks like a gravel driveway. At the end of the drive, you pass through two wooden posts that serve as entry gates to the cometary.
As you enter the cemetery, there is a sign that gives a brief history:
Eagle Cliff / Miles Cemetery
Eagle cliff graveyard was established as a public graveyard on land donated by Truman MilesThe first person to be buried in Eagle Cliff Graveyard was Rachel Bond, wife of Judge Shadrach Bond, Sr. on March 17, 1806.
The vault was built for Stephen W. Miles, in 1858, by Major Yrasillon for the sum of $25,000.
The most recent burial was Charles Louer in 1978.
The cemetery is restored and maintained by, Eagle Cliff / Miles Cemetery, Inc. founded in 1994.
The first thing I noticed as I was walking around was the age and condition of the tombstones. First off, they were somewhat scattered everywhere. Some of them had been severely vandalized. Others were just rocks serving as grave markers.
The next thing that caught my eye were the military tombstones. Most of them had been replaced by the state with newer stones. There are soldiers buried here from the Revolutionary War, The War of 1812 and The Civil War. There could be others but not all the graves are accounted for.
After wandering through the graveyard, we finally got to the bluff where the mausoleum is buried into the land. My girlfriend told me that it had become a popular spot for teenagers to get drunk at all hours of the day so we weren’t sure what we would find. Fortunately there was no one hiding in the crypts but the amount of graffiti was disturbing.
Okay. So why is this place haunted. The legend goes that the brush grew so thick on this bluff that the cemetery and mausoleum were forgotten for many years. In the 1960’s, it was rediscovered and people looted the tomb (only 11 of 56 total vaults were ever used). The bodies were found scattered all over the place. Shortly there after, a cult took the remaining bodies outside of the mausoleum and lit them on fire trying to raise them from the dead.
Is this true? I have no idea. I got the information from this guy. I think he got it from The Daily Egyptian, the student paper for Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, who wrote this article about the cemetery in 2002. It makes a great story though.
And so the legend lives on.
It is up to you if want to post this or not but I would if I were you. Be advised that the dusk to dawn law is being enforced without exception. Because of web posts like this there are far too many late night visitors to the cemetery. The road back there is in fact a private property drive and although it is used for day time access it is not to be used after hours by anyone to access the cemetery. So the police are on board with this and will respond each time and the violators will be arrested and the car towed so please pass the word that this property is not to be violated after hours. If you wish to validate this please feel free to contact the Monroe County Sheriff dept. Thank you
Anonymous property owner,
I appreciate your concern and insight. However, I hope you do realize that this post was no way intended to encourage illegal behavior. Please note that I did not visit the cemetery after hours nor did I vandalize the property. I even mentioned in my post that “the amount of graffiti was disturbing.” I didn’t even give exact directions to the cemetery.
I like to think of my blog as a public forum of discussion and welcome your thoughts (usually on photography). However, I do think it is important to note that this cemetery contains quite a bit of history. I understand your concern but I honestly believe more harm comes from withholding information than from sharing it.
My links and synopsis of claimed ghost stories are possibly just that - stories. However, it becomes an interesting part of the history connected to the cemetery - true or false. It would be irresponsible for me to not share it.
I wish the police and the community the best of luck at catching whoever violates the laws. The Eagle Cliff Cemetery and Miles Mausoleum should be respected and protected. It has already suffered far too much.
If you are directly connected to the cemetery in any way (care taker, community member, etc.), I welcome the opportunity to photograph and tell your side of the story. Please contact me if you are interested.
Has any thought been given to the restoration/Cleaning of this historical structure? Although difficult and no doubt a little pricey, I would love to see/be a part of giving dignity back to such a wonderful landmark…
Stacy,
Thanks for bringing that up. There is a group that is working to do just that.
If you go to the cemetery, there is a mailbox in the parking area that contains brochures with information about the cemetery and mausoleum. On the back of that brochure, there is information about Eagle Cliff/Miles Cemetery Incorporated.
As a synopsis of what it says, the group formed in 1994 with the purpose of restoring and maintaining Eagle Cliff Cemetery and Miles Mausoleum. They are attempting to raise enough money to establish a trust fund to pay for the perpetual care of the cemetery. They sell memberships ($10 per year), hold yard sales and accept donations to raise money and are always looking for people to help with the maintenance and restoration effort. The organization meets on the second Thursday of the month at 7pm at the United Church of Christ in Columbia, Illinois.
If you want to contact Eagle Cliff/Miles Cemetery Incorporated, you can reach them by mail at:
Eagle Cliff/Miles Cemetery Incorporated
P.O. Box 246
Columbia, IL 62236
Great blog you got here…keep up the good work.
Thanks Tim. I appreciate it. You can register and choose to receive e-mail notifications when I post an update if you want to keep up with my new posts.
I’m so glad you wrote this blog! My boyfriend and I went to the cemetery this weekend and were reading all the tombstones. Hhe and his sister had been there before, but I didn’t realize the reason. One of the people buried there is named Joseph W. Alexander. My boyfriend’s name is L. Joseph Alexander, also from Illinois. We wanted to contact someone and find out what they knew of the person buried there. Your blog gave us that! Thanks so much. I also would like to see and help preserve this place. What a wonderful piece of history - I feel like I’ve discovered a treasure.
Linda,
The cemetery is absolutly a hidden gem in Illinois. I’m glad I was able to provide you some information to find what you needed. If you find more information about preserving the cemetery, please share with us.
Hey there, Max, this is Laurie Robinson from the Ghost Haunters. I have to say I was pretty upset by your picture of the Mausoleum. I am only holding out hope against hope that your visit was not very recent. I have been to Miles quite a few times, it’s on my site, and I our pictorial artist even created a painting of it to help Miles raise funds (see Haunted Art section on my site). The Mausoelum and grounds had been cleand up quite well, and remained that way until my last visit. The outside of the Mausoleum certainly did not look like what it does in your picture post. I would just appreciate knowing when you went. Miles is a “pet” cemetery of mine, and close to my “ghostly’ heart. Thanks for your time, Max.
Laurie
wwww.ghosthaunters.com
Laurie,
I don’t remember the exact date I shot the photos but it was right around when I published this post (May 2, 2009). I saw the photos on your site and the mausoleum is much cleaner. It is sad that people disrespect it the way they do. When was your last visit?
Just wanted to say you have a great site and thanks for posting!
i go out there quite often with my friends to just admire the mausoleum and take pictures, it’s sickening seeing what people do to such a great artifact, my mothers friend is in charge of cemetaries in monroe county and is trying to have it closed do to vandals
Courtney,
It is a tremendous piece of history for Illinois. I think there should be efforts to preserve it. That being said, I’m not sure closing it is the best idea. The way I see it, that will only fuel fire in the vandals. The reported history says that the mausoleum and cemetery have been vandalized for decades. Once there was an iron fence up but that has been cut down and scrapped by vandals. Sealing off the mausoleum may just encourage them to break back in.
Instead of putting time, effort and what is likely a large amount of money to close it (the mausoleum itself I presume you’re talking about), I would suggest some sort of positive action. For example, better organizing or strengthening the group that is in place to take care of the property. Or push through action to get the land declared as a federally protected historic site which would likely mean steeper penalties that the young criminals may not want to face.
I think there needs to be discussion by the local community and local politicians to ultimately decide what is best.
Just went here today for the first time. It’s an amazing place! Unfortunately the graffiti seems as though it may be even worse now than in the pictures you have posted. I just loved the ones that said, “2010.” It amazes me that to this very day some people are totally clueless when it comes to preserving history; not to mention the total lack of respect involved in vandalizing cemeteries. I volunteer at Cahokia Mounds and amazingly there are still people that try to ride their dirt bikes and four-wheelers over the mounds, and it’s a state park that’s recognized world-wide as a UNESCO site!
*sigh*
I just don’t get it.
Justin,
It really is a remarkable place. I would love to see this cemetery get a fraction of the preservation efforts that the Cahokia Mounds get. The vandalism is destroying history.
Sad. I grew up near the cemetery and remember when it had much less graffiti. Fantastic place. Don’t try to watch the sunset from the mausoleum though. The guy that lives in the house on the road next to it will chase you out, literally. I can understand though, he probably thought we were going to ruin it even more.
It is unfortunate that people can’t be trusted enough to be there at dusk. Sunset would be beautiful from the mausoleum.