Buried alive? A Chicago Ghost Story from Beyond the Grave

Did a young bride send messages from beyond the grave? Mount Carmel Cemetery in suburban Hillside is the final resting place for many powerful Chicagoans, from archbishops to the more notorious Dean O’Banion and Al Capone. Yet only one resident has the power to communicate with the living after death.

The life-sized marble statue at Julia Buccola’s grave was not the site’s original marker. Her family erected the likeness of a bride holding a bouquet only after Julia asked to be exhumed.

‘Til Death Do Us Part

Julia’s family immigrated to the West Side of Chicago from Sicily after their father’s death. In 1920, she married Matthew Petta at Holy Rosary Parish. She died in childbirth about nine months later and the family buried her in her wedding gown holding her stillborn child

Nightmare Scenario

Julia’s mother, Filomena, began having recurring nightmares after her daughter’s death. She claimed that Julia told her she was buried alive and wanted to be free. Filomena attempted to have her body exhumed for six years, and finally prevailed. In 1927, they finally unearthed and opened the casket.

A Shocking Discovery

The contents shocked everyone. Julia’s body had not decomposed, although the body of her infant son had. A photograph taken at the time shows Julia’s body looking perfectly preserved. Yet the coffin in the photo shows signs of rotting after six years underground.

According to the Italian inscription below it, this porcelain photograph was taken six years after Julia’s death. Depicting soft skin and rosy cheeks identical to her wedding portrait, it was as if Julia was only sleeping.

The Buccola family took the “incorruptible” state of Julia’s body as a sign from God. They raised money to build the grand monument sculpted by Italian artists and mounted the fresh-faced photo of Julia at her exhumation on it.

Julia’s married name does not appear on the monument, but her mother’s name is listed twice. An Italian inscription on the back reads: “Filumena Buccola I offer this Gift to My Dear Daughter Giulia.”

Mysterious Presence

Filomena’s nightmares stopped, but that wasn’t the last Chicagoans heard of Julia. Students from nearby Proviso West High School and drivers on Harrison Street have reported seeing a woman in white walking through the cemetery at night. Other reports claim to sense the smell of roses near her grave when there are no fresh flowers in sight. Perhaps Julia was released from the grave after all.

Visiting Mount Carmel Cemetery

Mount Carmel Cemetery is open daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Julia’s grave is located in Section A near the Harrison Street entrance. If you’re looking for Al Capone, he’s in Section 35 near the Roosevelt Street Entrance.