Resurrection Mary: Chicago’s Vanishing Hitchhiker

On Archer Avenue near the suburban Chicago community of Justice, Illinois, motorists have reported picking up a beautiful young woman in a white dress—only to have her vanish when they pass Resurrection Cemetery. Known as Resurrection Mary, she is perhaps the most famous vanishing hitchhiker in American folklore, reported consistently since the 1930s and continuing to appear into the present day.

The Legend

The typical encounter follows a pattern. A driver traveling Archer Avenue at night sees a young woman walking along the road or hitchhiking. She is described as beautiful, in her late teens or early twenties, with blonde hair and blue eyes. She wears a white party dress, sometimes described as having floral decorations, and dancing shoes.

If stopped, she accepts a ride. She is polite but quiet, sometimes mentioning that she needs to get home. She asks to be let out as they approach Resurrection Cemetery. When the driver looks back, she has vanished—sometimes from the car itself, sometimes after exiting.

Variations on the encounter exist. Some drivers report meeting Mary at dances or ballrooms, spending time with her, then watching her disappear as they pass the cemetery. Others see her only briefly before she vanishes through the cemetery gates.

Historical Identity

Various candidates have been proposed for Mary’s identity. The most commonly cited is Mary Bregovy, a young Polish-American woman who died in a car accident in 1934 after attending the O. Henry Ballroom. She was buried at Resurrection Cemetery in a white dress and dancing shoes matching witness descriptions.

Other researchers have suggested Anna “Marija” Norkus, who died in a 1927 car accident returning from the Oh Henry Ballroom, or various other young women who met tragic ends in the area during the 1920s and 1930s.

No identification has been definitively established. The legend may be a composite of multiple tragedies rather than a single event.

Notable Sightings

Sightings have occurred consistently over decades. In 1939, a cab driver named Jerry Palus reported picking up a young woman who asked to be taken home. She directed him to Archer Avenue and asked to stop at Resurrection Cemetery. She exited the cab and walked toward the cemetery gates, vanishing before his eyes.

In the 1970s, sightings increased. Multiple drivers reported encounters. A cab driver in 1973 picked up a woman in a white dress who disappeared from his back seat as they passed the cemetery.

The most dramatic incident occurred on August 10, 1976. A passing motorist noticed a young woman in white behind the gates of Resurrection Cemetery. The cemetery was closed; she appeared to be locked in. The driver notified police, who investigated but found no one inside the grounds. What they did find were two of the cemetery gate’s iron bars—bent outward as if by tremendous force, with scorch marks and what appeared to be imprints of human hands.

The bars were later straightened and the marks covered, but photographs exist documenting the damage. Cemetery officials have denied any supernatural explanation.

Physical Evidence

The bent bars remain the most compelling physical evidence associated with Resurrection Mary. Multiple witnesses observed them. Photographs were taken. The damage was real, even if its cause is disputed.

Other physical evidence is harder to evaluate. Some drivers report finding the smell of perfume lingering in their cars after Mary’s disappearance. Others describe feeling a sudden chill when she enters or exits.

The Willowbrook Ballroom

The Oh Henry Ballroom, later renamed the Willowbrook Ballroom, stood on Archer Avenue and was a popular dance venue during the era when Mary allegedly lived. Many encounters involve Mary being picked up from or dropped off near the ballroom.

The connection to the ballroom reinforces the tragic romance of the legend—a young woman killed returning from a dance, forever trying to get home, forever passing the place where she lies buried.

The Willowbrook Ballroom burned down in 2016, adding another layer of loss to the legend.

Cultural Significance

Resurrection Mary is the most famous example of the vanishing hitchhiker archetype—a folklore motif found worldwide. Stories of ghostly travelers who disappear follow similar patterns across cultures. Some researchers see these as psychological projections; others as evidence of genuine supernatural phenomena.

What makes Resurrection Mary distinctive is the consistency and persistence of the reports. Unlike many folklore figures, Mary continues to be seen. Sightings occur regularly, even in the twenty-first century. Witnesses include skeptics who had no expectation of encountering anything unusual.

Skeptical Analysis

Skeptics suggest several explanations. The power of suggestion may cause drivers familiar with the legend to misinterpret normal events. Young women in white dresses walking along the road might trigger the association. False memories could develop after the fact.

The cemetery’s location on a busy road increases the likelihood of coincidental encounters with hitchhikers or pedestrians. The legend itself may create a feedback loop, with publicity generating more reports.

Ongoing Encounters

Resurrection Mary continues to be seen. Reports emerge every few years. The witnesses are ordinary people—cab drivers, commuters, bar patrons—who describe experiences matching the established pattern.

Whether she is the ghost of a woman killed returning from a dance, a psychological phenomenon manifesting consistently due to the power of legend, or something else entirely, Resurrection Mary has become part of Chicago’s identity. She represents the city’s ethnic heritage, its lost ballroom culture, and the universal tragedy of young lives cut short.

She waits on Archer Avenue still, seeking a ride home that she will never complete, vanishing into the mist as the gates of Resurrection Cemetery appear.