The Chesterville Witch Chesterville, Illinois is a very small village that does not appear on any map. It is located just west of Arcola, in the heart of Illinois Amish country. Most of the inhabitants of the small town are of the Mennonite faith, living without benefit of electricity or modern conveniences. Located just outside of the village, and across an ancient, one-lane bridge, is the Chesterville Cemetery. It is in this small, secluded graveyard that a traveler can find the "witch's grave". No one remembers her name today, but in the middle 1800's, she was a young woman who lived in the area and was reputed to be a "witch". She was said to have had supernatural powers over animals and people but also was said to have healing properties to her powers also. She died at a very young age and her father surrounded the grave with an iron fence and planted a small sapling next to the grave. Over the years, the top of her grave marker has vanished and the tree has grown quite large, swallowing the iron fence completely on one side. Legends say that the spirit of the young girl has been seen near her grave on certain nights of the year. Chesterville is located just west of Arcola, Illinois. The cemetery can be found by turning north at Chesterville and then taking the fork in the road to the right. Follow that road across the bridge to the cemetery. FYI: People used to plant trees over the graves of their loved ones to prevent desecration of the grave by grave robbers (who would sell the remains to doctors and scientists)
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