Cook County Cemetery Multi-cache
Panther in the Den: Relocated.
See 'This could put you in the Cook County Cemetery' http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=de2d20bc-1737-4a15-9753-b7fa147533a4
Have fun
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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Part of the challenge will be to find a place to park. No cars will be allowed on the grounds of the hospital. The first stage is a micro with coordinates that will lead you to a 1 quart Tupperware container painted flat black with a log book, pencil and sharpener inside. This cache also contains the usual trinkets for trade.
The first stage of this multi will take you to spot with a view of the monument memorializing this area.
The second and final stage takes you to and area where it appears the graves had been opened and contents removed. The graves have not been filled in.
From what I understand, the bodies have been removed but the souls still remain.
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Cook County Cemetery
AKA Oak Forest Cemetery
AKA County Cemetery
AKA Paupers Cemetery
AKA Paupers Field
Many names, sad story.
Let's start with a little history of the area.
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Oak Forest Hospital of Cook County
The history of this remarkable place is as colorful as that of Chicago itself.
Designed by architects Holabird & Roche in 1908, Cook County began construction of what was to be known as a "poor farm", a place for the city's indigent to receive shelter and food. By the time the doors opened in 1910 Oak Forest Institutions, as it was then known, housed a daily population of 1,694 residents.
With the onset of the Depression, by 1932 the residential population of Oak Forest Institutions had grown to over 4,300. The institution helped support itself through the work of the residents producing farm goods, bakery goods and with an industrial shop on the premises.
With the introduction of Public Aid in 1940, residents began returning to their communities. As the population of Oak Forest dwindled, the grounds were now used for chronically ill patients.
Eventually the farm buildings were razed and by 1954 a new recreation and medicine building had opened and the hospital ended its conversion to an infirmary. In 1957 the campus was officially changed to Oak Forest Hospital and by the end of the 50s they were concentrating solely on chronically ill patients and those with physical disabilities.
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Oak Forest Cemetery is primarily a "paupers" cemetery handling unknown or indigent deceased from Cook County, many coming from Cook County and Oak Forest Hospitals.
After a recent visit to the area, there are no head stones or any other markers of any kind.
I did find some information about someone’s relative who was buried there in 1939 and then 2 months later moved to a family plot in Graceland Cemetery.
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Dedication:
To ‘Tammiejo and Mephisto’ whose ‘Ghost Stories’ series of caches have brought to light many of the legends regarding various haunted areas.
I could not help but to think of some of the stories they have told as I was checking out this area.
Keep up the good work and keep on scaring the kids.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Qba'g ghea yrsg ng gur zvpeb naq gur znpeb vf va gur sbex bs n gerr.