Seaweed Charlie

Up near Cavalry Cemetery as Chicago turns into Evanston along the curve of Sheridan road, a large swath of rocks borders the road leading down to the lake. Typically just after midnight, many sightings of a ghost moving from the water to the cemetery gates have been reported.

A man appears out in the deep waves of Lake Michigan. He surfaces covered in algae and emitted a faint green glow. The man moves forward slowly in the water. He reaches the walks and climbs out, dragging himself to the cemetery gates where he then disappears.

 

Ghost Ships

M.A. Kleen gets into the story and history of Seaweed Charlie on this website.

The Great Lakes are home to many famous wrecks, with Lake Michigan holding known sites and its own secrets out amidst the deep waters. Notable wrecks include:

-The George Morley shipwreck which caught fire and sunk near Evanston.

-The Rousse Simmons, a Christmas tree transportation ship which sank in rough weather and has been said to haunt the waters near Two Rivers, Wisconsin where it went down.

-Silver Spray which is the closest swimmable shipwreck off Chicago’s shore and used to ferry passengers down the south shoreline.

Besides these wrecks, current vessels out on the lake may also be carrying some ghosts of their own. Ballast water is taken into ships to account for tonnage. Water is brought onto the ship when cargo is taken off to account for weight, then that water is released. The water that gets released is not always where it started, bringing risk of invasive species with it. Lake Michigan has seen enormous increases of zebra mussels and lampreys in recent years partially due to this practice.