The Ropes: Fort de Chartres

Sep14
on 14 September 2011 at 2:49 am
Posted In: blog, trivia

Welcome back to the weekly feature here at Wighthouse called The Ropes, as in “know ‘em”! As I do research for the comic, I sometimes come across interesting bits of trivia that I’d like to share with my readers. For example, did you know…

…a ghostly funeral procession haunts a former French outpost on the Mississippi?

Fort Gate
Photo by lharkness, via Flickr

In 1718, Illinois existed as a territory under French rule. The French wanted a military stronghold in the vicinity from which to rule, so they decided to build a fort near the Mississippi River at Prairie du Rocher. Preceded by two wooden forts of dubious construction, the stone Fort de Chartres was built in the 1750s, with several buildings inside a great outer wall. France lost the Seven Years’ War in 1763, ceding much of its land to the British, who took over Fort de Chartres in 1765. They abandoned it in 1771 due to lack of interest and still further deterioration.

Fort de Chartres languished in ruin for over a century. Once the south wall collapsed into the Mississippi in 1772, nearby homeowners stole building materials from the inner buildings, as well as the wall itself. By 1900, only the powder magazine was left. In 1913, however, the site was snapped up by the state, and reconstruction began. Today you can visit Fort de Chartres in all its eighteenth century glory; the grounds house a museum, the original powder magazine, a chapel, guards’ quarters, and more. Several family-friendly events take place throughout the year.

One event that might not be so family-friendly – or friendly to anyone living, for that matter – is purported to take place on the 4th of July, as long as it falls on a Friday. (Go figure.) Rumor has it that a prominent local businessman, or possibly a British officer, was murdered by a French soldier. Secrecy demanded that the deceased be buried at midnight in a cemetery outside of town. Supposedly, if you’re in the area on Friday, July 4 between eleven o’clock and midnight, you’ll see the 40-wagon procession wind down the same road it took so many years ago. The last chance for that happenstance was in 2008, but sadly I was not there. Did you see anything untoward come toward you that night?

Sources:
Fort de Chartres State Historic Site
Fort de Chartres – Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
Prairie Ghosts: The Phantom Funeral of Fort de Chartres

└ Tags: , , , , , ,
3 Comments

The Ropes: From Graveyard to Junkyard

Aug31
on 31 August 2011 at 1:22 am
Posted In: blog, trivia

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Wighthouse called The Ropes, as in “know ‘em”! As I do research for the comic, I sometimes come across interesting bits of trivia that I’d like to share with my readers. For example, did you know…

…a scrapyard on Chicago’s southeast side houses a permanent resident?

Andreas Von Zirngibl Gravesite
Flickr photo by Zol87

A lot of things get thrown out in junkyards, sometimes, even a human being. Andreas von Zirngibl, which should easily be the best name you’ve heard today, was born in 1797 in Bavaria. He fought against Napoleon in Waterloo, although not without losing an arm. In 1854, von Zirngibl took his family across the sea and rested on the shores of the Calumet River.

When von Zirngibl died in 1855 from a fever, he asked that he be buried on his land. Easy enough request, considering it was a sparsely-populated swamp. As it does, though, time swept along this landscape, bringing with it the Industrial Revolution. Eventually the Calumet and Chicago Canal & Dock Co. encroached on von Zirngibl’s gravesite, prompting his descendants to sue. Despite suspect claims to the land itself, the judge allowed the burial place to remain, with access granted to relatives for upkeep. The ruling applied to any future company on the site.

That’s why SIMS Metal Management still has, among crushed cars and mounds of tires, a pristine slab with von Zirngibl’s headstone on it, surrounded by four huge concrete blocks. It’s not the original headstone; a wayward crane smashed one of its incarnations in 1999. The veteran’s grave is certainly one for any curious Chicagoan’s bucket list, but check with the company before you waltz in: they should let you in, if you have the appropriate safety precautions. As the saying goes, always wear your helmet.

Sources: Eternal Rust, Chicago Tribune, 5 May 1999
Photos of von Zirngibl’s gravesite (and surroundings) at Graveryards.com
Bonus goodie: everything’s on Yelp these days.

Join us next week when go down the Mississipp’ to a haunted French fortress!

└ Tags: , , , , ,
5 Comments

The Ropes: Dolphins’ Seventh Sense

Aug24
on 24 August 2011 at 1:42 am
Posted In: blog, trivia

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Wighthouse called The Ropes, as in “know ’em”! As I do research for the comic, I sometimes come across interesting bits of trivia that I’d like to share with my readers. For example, did you know…

…dolphins can detect electricity?

Scientists in Germany have discovered that beyond echolocation, the Guiana dolphin also has the capacity to sense electrical fields of short-distance prey. The electro-sensory structures are located in pits in the upper jaw. Such pits have been found in fish and amphibians, but dolphins are the first true mammalian example. What’s more, scientists believe we can someday evolve this sense, too!

But until that day, I hope you’re thinking what I’m thinking: GHOST-HUNTING DOLPHINS.


They’re their own EMF detectors! :D

Source: Electric dolphins: cetaceans with a seventh sense

Join us next week when we go back to the graveyard!

└ Tags: , , ,
3 Comments