| Seaweed Charlie | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background | |
| Type | Ghost |
| Continent | North America |
| Country | United States |
| One-Time? | No |
| Theories | · Naval Aviator · Drowning victim |
Seaweed Charlie, also known as The Aviator, is a ghost who is rumored to haunt the Calvary Cemetery in Evanston, Illinois. Several theories have arisen as to the origin of the spirit, the most widely accepted being that he was a naval aviator whose plane crashed into Lake Michigan.[1]
Description[]
Seaweed Charlie is described as a man who's 5'10 to 6'0 tall and thin. He wears a WWII-style pilot's uniform covered in long strands of seaweed and algae, and appears to glow. Late at night, witnesses passing by Lake Michigan see him emerge from the water and climb over the rocks onto the road, where he stumbles across the road to Calvary Cemetery. Once he reaches the gate of the cemetery, he disappears.[2]
It's thought that he goes to the gate of the cemetery because he wants his spirit to be able to rest there instead of being stuck in Lake Michigan.[3]
Theories[]
Drowning victim[]
Some have theorized that Seaweed Charlie was a victim of drowning. There are two versions of this theory. The first version states that Charlie was a fisherman who fell overboard and drowned. The second version states that he was a man trying to teach himself how to swim, but got tangled in seaweed, panicked, and drowned. His body supposedly washed up on the rocks covered in Seaweed. Both versions of this theory have generally been discredited because neither explain why he wears a pilot uniform.[1]
[]
Most people believe that Seaweed Charlie is the ghost of Lieutenant Laverne F. Nabours, a 30-year-old Navy instructor who taught at the Glenview Naval Air Station, seven miles north of the cemetery. On May 4, 1951, his one-seater jet crashed into Lake Michigan during training exercises while he was inside of it. His plane washed up near Calvary Cemetery two days later, but his body didn't. [2]
Others believe he is the ghost of Herbert Brown, another naval aviator who crashed his plane into Lake Michigan during training exercises in 1943. His plane was recovered, but Brown's body was never found.[4]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Petz, John (2010). Dead Lee's Guide to Haunted Chicago. John Petz. pp. 48–51. ISBN 9780557722402. Retrieved January 15, 2023
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Vanecko, Bobby (June 10, 2021). Nowhere Fast: An excerpt from the short story collection. South Side Weekly. Retrieved January 15, 2023
- ↑ Kaczmarek, Dale (2005). Windy City Ghosts : An Essential Guide to the Haunted History of Chicago. Oak Lawn, Ill: Ghost Research Society Press. ISBN 9780976607205. Retrieved January 15, 2023
- ↑ Grosscup, Luann (October 21, 2007). Buoys and ghouls. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 15, 2023.