The Peoria State Hospital in Bartonville, Illinois has long been associated with claims of the paranormal. Originally founded in 1902 as the Illinois Asylum for the Incurably Insane, the campus closed in 1972 and has remained largely abandoned. While tales of haunted asylums are common, Peoria State stands out as the site of one of the most bizarre and widely witnessed manifestations ever recorded.
Old Book was one of the first patients at Bartonville and served as the hospital’s gravedigger. A kind and empathetic soul, he was well-liked by both staff and residents. His unusual nickname likely stemmed from his real name, Manual Bookbinder, and as he was mute, he could not correct the misunderstanding.
Old Book carried out his duties as gravedigger with solemn respect for those he buried. After each burial, he could be found leaning against an ancient elm in the hospital’s graveyard, weeping for the departed. For nearly a decade, he fulfilled this role until his sudden death in 1910 at the age of thirty-two. Staff found it only fitting to bury him near the elm where he had often mourned the dead.
More than one hundred staff members and patients gathered to say farewell as Old Book was laid to rest in the potter’s field. As his coffin was lowered into the grave by the same burial detail he had once led, a strange scene unfolded: the coffin inexplicably became light, as if empty, and a great wailing echoed from the nearby elm. Witnesses claimed to see Old Book himself, standing by the tree, weeping at his own funeral. Panic erupted as the men opened the coffin, only to find Old Book’s corpse lying peacefully inside. With that, the apparition vanished, and the wailing ceased. Both staff and patients witnessed the event, and it was documented by hospital director Dr. George Zeller, who later included it in his 1920 memoir, Befriending the Bereft.
Shortly after Old Book’s death, the elm tree began to wither. Groundskeepers made several unsuccessful attempts to remove the “crying tree,” only to be driven away by the sounds of wailing. One man reported that when he struck the tree with an axe, it howled as if Old Book himself were struck. The tree remained until it was finally destroyed by a lightning strike, after which it was removed without incident. Yet even today, sightings of Old Book continue, and reports of his ghostly weeping persist.
The legend of Old Book and the Crying Tree stands among the many haunting tales that weave their way through the folklore of abandoned hospitals and mental institutions. Stories like these—whether it’s the spectral apparitions of Waverly Hills Sanatorium or the ghostly whispers of Danvers State Hospital—remind us of the thin veil between our world and what lies beyond. Whether you believe in spirits or not, the tale of Old Book endures, a chilling reminder of the echoes left behind by those who may never truly rest.
Jason Roberts is a Seattle-based author noted for his acclaimed Western Horror series The Dead Wind Trilogy and other works of cosmic horror infused with historical fiction. His web-based series, Dark Distractions, examines paranormal mysteries, unexplained phenomena, and all things strange.
