The Italian Bride Urban Legend

A stunning marble statue of a bride sticks out in an Illinois graveyard. Below, there is a photo plaque of a woman in a casket looking perfectly preserved. People are stunned because the photo was taken six years after the burial when the body was exhumed. Witnesses report unusual activity around the gravesite, such as the smell of fresh flowers and the apparition of a woman in white roaming around nearby. In 1921, Julia Buccola Petta died during childbirth along with her baby. She was buried in her wedding dress days later, with her stillborn child in her arms. Apparently, in the years after, her mother, Filomena Buccola, experienced horrific nightmares about her dead daughter.

Eventually, she demanded that her daughter’s casket is exhumed and reopened. At first, she didn’t have much success. Yet, she continued to push for it. She just knew she had to see her daughter one more time… Finally, a judge took pity in the grieving mother and granted her the right to exhume the grave. It had been six years, and she was ready to see her daughter again. When the casket was opened, witnesses report that her body had not decayed at all. Allegedly, her skin had been soft, as if she were still alive. Someone took photos in order to prove that it was really happening. The photo shows the body that was as fresh as the day she was buried… No discoloration of the skin, her face wasn’t sunken in…

The coffin itself looked decayed and rotten. It was evident that it had been buried… But, why was her body so fresh? Her family believed that it was a sign from God that she was special, so they were able to raise money to erect the statue that still stands there today. Ever since people have reported seeing her roaming around the graveyard. Students from the high school across the way have reported seeing her throughout the day. In fact, in 1976, rumors of Julia being seen in the cemetery emptied a school dance. Visitors still visit her gravesite to this day!    

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