Seaweed Charlie: The Drowned Aviator of Calvary Cemetery
n Evanston, Illinois, tucked between the timeless gravestones of Calvary Cemetery and the choppy waves of Lake Michigan, a ghost story has persisted for decades. Locals know him as Seaweed Charlie, a spectral figure said to emerge from the lake, soaked and solemn, and stagger across Sheridan Road in search of rest among the dead.
This is no ordinary ghost. This is a haunting steeped in sorrow, sacrifice, and perhaps, peace.
A Tranquil Cemetery with a Troubled Visitor
Calvary Cemetery is one of the most scenic burial grounds in Chicagoland. With over 200,000 interments across 92 lakefront acres, it’s the final resting place for former mayors, Civil War heroes, baseball legend Charles Comiskey, and other influential Chicagoans.
But the cemetery’s most famous resident may be someone who was never officially buried there at all.
From the late 1950s through the 1990s, countless reports emerged of a strange and chilling sight. A man was seen struggling in the icy waters of Lake Michigan near the east gates of Calvary Cemetery. Witnesses described him as a young man with a faint green glow, wearing a heavy coat or a military flight suit. Some said he was tangled in lakeweed. Others claimed he still wore a parachute pack as he climbed ashore.
What happened next was always the same.
He would crawl from the lake, scale the massive white shoreline boulders, and walk across Sheridan Road. Drivers often swerved to avoid him. Then he would disappear at the locked gates of the cemetery.
From Ghost Story to Grounded History
Although the story sounds like urban legend, Chicago ghost hunter Richard T. Crowe believed it had a historical origin. He linked the haunting to a real-life tragedy that occurred on May 4, 1951.
That day, Lt. Laverne F. Nabours, a World War II veteran and flight instructor at Glenview Naval Air Station, experienced engine failure while piloting an FH-1 Phantom jet. He crashed into Lake Michigan just off the coast near Northwestern University. He was last seen alive, waving for help while clinging to the wing of his sinking aircraft. His body washed ashore days later, just yards from the gates of Calvary Cemetery.
Many believe Lt. Nabours is the man behind the legend of Seaweed Charlie, a spirit who was never properly laid to rest and who returned again and again, seeking peace.
Some say the sightings continued for over 20 years. Then came one extraordinary night, when the gates of Calvary Cemetery were accidentally left open.
According to legend, Charlie finally walked through. After that, no one ever saw him again.
A Ghost’s Peaceful Ending?
In ghost stories, most spirits linger because something holds them back. It could be unfinished business, an untimely death, or a denial of proper burial. Seaweed Charlie’s tale is unique because it offers a conclusion. He haunted the shoreline and the gate until someone opened the way.
And then he was gone.
Today, visitors can stand across from Calvary Cemetery and look out over the water where he was said to drown. The waves still crash against the rocks. Some nights, the air still carries a heaviness that’s hard to explain.
But Charlie hasn’t crossed Sheridan Road in years.
The Man in the Water
The story of Seaweed Charlie has lasted for generations because it offers more than just a scare. It is a haunting filled with dignity and humanity. Whether he was a restless soul or a collective memory made manifest, Charlie reminded us that ghosts are often people we’ve simply forgotten how to mourn.
So if you’re driving along the lakeshore near Calvary Cemetery late at night, maybe glance toward the water.
And if you see someone in a flight suit, waving from the rocks, maybe it’s just your imagination.
Or maybe it’s Charlie, coming home again.
