Editing Coles County, Illinois (section)

==Folklore representation in other media==
Coles County has generated several well-known legends and folktales, including the [[Mad Gasser of Mattoon]] and accounts of the ghost of Mary Hawkins at [[Pemberton Hall (Eastern Illinois University)|Pemberton Hall]]. [[Michael Kleen]] has compiled many of these tales, including the "witch's grave" of St. Omer Cemetery and the story of "Rag Doll Cemetery," in his book ''Tales of Coles County, Illinois'' (2010).<ref>{{cite book|url=http://colescountytales.us/|title=Tales of Coles County, Illinois|orig-year=2004|year=2010|publisher=Black Oak Press, Illinois|access-date=September 9, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100729204623/http://colescountytales.us/|archive-date=July 29, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thedailyeasternnews.com/media/paper309/news/2005/10/28/TheVerge/Student.Author.Gets.Creative.With.Coles.History-1037276.shtml|title=Student author gets creative with Coles history|date=October 28, 2005|work=Daily Eastern News|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303174246/http://www.thedailyeasternnews.com/media/paper309/news/2005/10/28/TheVerge/Student.Author.Gets.Creative.With.Coles.History-1037276.shtml|archive-date=March 3, 2016}}</ref>

The legend of "Rag Doll Cemetery" was adapted for the screenplay of the independent film ''Rag Doll'', filmed in 2010 primarily in and around [[Mattoon, Illinois]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://jg-tc.com/news/article_b6bfdb2c-5f05-11df-bf17-001cc4c03286.html|title=Mattoon-based thriller gets a name|date=May 14, 2010|work=Journal Gazette/Times-Courier}}</ref> The novel ''A Family Possessed'' (2000) by L. W. Stevenson, is based on a rural family's account of poltergeist activity at their home in the 1980s.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://jg-tc.com/news/article_307eb745-1ff3-5981-a2f7-35cbd24ea576.html|title=A Ghost Story of local proportions|date=October 28, 2000|work=Journal Gazette/Times-Courier}}</ref>

[[Ashmore Estates]] has long been a part of local folklore. Originally serving as the almshouse at the Coles County Poor Farm, it is considered a haunted attraction and a place of interest for [[Ghost Hunting|paranormal investigators]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://jg-tc.com/news/article_c0e6c9a9-f45c-50d9-8b4a-cc4a63074e61.html|title=TV team uses technology to root out spirits at Ashmore Estates|date=July 20, 2008|work=Times-Courier}}</ref>