11 Chicago's Most Haunted Locations
Chicago is a city steeped in history, and a lot of it. It's hardly surprise, therefore, that it's also a city teeming with spirits - a lot of ghosts.
Here are eleven terrible stories from Chicago's dark past, ranging from victims of the Great Chicago Fire to jilted lovers and lethal masterminds.
Death alley behind James M. Netherlander Theatre
The theatre is currently known as the Netherlander Theatre. Despite boasts that it was "fire-proof," it was renamed the Iroquois Theater in 1903 and became the site of a horrific fire. During the event, the fire doors were sealed, keeping 2,000 people inside. When the fires were extinguished, 602 people were pronounced dead, including 212 children.
The rescue of the bodies took more than five hours, with the alley behind the theatre serving as a makeshift morgue. Today, stories of faint screams, apparitions, and being pulled or pushed by unseen people have been reported in the same location, earning it the moniker "Death Alley."
Regular theatregoers, on the other hand, do not appear to be put off by ghost stories. The Netherlander Theatre's grand architecture, as well as a calendar of premieres and Broadway shows, keep the audiences coming and the ghosts at bay.
H.H. Holmes - Murder Castle
The former home of H.H. Holmes, the country's first serial killer, is located in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood. While the structure has since been replaced by the local post office, it was formerly home to Sherlock Holmes' renowned Murder Castle, where he attracted unsuspecting visitors to Chicago's 1893 World's Fair.
Built in 1893, Holmes enlisted the help of multiple contractors for various sections of the structure to ensure that no one individual, other than himself, knew the entire floor plan. The unusual plan included nowhere-to-go staircases and corridors, strangely sloped tunnels, and windowless chambers, all of which were designed to confound and confine his victims.
It's tough to estimate exactly how many people Homes murdered. While he acknowledged to 27 people, the vast majority of whom were women, some historians estimate the number is in the hundreds. Today, maintenance workers allege weird sightings and intense terror while working in the basement of the new building, where the majority of the killings took place.
Homes terrorized the Englewood neighborhood for for a century, but his legacy remains on. If you want to know more about Holmes, the best-selling novel Devil in the White City is based on his life and experiences.
Couch Mausoleum and Lincoln Park
The most southern point of picture-perfect Throughout the mid-nineteenth century, Lincoln Park served as a sprawling city cemetery. Except for the limestone Couch Memorial mausoleum, which still stands at the south end of Lincoln Park, all of the wooden grave markers were destroyed during the Great Chicago Fire.
In 1998, workers excavating the site discovered the remains of more than 80 people, including one well preserved body contained in a 19th-century iron coffin. More than 12,000 corpses, according to experts, may still be buried in the region today.
Chicago Water Tower
This downtown landmark has a dreadful background. On The Magnificent Mile, this beautiful Gothic Revival structure holds a gigantic water pump meant to draw water from Lake Michigan.
This famed limestone structure was one of the few to survive the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, but it was not without tragedy. According to folklore, when the flames raged, one brave worker stuck behind to keep the pumps running. As the flames crept closer and there was no way out, he retreated to the tower's higher levels and hung himself. According to several tales, a shadowy figure may be seen in the structure's upper level windows.
The City Gallery at Historic Water Tower, a famous venue for innovative photo exhibits, is now housed in the tower. Take a free look inside.
Congress Plaza Hotel
The Congress Plaza Hotel, named the most haunted destination in Illinois by Travel & Leisure, dates back to the 1893 World's Fair.
The opulent hotel was erected to accommodate the flood of travelers during the fair, and it rapidly became the talk of the town. Some allege that gangster Al Capone and his associates ran their headquarters and even committed heinous crimes there, although these accusations have been refuted.
Aside from mafia legends, you could glimpse "Peg Leg Johnny," the spirit of a guy who was brutally murdered in the alley behind the hotel, if you spend the night in the South Tower. His identity, as well as the circumstances surrounding his death, are unknown.
Urban legends surround the North Tower. On the 12th floor, hotel staff noticed the appearance of a lively small child. He is said to be the spirit of a child who, together with his sibling, was thrown from the North Tower by his mother. She, too, was killed by leaping.
The most terrifying, on the other side, occurs in Room 441. Visitors commonly describe seeing a woman's shadow, as well as objects in the room moving or lights going on and off at random. The room is also supposed to be the inspiration for Stephen King's horror story 1408, which is about a haunted hotel room.
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