As the 8th most haunted city in America, Chicago has an extensive list of haunted locations! From classic locations such as hotels and cemeteries to the more unusual like an entire street of homes or the Chicago River itself, there’s a spooky tale for everyone.
Graceland Cemetery
This cemetery is home to not one but multiple haunted graves. I could spend a whole blog post dedicated to just this cemetery, so I’ll focus in on just three of the graves.
- Ludwig Wolff’s (1836-1911) grave isn’t necessarily haunted, but it has it’s share of creepy features. The late 1800s saw many fears over being buried alive; Ludwig Wolff was no different. His mausoleum has an air vent on top as well as various bells to keep that fear from coming true.
- Dexter Graves’s (1789-1844) grave has a spooky statue sitting above it. According to legend, if you look into the statue’s eyes you will see a vision of your own death.
- The most heartbreaking legend surrounds the grave of Inez Clarke (1873-1880). The story goes that she was killed when she was struck by lighting. Her spirit has been spotted roaming the cemetery, but what’s wilder is that the statue at her grave is said to disappear during storms because she’s afraid.
Death Alley
The official name of the street is Couch Place. It’s nickname? Death Alley.
Back in 1903 there was a tragic fire at the Iroquois Theatre (which was said to be fire proof, which makes me think of the Titanic, especially since it was the first performance at the theatre as well). Six hundred people died that night, with the street behind the theatre turning into a morgue.
Today it’s said that you can still hear people cry or scream, which is heart shattering. Some also feel touched, while others are pushed. Maybe it’s someone pushing by, trying to escape the fire.
Chicago River
Disaster sites are magnets for hauntings.
Similar to Death Alley, the area of the Chicago River where the SS Eastland capsized, killing 844 people is said to be haunted. Also like Death Alley, the area nearby turned into a temporary morgue. The tragic loss of life has left an imprint on the area. In addition to apparitions, it seems that this energy has affected the river itself with strange wave patterns appearing in the water where the tragedy occurred (between Clarke and LaSalle Streets).
Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre Site
The building where the massacre occurred is no longer standing (you can read about the wall being relocated to Las Vegas & hauntings surrounding it here ), but a dark energy is said to hang around the area. Similar to Death Alley, you’re said to be able to hear screaming as well as machine gun fire. The building next door also claims to have a poltergeist related to what happened in the area.
Jane Addams Hull House
The Hull House has something lurking within it that may be related to the Jersey Devil. Legend says that the “devil baby’s” mother had hung a religious icon in the home during her pregnancy, which the father took off the wall and said, “I would rather have a devil in the house!”
Would you though?
Because what they got was a child covered in scales with hooves and horns (similar to the Jersey Devil); they abandoned the child at the home where it was subsequently locked in the attic. Sightings of the “Devil Baby” continue to this day.
Prairie Avenue
An entire street full of haunted homes? When can I move in? Prairie Avenue is lined with gorgeous historic homes that seem to house more than just the living. **Trigger warning for number 3, the Keith House**
- Glessner House (1800 S. Prairie Ave) – The home was designed for the Glessner family by Henry Hobson Richardson (a well regarded architect at the time). The architect passed before the home was completed so the family hung his portrait in the home as their way of appreciating his work. He’s often spotted in the home or at the very least felt through cold spots, likely admiring the work he was unable to see in life.
- Kimball House (1801 S. Prairie Ave) – Mrs. Evaline Kimball was well known in the area for her extensive art collection. At the time, she had paid over $200,000 for it (a cool $7 million today when you account for inflation). After her passing it was moved from the home to the Art Institute of Chicago. This seems to have upset her spirit though because she’s been known to violently shake the windows.
- Keith House (1900 S. Prairie Ave) – Edson & Elbridge Keith were brothers as well as successful business partners; they both had homes on Prairie Avenue. Eventually, they parted ways business wise. Edson began to suffer from various illnesses, both physical and psychological in nature. He eventually took his own life in 1896. It’s guessed that he haunted his own home for awhile, but it has since been torn down. His apparition has been spotted in the window of Elbridge’s home though.
- Marshall Field Jr. House (1919 S. Prairie Ave) – Mystery surrounds the death of Marshall Field Jr. (you can read more about the theories by following the reference link). With his death seemingly unsolved though, it seems Mr. Field can’t rest as you can hear his footsteps in the home as well as him crying.
875 N. Michigan Ave
Formerly known as the John Hancock Center, this building is “Chicago’s most haunted skyscraper.”
The building has had it’s share of strange deaths over the years, starting in 1971 with a young woman falling from the 90th floor, who’s ghost is said to be seen around the building. An employee fell from the roof a few years later in 1975. That same year, someone else fell from the 91st floor. A few years later in 1978 a man was shot on the 65th floor.
Random fires have broken out in the building and then alarms go off at random as well (though if there’s random fires that may explain the alarms…). While not related to anything paranormal there’s also a spider migration that happens here; spiders the size of 50 cent pieces (30.6 mm in diameter) climb up the building. That’s enough to keep me away from it.
Water Tower
**Trigger Warning**
Not far from the former John Hancock Center is the old water tower. It’s one of a few buildings that made it out of the Great Chicago Fire and is a beautiful historic landmark against a backdrop of modern buildings.
While the building made it through the fire, it still left a tragic mark here. One of the workers stayed to man the water pumps during the fire. With the fire getting closer and not wanting to burn, he took his own life in the tower of the building. His shadow is now seen in the top floor and can be seen in the windows as well.
Wrigley Field
Would you have ever guessed that a baseball field was haunted? Baseballs disappear. There are random cold spots and apparitions. And the press box is said to be haunted by the spirit of the legendary Harry Caray with an unexplained mist appearing in the room.
Congress Plaza Hotel
**Trigger Warning for story 2**
This hotel is home to a variety of haunts based on it’s wild history.
- There’s a ghost known as Peg Leg Johnny, who is believed to be the ghost of a homeless person that lived and died behind the hotel; he’s supposed to be responsible for turning lights on and off.
- The saddest is the ghost of a little boy who haunts the hotel after being the victim of a murder-suicide. His mother killed him, his brother, and herself after thinking her husband had left them. Out of the three of them though he’s the only one ever reported and he likes to play tricks on guests.
- The room with the most calls to security is room 441. It was in the opposite tower from us, so we didn’t go walk by it. We did go up to the 12th floor though to see that room locked from the outside. I haven’t been able to find anything exactly on what happened in the 12th floor (send me a message if you find something!) but it’s just said it was so bad that it had to be sealed away.
Drake Hotel
**Trigger Warning for Woman in Red**
Another haunted hotel in Chicago is the Drake Hotel, which is home to two spooky women.
- Woman in Red – This woman is said to have jumped from the 10th floor of the hotel after she caught her husband cheating on her during a New Year’s Eve party at the hotel. She’s spotted in her red dress still in the Gold Coast Room (where I’m guessing the party was) as well as the 10th floor.
- Woman in Black – This woman seems to be returning to the scene of a crime, even though she was never caught in life? It would make more sense that her victim would haunt the hotel, but she’s often seen after having committed murder in her room on the 8th floor. Maybe she’s cursed to this area after committing such a terrible crime?
Marina City
Much like the Hancock building, this building has had it’s share of strange deaths beginning with the death of three construction workers in 1961 and another in 1962. There have been other falls from this building as well through the years, particularly the east tower. Shadows and apparitions are reported as well as “feelings of sadness and depression.”
Chicago prints available here.
October All Year 