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Showing posts with label Illinois. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Illinois. Show all posts

Oriental Theater, Chicago

The Oriental Theater in Chicago is one of the city's most iconic and historic landmarks. But behind its glamorous facade lies a dark and tragic past that has left a lasting imprint on the theater and its surroundings. In this blog post, we will explore the history and hauntings of the Oriental Theater, formerly known as the Iroquois Theater, and why it is considered one of the most haunted places in Chicago.


The Iroquois Theater was built in 1903 as a lavish and luxurious venue for musicals, operas and vaudeville shows. It boasted a seating capacity of 1,602 and claimed to be "absolutely fireproof". However, on December 30, 1903, during a matinee performance of Mr. Bluebeard starring comedian Eddie Foy, a fire broke out on the stage due to faulty wiring and quickly spread to the auditorium. The theater was packed with nearly 2,000 people, mostly women and children, who panicked and tried to escape. But they found that many of the doors were locked or opened inward, creating a deadly bottleneck. The fire exits were also poorly marked and inaccessible. The fire brigade arrived too late to save most of the victims, who either burned to death or suffocated from the smoke. The death toll was estimated at 602, making it the deadliest theater fire in U.S. history.


The building that housed the theater was repaired and reopened several times before being demolished and reopened as the Oriental Theater in 1926. Today, the theater is known as the Ford Center for the Performing Arts Oriental Theatre. It hosts Broadway shows, concerts and other events. But many people believe that the theater is still haunted by the ghosts of those who perished in the fire. Some of the paranormal phenomena reported at the theater include:


- Hearing screams, cries and moans of agony coming from the stage or the auditorium.

- Seeing apparitions of women and children dressed in early 20th century clothing wandering around the theater or sitting in the seats.

- Feeling cold spots, drafts or touches from unseen hands.

- Smelling smoke or burning flesh.

- Experiencing equipment malfunctions, power outages or flickering lights.

- Witnessing objects moving or falling on their own.


The alley behind the theater, known as Death Alley, is also said to be haunted by the spirits of those who jumped or were thrown out of the windows during the fire. Some people have seen ghostly figures lying on the ground or floating in the air. Others have heard footsteps, whispers or sobbing sounds. Some have even felt a sudden surge of heat or pain as if they were being burned.


The Oriental Theater is a place of beauty and entertainment, but also of horror and sorrow. It is a reminder of one of the worst tragedies in Chicago's history and one of the most haunted places in Chicago. If you ever visit the theater, be respectful of its past and be prepared for its ghosts.

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400th Avenue Bridge - New Holland, IL

The 400th Avenue bridge crosses Sugar Creek just north of Pool Hill Cemetery. According to local lore, the area is a supernatural hotspot and was the scene of lynching in the distant past. Visitors occasionally hear whispering, talking, rattling chains, and screams as if the lynchings were being repeated over and over again. Even the nearby fields are not immune from this macabre auditory replay. Also, if you lay your hand on the tree where the hangings occurred, it is said that you will witness the events. Today, not much remains of the cemetery that overlooks the bridge, and the tree has been cut down.
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Witch’s Bridge - Clarksdale, IL

For many years, a small stone cabin with a long, brick chimney stood along the road near a bridge not too far from Anderson Cemetery. It was rumoured to be guarded by a zombie dog, and to be the home of a family of murdering thieves. According to local paranormal investigator Larry Wilson, “Supposedly a man, his wife and their children lived in the cabin. Legend is the man killed his family then hung himself on the bridge nearby. It was rumoured that if you went into the back room of the cabin no matter how cold it was it would become very warm.” Others have said that a girl (or witch) was hung from the steel bridge past the cabin. Spook lights are sometimes seen floating around the creek under the bridge. The cabin has since been relocated to Rochester, Illinois near a city park.
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Love Ford Bridge - Falmouth, IL

The area around Love Ford Bridge is home to several notorious places, not the least of which is Happy Holler, a bar and sound stage popular with bikers, truckers, and hunters. Just across the road, at the top of a hill derogatorily named after the African Americans thought to be buried there, sits Higgins (Coburn) Cemetery. Strange lights and sounds have been encountered near the cemetery, and it is rumoured to be the site of animal sacrifice and Devil worship. Love Ford Bridge is believed to be haunted by the ghost of an inebriated young man who jumped into the Embarras River and drowned. One eyewitness who spoke to authors Chad Lewis and Terry Fisk claimed that he heard the sound of splashing and laughing coming from the river near the bridge. Thinking that was strange because of the cold weather, he went to investigate and saw “several ghostly figures floating in the water.”
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Lakey’s Creek Bridge - McLeansboro, IL

The headless horseman of Lakey’s Creek is quite possibly one of the oldest ghost stories in Illinois. Long before a concrete bridge spanned the shallow creek 1.5 miles east of McLeansboro, a frontiersman named Lakey attempted to erect his log cabin near a ford along the wagon trail to Mt. Vernon. One morning, a lone traveler stumbled upon Lakey’s body. Lakey’s head had been severed by his own axe, which was left at the scene. According to legend, his murderer was never found. For decades after the murder, travellers reported being chased by a headless horseman that rode out of the woods along Lakey’s Creek. “Always the rider, on a large black horse, joined travellers approaching the stream from the east, and always on the downstream side,” John Allen wrote. “Each time and just before reaching the centre of the creek, the mist-like figure would turn downstream and disappear.” The headless horseman has been seen much less frequently in recent years.
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Crybaby Bridge - Monmouth, IL

The “Crybaby Bridge” is a common folklore motif in the Midwest, and although the bridges may be different, their stories are very similar. One concerns a young mother who drowned her unwanted child in the river under the bridge, and the infant’s cries can still be heard. Another common story is that a bus or van full of children drove off the bridge, killing everyone inside. Now, if you put your car in neutral while on the bridge, invisible hands will push you safely to the other side. Both of these legends are associated with a steel, graffiti-covered bridge in rural Warren County. One tale particular to this location involves a speeding car full of impetuous youths who struck and killed a fisherman as he cast a line into the creek. Additionally, several people have claimed to hear a baby crying near this bridge.
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The Bridges of Blood’s Point - Cherry Valley, IL

A cornucopia of urban legends have attached themselves to this hair-raising-named rural avenue, its neighbouring bridges, and the cemetery of the same name. Along the road, visitors have reported seeing phantom vehicles and a dog with glowing red eyes. According to legend, the railroad bridge was the scene of a deadly school bus accident, as well as more than one hanging. These hangings have also been attributed to an older wooden bridge along nearby Sweeny Road. In one gruesome story, a van full of children coming back from a birthday party spun out of control and plummeted off the side of the bridge. The driver, who was wearing a clown suit, can still sometimes be seen clawing his way back onto the road. The cemetery at the end of the road is said to be visited by a wide variety of phenomenon—from orbs, to a phantom dog, to a vanishing barn, to the disembodied laughter of children and electrical malfunctions. Blood’s Point was named after Arthur Blood, the first white settler of Flora Township. Some locals maintain that he brought a curse with him that remains to this day.
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Maple Lake Lights - Springs, Illinois

Maple Lake is a man-made body of water roughly half a mile in width. With its wide, curving shores and tranquil waters, it is a deceptively peaceful place. Over the years, Maple Lake has acquired a reputation for the unusual. Visitors have reported seeing strange lights hovering over the lake, and there have been at least two homicides and four drownings there. Stories of strange lights have circulated for decades. “An inexplicable red glow has been seen oozing around the shoreline, between the trees and above the sand,” ChicagoTribune reporter Howard Reich wrote in a feature story on Halloween 1980. This “oozing” glow was later described as small and was said to hover in the one particular location in the middle of the lake. According to most contemporary accounts, the spook light is most often visible from the Maple Lake Overlook along 95th Street between 10:30pm and 12am. Onlookers report that the red light shines brightly for a few precious moments before it disappears.
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Jacob’s Lantern - Papineau, Illinois

According to a local Iroquois County legend, in the autumn of 1859 a man named Jacob and his female companion murdered a cattle drover on the road north from Danville. Whether their crime was intentional or an accident is never made clear, but the two decided to hide the evidence by burying the man’s body in a field near an old barn. To light their way, they carried a soft lantern and hung it from a tree as they dug his shallow grave. Since then, autumn nights bring a soft yellow glow in the distance. According to Dale Kaczmarek, author of the book Illuminating the Darkness, a man named Lee Ponton used to see the light from his kitchen window. His parents would sprinkle holy water around their house whenever it appeared.
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The St. Omer Witch’s Grave - Ashmore, Illinois

St. Omer Cemetery is home to an unusual family monument that some say looks like a crystal ball on top a pyre. According to local lore, Caroline Barnes, one of four people buried under the massive stone, was put to death for practicing witchcraft. It is said that no pictures can be taken of her monument, and that it glows on moonless nights. The only evidence for the legend seems to be the gravestone’s dramatic design, the way local citizens grow nervous whenever the story is mentioned, and most strikingly, Caroline’s impossible date of death chiseled in the granite: February 31. The monument also faces north and south, while most headstones are oriented east-west. There is no historical or documentary evidence supporting the notion that Caroline Barnes was accused of witchcraft, but never-the-less, the legend has persisted.
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Chesterville Witch’s Grave - Chesterville, Illinois

Chesterville is a small Amish and Mennonite community that consists of no more than a few dozen houses located a couple of miles away from Rockome gardens. Within the neatly trimmed grounds of Chesterville Cemetery, an old oak tree stands at the edge of the woods that separates the graveyard from the river. The peculiar thing about this tree is the iron fence that surrounds it, and the old stone marker that no longer bears a name. According to Troy Taylor, this is the grave of a woman who turned up dead after being accused of witchcraft in the early 1900s after she challenged the conservative views of the local Amish church elders. The town planted a tree over her grave to trap her spirit inside and prevent her from taking revenge. Her ghost can still be seen from time to time hanging around the area. In 2014, this legend was featured in episode one of An Amish Haunting.
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Haunted Inn at 835 in Springfield

Built in the early 1900s, the Inn at 835 in Springfield, Illinois first housed luxury apartments. The dream of Bell Miller, a turn of the century businesswoman, it was designed during the Arts and Crafts movement by architect, George Helmle.

While still in her 20’s, Bell Miller began a floral business in the early 1890s, catering to Springfield’s high society. Before long, she expanded her small business into a number of greenhouses, encompassing a city block.

In December 1909 her dream home was completed, including airy verandahs, massive fireplaces and exquisite oak detailing in a neighborhood once termed “Aristocracy Hill.” In no time, the dignified building attracted an array of aristocratic tenants who graced the luxury apartments over the years..

In 1994, the building was completely renovated and the apartments were converted into seven luxurious guest rooms, each offering private baths and amenities such as double Jacuzzis and airy verandas. In 1995, the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

But according to the legend, Bell Miller became so fond of her dream home, that she refuses to leave. From guests and staff come the stories of a warm friendly voice that seemingly comes out of nowhere. On other occasions, a ghostly figure has been seen drifting through doorways. One report included a book taken from a tightly packed shelf and placed in the middle of the room multiple times. On another occasion, when the wallpaper began to peel away from the wall, it was found to be perfectly repaired the next morning. Apparently, Miss Miller continues to care for her luxurious home.

InnAt835-Interior
Foyer inside the Inn at 835 in Springfield, Illinois courtesy The Inn at 835

She also seems to have a penchant for candy as the sound of the lid from a crystal candy dish is often heard being removed and replaced when no one is around. Most often reported are the strange events occurring in the elevator. Guests often report that regardless of the button they push, they wind up on a different floor. Though the elevator and been serviced and inspected on multiple occasions with reports that it is in perfect working order, the events continue to occur.

In any event, Miss Miller is seemingly a benign and friendly spirit at the Inn, which today provides every modern convenience without detracting from the sense of gracious luxury which Bell Miller created almost a century ago.

Today the historic inn provides gourmet breakfasts and evening wine and cheese in its luxurious surroundings. Meeting and banquet facilities are also available for up to 150 guests.

Contact Information:

The Inn at 835
835 South Second Street
Springfield, Illinois
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Ghosts of Historic Springfield

Like many historic cities, and especially one that was called home to Abraham Lincoln for years, Springfield, Illinois continues to play host to a number of unearthly spirits.

The Ghost of Abraham Lincoln

While there are a number of spirits who are said to haunt this historic town, the most famous is that of Abraham Lincoln himself. According to over a century of legends, Abraham Lincoln continues to lurk around his tomb, now a state historic site in Springfield.

Sightings of the former president have been told almost since the day his body arrived in Springfield in on May 3, 1865. After lying in state at the capitol for a night, the body was placed in a receiving vault at Oak Ridge Cemetery. In December Lincoln’s remains were removed to a temporary vault not far from a new proposed memorial site. In 1871, three years after laborers had begun constructing the permanent tomb, the body of Lincoln and those of the three youngest of his sons were placed in crypts in the unfinished structure.

The construction of the permanent tomb lasted for years and it was at this time that the first sightings of a spectral Abraham Lincoln were reported as he wandered near the crypt. Others would report hearing the sounds of crying and footsteps near the site.

Lincoln Monument at the Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, Illinois.
Lincoln Monument at the Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, Illinois.

In 1874, upon completion of the memorial, Lincoln’s remains were interred in a marble sarcophagus in the center of a chamber known as the “catacombs,” or burial room. In 1876, however, after several Chicago criminals broke into the tomb, intending to kidnap the corpse and hold it for ransom. However, the attempt failed as one of the men in the gang was a spy for the Secret Service.

Over the years, the legends have persisted as tourists and staff members report uncomfortable feelings, phantom footsteps, whispers, muffled voices, and weeping. Along with our former president, Oakridge Cemetery also has reported that the apparitions of a small boy and a mysterious woman in a flowing red cape have been seen on the property.

Lincoln has also been reported to have been seen walking the streets surrounding Springfield‘s original courthouse, as well as the hallways of his former home. Others have reported seeing the ghost of Mary Lincoln at their old home located at 413 South Eighth Street. Having a long-standing reputation as being haunted, reports range from apparitions of a woman to toys moving of their own accord. Most people believe that the house is haunted by Mary. Maintained by the National Park Service today, the staff denies any reports of paranormal activity. Today the Lincoln home is the centerpiece of the Lincoln Home National Historic Site. Restored to its 1860s appearance, it stands in the midst of a four-block historic neighborhood in which the National Park Service also restored.

The most interesting haunting surrounding Lincoln is the phantom funeral train. Said to be seen during the month of April on the anniversary of Lincoln’s death, the ghostly train is said to ride those very same tracks that bore his body to Springfield in 1865. Reports indicate that this ghostly funeral procession is actually two trains, with the first steam engine pulling several cars draped in black, adorned with black streamers, and playing the sounds of mournful music. The second train is said to pull a flatcar that carries Lincoln’s coffin. Unfortunately, the train is said to never reach its final destination.

Dana House

Dana House, Springfield, Illinois courtesy the Illinois Times.
Dana House, Springfield, Illinois courtesy the Illinois Times.

Designed and constructed by renowned architect, Frank Lloyd Wright in 1902, this house is reported to still play host to its original owner. Designed for Springfield socialite, Susan Lawrence Dana, she was said to have thrown lavish parties in her home as well as being a major contributor and volunteer to charitable causes in the city.

Shortly after the home was finished, several family deaths caused Dana to turn to metaphysical and mystical religious groups for comfort. Before long, she became one of the city’s leaders in the Spiritualist movement that swept across American around the turn of the century. Her parties took a different turn with her involvement in the movement and soon her home became a Spiritualist center where séances were common and large parties of occultists gathered.

Finally, when a cousin who had lived with her for many years died, Susan was left alone in her Wright-designed house. A short time later, about 1928, Susan moved to more modest, less costly quarters. Declared incompetent by the courts in 1942, she was admitted to a local hospital, where she died in 1946. Her personal effects were inventoried in 1942 and auctioned at a public sale in July 1943. Her Frank Lloyd Wright House was sold the following year.

Maintained today by the State of Illinois, management denies any paranormal activity. However, there have been dozens of reports by other staff and visitors of objects which move of their own accord and the sounds of unseen people speaking in different parts of the house.

The Dana House is located at 301 East Lawrence in Springfield, Illinois.

Illinois Executive Mansion

Governors Mansion in Springfield, Illinois.
Governors Mansion in Springfield, Illinois.

Seven Presidents, including Lincoln, have been received here. Three levels are open to the public including four formal parlors; a state dining room; ballroom; four bedrooms, including the Lincoln bedroom; and a library handcrafted from Native American Black Walnut.

Built in 1855, this is the third oldest continuously occupied Governor’s Mansion in the country, having served as the official residence of Illinois‘ Governors and their families since Governor Joel Matteson first took up residence. Over the years, the magnificent home has been witness to many of the major events in the state’s history, none so trying perhaps as the Civil War.

During the Civil War, the mansion was called home to Governor Richard Yates and his family. Today, the mansion is said to continue to play host to Yates’ wife, Catherine. Mrs. Yates makes allegedly makes her presence known in a variety of ways, including tampering with electronics and smoke alarms. The upstairs bedroom where her portrait hangs is said to be the most active room in the house. On one occasion Mrs. Yates was credited with trapping an Illinois State Trooper in an elevator for four hours.

The Illinois Executive Mansion is open to the public during certain hours and days of the week. Three levels can be viewed which include four formal parlors, a state dining room, ballroom, the library, and four bedrooms, including the Lincoln bedroom. The mansion is located at 5th and Jackson.

Springfield Theatre Center

Built in 1951, the Springfield Theatre Center hosted performances at 101 East Lawrence through 2004 when they relocated to the Hoogland Center for the Arts in downtown Springfield. In addition to numerous wonderful performances throughout the years, the place is said to have been haunted for most of its existence.

On May 13, 1955, an actor Named Joe Neville left the theater after a dress rehearsal then committed suicide once he returned home. Apparently, during an audit at the company where he worked, it was found that substantial funds had been misappropriated and a fellow employee fingered Joe.

Said to have been an eccentric and unfriendly fellow, he loved the theater and at the time he killed himself, he was scheduled to play his first lead role. After his death, the theater group simply replaced him and the show went on.

But, apparently, that wasn’t the end of Joe. Returning to the theater after his death, his disposition evidently was as nasty as ever. Almost immediately strange and inexplicable events began to occur. While some of these are seemingly harmless, such as lights turning on and off on their own, doors opened by unseen hands, and several who have reportedly seen Joe’s filmy apparition; other antics of Joe’s are downright dangerous. On one occasion when two men were building a set, one of the men voiced his skepticism about the ghost. The next thing they knew, the saw started up by itself, several sheets of plywood fell to the floor, and a standing ladder was seemingly pushed over by unseen hands.

Illinois Capitol Building, Kathy Weiser-Alexander. 
Illinois Capitol Building, Kathy Weiser-Alexander.

The tampering with stage sets is the most often occurrence, but other smaller happenings occur such as items moving of their own accord, missing costumes, and the permeating smell of Noxzema wafting through the air, despite the fact that the cream was long ago banned in the theater. On one occasion a girl reported having her hand held by an invisible escort while she was crossing a room.

The Springfield Theatre Center continues performances at their new home in the Hoogland Center for the Arts after leaving the building on East Lawrence.
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Resurrection Cemetery - Chicago,illinois

The ghost of a blonde, blue-eyed girl has haunted the district around this graveyard since 1939, five years after a young Polish girl was buried here. Mary Bregavy, or Resurrection Mary as she has come to be called, died in a car accident after an evening of dancing at the old O'Henry Ballroom (now the Willowbrook Ballroom). Sometimes, her glowing, faceless ghost is seen walking along the shoulder of the road, but most often, her white apparition is seen hitchhiking. Sometimes her aloof ghost even dances with a few young men at the ballroom and asks for a ride home. During renovations at the cemetery in the 1970s, sightings of her ghost reached a peak. In December 1977, a passing motorist saw Mary holding onto the bars of the cemetery gate. He called police, thinking a girl was trapped in the cemetery. Investigators found no one in the cemetery, but two bars in the gate were bent apart. Etched into the iron were two small handprints. Supervisors had the sections cut out to keep curiosity-seekers away, but embarrassed officials welded the pieces back in place a year later. Dozens of witnesses, including many taxi drivers, have seen Mary's ghost along the road. In 1989, a cab driver picked up a girl fitting Mary's description in front of the Old Willow Shopping Center. As they passed Resurrection Cemetery, the girl vanished from the front seat. (Resurrection Mary's ghost appears along Archer Avenue in south Chicago. Take I-294 to 95th Street. Follow 95th Street west to Roberts Road. Take Roberts Road north to Archer Avenue. Resurrection Cemetery, 7600 South Archer Avenue, Justice, IL 60458. Phone: 312-767-4644.)
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Crying Woman - Alton, Illinois

This house has many active spirits. Sometimes, the sound of a heartbeat crescendoes to deafening volumes before subsiding. Clicking, tapping, and footsteps are also heard from time to time. Most prominent, however, is the sound of a woman crying.
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Resurrection Mary - Bridgeview, Illinois

One raining day, a woman was killed as she was leaving the ceremony. Today, she hitchhikes, in her wedding dress, along 79th street. After one picks her up for a ride, she vaishes, leaving the seats and car floor wet from that rainy night.
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Bloods Point Road - Cherry Valley, Illinois

If one travels on this road toward the cemetery, he will notice a bridge just above the train tracks. Once, a school bus filled with children flew off the bridge, killing all the passengers. Today, if a car is put in neutral on this spot, it will be mysteriously pushed across the bridge. There is also a traffic light in the area that seems to change locations. In the cemetery many have seen a ghost and heard
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Allerton Mansion - Chicago, Illinois

A woman in white haunts this mansion and its grounds. She is sometimes seen putting on her hat and gloves and walking in the garden. Everyone who has stayed overnight has heard footsteps outside the door pacing. Upon investigation, however, they find nothing.
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Excaliber Night Club - Chicago, Illinois

The victims of both the Great Chicago Fire, and a shipwreck in Lake Michigan were brought here. Many employees and patrons of this club now see apparitions and other strange happenings in the lower level of the building, which is now a restaurant and arcade.
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Schweppe Mansion - Chicago, Illinois

This stone mansion with twenty rooms was unoccupied for half a century after the man who owned it committed suicide; he was mourning the loss of his wife Laura Schweppe. The halls are haunted by the ghost of his servant. The ghost of the former owner is seen in the bedrooms. There is one window in the master bedroom that, despite all the other windows being filthy, never needs cleaning.
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