Chicago Hauntings: Tales of ghosts and the paranormal around the city
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Spooky season may be over for this year, but these stories can be enjoyed anytime.
For the past two years, we've explored tales of ghosts, hauntings and the paranormal around Chicago – and we've learned a lot about Chicago history in the process too. Here are all of our entries in the Chicago Hauntings series in 2021 and 2022. Tony Szabelski of Chicago Hauntings Ghost Tours is our host unless otherwise specified.
2022:
1) Luetgert Sausage Factory: Adolph Luetgert was convicted of murdering his wife and dissolve her body in a vat full of chemicals in his factory on Diversey Parkway. And there were accounts going back to the turn of the last century that after that gruesome crime – and after Luetgert had been sentenced to prison and also died – an apparition haunted the old factory. Author Robert Loerzel explores the story.
2) Drake Hotel: The Drake has stood regally at the northernmost point on the Magnificent Mile for more than a century as an icon of luxury and high society. It is also known for ghosts.
3) John Hancock Center: Chicago ghost experts believe the John Hancock Center is Chicago's most haunted skyscraper. Could it have something to do with a "curse" from an eccentric and dangerous mariner dating back more than a century now?
4) Holy Name Cathedral: A 1926 gangland murder right outside Holy Name nearly a century ago left the cornerstone damaged by gunfire - and also purportedly has ghosts still hanging around to this day.
5) Bonus from the CBS 2 Vault: Rick Kogan visits the old and purportedly haunted Red Lion Pub building with ghost hunter Richard Crowe for 1988 story, while Bob Wallace visits Resurrection Cemetery to investigate the famous Chicago area ghost story of Resurrection Mary for a 1984 story.
2021:
1) The Eastland Disaster: On July 24, 1915, the SS Eastland was parked along the Chicago River when it capsized. Ever since, people have reported hearing and seeing apparitions near the site of the disaster, and at the makeshift morgue that later became Harpo Studios.
2) The Liar's Club: The famous bar at 1665 W. Fullerton Ave. has been in business since 1995. You may have seen a band there, or maybe you've just come to have a beer and admire the KISS figurines and fez-hat lamps, among other eclectic décor items. But the building that houses the Liar's Club has seen some gore that isn't about camp and frivolity too, and some have reported seeing ghosts.
3) The Couch Tomb: At the south end of Lincoln Park near the Chicago History Museum, you may have noticed a mausoleum with the name "Couch" carved at the top. What do we really know about it?
4) Hull House: Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr founded the Hull House in 1889 as Chicago's first settlement House. A haunted bedroom, a portal in the courtyard, and a devil baby are among the legends that have surrounded it.
5) Suicide Bridge: Starting just before the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, the city had a lot of structures built in anticipation of the arrival of the fair. One was a soaring bridge in Lincoln Park that became known as the "Suicide Bridge," and near the site of which there have been some spooky sightings.
6) St. Valentine's Day Massacre: Do only fuzzy romantic feelings come to mind when you think of Valentine's Day? How about if we call it St. Valentine's Day? This is the story of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre at a Lincoln Park garage, and some stories of the paranormal in its wake.
7) L&L Tavern: The L&L Tavern at Clark and Belmont is not necessarily known as a haunted location, but it has been voted "the Creepiest Bar in the USA." There are some specific reasons why, involving two heinous serial killers.
8) H.H. Holmes' Murder Castle: The Englewood branch Post Office now stands at the site where serial killer H.H. Holmes' murder castle became known as a house of gore and horror. This is the story of the Murder Castle, and some reports of the paranormal in the basement of the Post Office.
9) Old Cook County Jail: Long before a firehouse stood at Illinois and Dearborn streets, the first Cook County Jail occupied the site. Many sinister men were executed by hanging there, and there are many stories of sightings of ghosts.
10) Iroquois Theater Fire: On Dec. 30, 1903, 602 people died when the Iroquois Theater downtown erupted in flames. It remains the deadliest single building fire in U.S. history, and there are reports of apparitions at the site to this day.
11) Congress Hotel: The Congress Hotel – officially called the Congress Plaza Hotel & Convention Center – is a striking sight along the Michigan Avenue streetwall downtown. But inside, it is reportedly haunted by all kinds of ghosts – some of people who suffered gruesome deaths, and maybe even one of a past president.
