Here is your guide to Illinois' spookiest places.
More than a few homes on Prairie Avenue are haunted. You’ll find a famous architect, a music magnate’s wife, a prominent local hatter, carriage horses, and the son of a department store mogul still roaming around.
Take your chances on the 10th floor, where the “Lady in Red,” a woman who leapt from a window in 1920, has been said to wander the floor.
Free Tours By Foot, Chicago
Try out the "Haunted History" walk where attendees can walk as the sun sets through downtown Chicago while hearing some of the most gruesome and creepy Chicago stories. Expect more history and humor than hauntings.
Galena has a ghost-storied past
Matthew’s Haunted Pub Crawl, Galena
Sip spirits among the spirits while storytellers introduce you to some of Galena's rarely heard history and the documented ghost stories and tragedies of the most famous ghost of Galena.
Spirits & Spirits, Galena
A "Bootlegger" guide will take you into three truly haunted Galena establishments. You will learn about the ghosts who haunt them and a bit about the area’s dark history.
The DeSoto House, Galena
The DeSoto House is the oldest operating hotel in the state with hauntings that date back into the 1800s. You may event see a “Lady in Black” disappear into the wall. And don’t be surprised if items unexpectedly move.
Ryan Mansion, Galena
Ryan Mansion is the spot for spiritual séances and ghostly interactions. It is said to be haunted by visitors of the Ryan Family. EMF meters frequently trigger on the first floor of the mansion, and odd figures have been spotted roaming the halls.
Amelia’s Galena Ghost Tours, Galena
Both shuttle and walking tours take patrons to the most haunted places in Galena.
Alton: The most haunted small town in America
Mysterious Mineral Springs, Alton
Managers Dave and Donna Nunnally give guided tours of the defunct hotel (now revitalized as a shopping venue with their store, It’s Raining Zen, and the Soul Asylum Museum) with known spirits Lou Harwood and Pearl Sans.
Curiosity Museum, Alton
More than 80 eerie exhibits are housed at Alton’s former Historic Museum of Torture Devices. Hours are limited from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
McPike Mansion, Alton
Built in 1869, the notorious McPike Mansion has been featured on several television shows and scrutinized by numerous paranormal investigators who have found the haunting of the McPike Mansion to be authentic.
First Unitarian Church, Alton
The First Unitarian Church was built in 1830 and was first called St. Matthew's Catholic Church. 20 years later, the church burned to the ground. The Unitarian Society purchased the land and rebuilt a church for themselves. Another fire occurred in 1901, burning the church down to its foundation yet again. The church that stands now was rebuilt in 1905. There have been reports of voices and shadowy figures coming from the basement of the church. The piano seems to play itself sometimes and doors open and close with no explanation.
Springfield's haunted haunts
Lincoln’s Ghost Walk: Legends And Lore, Springfield
Go on a 10-block walking tour with bizarre stories at various Lincoln-related locations, discussing his life and death.
The school is built on the site of the former Hutchinson Cemetery, which was closed by a city ordinance in 1874. Most of the bodies were exhumed and moved to Oak Ridge Cemetery. However a tombstone was uncovered by workers installing an elevator shaft at the school in 1983. Elevator doors open without explanation and custodians refuse to ride in it.
Other haunted sites in Illinois
Hotel Baker, St. Charles
According to local legends, a chambermaid who was employed at the hotel drowned herself in the Fox River when she was jilted by her lover on the altar. The chambermaids’ quarters were originally located on the 6th floor. Guests who have checked in the 6th-floor penthouse have reported hearing strange voices and having their bedding pulled by an unseen force.
Employees and patrons of the iconic music venue have heard footsteps, banging and disembodied voices when no one else was around. The stage floodlights have been known to turn on by themselves, and human figures have been seen, then suddenly disappear.