What’s up everyone?
Once again Halloween has come and gone. The kids are coming down from their sugar highs. The dead are resting peacefully once more and normality is setting back in. Peoples focus is starting to turn towards the next big holiday. I figured I would stay a little longer in the Halloween spirit and share with you some of Illinois’ ghostly haunts.
Might as well start it off with the big one. The Congress Plaza Hotel located on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. It is probably the most haunted hotel in Chicago. The hotel was originally built in 1893 to house the guest of the World’s Columbian Exposition or better know as The World’s Fair. Over the years the hotel has gone through many changes to its structure as well as its ownership. Almost since the doors opened, there have been reports of ghostly activity.
Up on the 12th floor guest have report hearing laughter of small children echoing through the halls. This maybe due to the tragic event that befell a young mother and her two small children. As the story goes, a woman and her family had fled Europe during World War II. She had been hiding in her room waiting for her husband to arrive. He had stayed back in Europe, but he was unable to make his way to the U.S. She feared that the authorities would come and deport her back to Europe. This fear eventually took its toll on the poor woman, for it drove her to the breaking point. In her madness she took herself and her two children and jumped out the window to the pavement below. Unfortunately the children were not able to rest in peace and now haunt the halls of the hotel.
Rumor has it. During an early remodel of the famed Gold Room, one of the hotels formal banquet halls, that one of the workers found himself trapped in the wall. In his panicked state, he hyperventilated and passed out. Which eventually led to him suffocating to death. It is said that you can see his spirited hand reaching through the wall in a failed attempt to escape.
These were just a few of the stories the circulate about the hotel. With all the strange happenings that have appeared, none of them compare to what has happen in Room 441. No other room in the hotel gets more call to the front desk or security than this one. Most people report that they are awaken by a violent shaking of the bed. When they come to the see a woman dressed in black standing over them. Eventually she fades away in to darkness. Leaving the guest dumbfounded and scared of what had just transpired.
We are leaving the city for the woods, the Robison Woods Forest Preserve to be exact. Nothing can compare to how quickly a person can be over come with dread than hiking through the woods. The woods once belonged to Alexander Robinson, a leader of a group of Native American made up of several tribes. The Robinson family lived there in relative peace until 1955 when a fire destroyed their home and the land was reverted back to the state. This was a turning point for the woods. A several months after the fire, three boys had been found murdered. Stripped of their clothing and tossed into a ditch. The case went unsolved until 1994 when a many was convicted of his crimes and sentence. He eventually died in prison. Now a days, the woods are used for recreation: jogging, picnicking, cycling and walking the dogs. Visitors to the woods have reported some strange occurrences. Spirits of Native Americans have been found to wonder through the trees. Strange lights and orbs of varying colors have been spots. As well as disembodied voices and other sound can be heard. There has been several paranormal research teams that have investigated the area with varying reports. There is definitely something strange happening out in the woods.
Of course, no report on haunted places would be complete without visiting a haunted Cemetery. There are a few throughout Illinois, but the one that has the most activity has to be Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery. This cemetery as once well kept and was frequently visited by the families of the departed. As the city grew, it became increasingly more isolated until it finally fell into disrepair. The cemetery would not stay quite for to long. Vandals found their way into the cemetery and desecrated the graves. Grave stones were found broken, knocked over and spray painted. There is also reports that some of the graves had been opened and their contents spread throughout the grounds. Could this be the reason for the hauntings? Some say its possible, but there might be another explanation. Official and visitor have reported find bones of small animals by a pond near the cemetery. The remains of these animals appear to have been mutilated in a ritualistic way. Strange carvings have been found in the tree and even on some of the grave stones. A little Black Magic anyone?
The have been many sightings of paranormal activity within and in the area surrounding the cemetery. Once again our colorful orbs make an appearance here. Most people report that they move very quick and are sometime hard to keep track of. Many apparitions have been know to walk about. “Mrs Rogers” is know to wonder about the cemetery with her infant wrapped in her arms, with no destination or care for those who encounter her.
Be wary of the stagnate pond that lies just outside of the cemetery. As legend has it, a farmer was plowing his field when something startled his horse. In a frantic rush, the horse took off towards the pond. The horse plunged into the water. The farmer, tangled in the reins, was unable to free himself from the plow and was dragged to the bottom of the pond with his horse. Witness say that the horse pulling the farmer on his plow can be seen emerging from the murky waters.
I don’t think that any haunted history of Illinois would be complete without talking about H.H. Holmes and his murder castle. For those who don’t know who he is. He is the United States’ first documented serial killer. There are a lot of rumors that circulate about him. He claims that he had killed 20 people. Others say that number is closer to 200. In all actuality, only 9 have been conformed.
Holmes had purchased a empty plot of land in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago. Many believe that he had swindled money from his former employer to earn the funds to build his new structure. The building consisted of four levels. The first floor was used as store fronts. Some operated by independent owners and some by Holmes himself. The Second floor was used as apartments and third was built with the intention of being used as a hotel. The fourth and final level was the basement. We’ll get back to that in a minute. The second floor was built like a disorienting maze. Halls that lead nowhere and rooms that, once entered, could only be opened by Holmes. The walls of the rooms were lined with steel plates to deafen the noise of his victims. Some rooms were completely soundproof. Many of them contained trapdoors that were a oneway ticket to the basement. The basement can only be described as a medieval torture dungeon. Here he kept acid tanks, quicklime vats, dissecting table and a surgeon cabinet in which he kept his torture tools. He would eventual build a contraption of his own. He called it the “Elasticity Determinator”. Much like the medieval rack of old, it was used to stretch his poor victims in unimaginable ways. He claims that he could stretch a man to twice his original size. Truly some despicable things had happened there. I truly feels sorry for those unfortunate souls that fell victim to Holmes
This was just a glimpse into the haunted side of Illinois. There are still a lot of other haunted sites throughout the state. Hopefully I will be able share a few more as I continue to look into it.
As always, Thanks for stopping by. Until next time.
Josh
No comments:
Post a Comment