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0Country House
Clarendon Hills, Illinois
3.2 miles from Downers Grove, IL
The haunting here, which has been profiled on many TV shows and newspaper articles, is a young woman who appeared to have committed suicide by running her car into a tree. Her ghostly figure has been seen walking through the dining room, beckoning customers from an upstairs window and even ...
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0Benedictine University
Lisle, Illinois
4.8 miles from Downers Grove, IL
This university has more than its share of haunts, including a little boy ghost in a blue t-shirt and shorts who wanders around campus, and disappears. Reports say Benedictine Hall was closed because it was so haunted. Its 4th floor was said to be haunted by a clergyman, and in ...
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Queen of Heaven Cemetery
Hillside, Illinois
6.2 miles from Downers Grove, IL
25 victims of the Our Lady of Angels Fire of 1958 were buried here in a mass grave. There is a memorial here for the victims of the fire. People visiting the memorial and the cemetery have reported smelling smoke and feeling a burning sensation of smoke while breathing. ...
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0Mount Carmel Cemetery
Hillside, Illinois
6.7 miles from Downers Grove, IL
This cemetery is said to be haunted by the ghost of Julia Buccola Petta. One family of visitors claim that, upon noticing their small boy was missing, they retraced their steps to find him hand in hand with a lady in a white gown. When they came closer, she disappeared. Al ...
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Grimes Sisters Murder Site
Burr Ridge, Illinois
7 miles from Downers Grove, IL
The Grimes sisters were kidnapped and murdered between December of 1956 and January of 1957. Their bodies were found along this part of the road and the murders were never solved. Photographs have been taken around only to have a young woman appear in the photos. Submitted by Chris Berglund
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St. James Cemetery - Monks Castle
Lemont, Illinois
8.6 miles from Downers Grove, IL
Ghosts here include several robed monks who patrol the grounds, chanting in Latin, and a phantom horse and carriage presumed to date back to 1897. A wildly dancing woman in white has also been seen.
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Willowbrook Ballroom
Willow Springs, Illinois
8.7 miles from Downers Grove, IL
The 1921 Willowbrook Ballroom, formerly called the Oh Henry Ballroom, is a dance venue and banquet facility and is believed to be the last place famed Chicago hitchhiker ghost Resurrection Mary danced before she died. Her ghost is said to appear here and sometimes dance with ballroom patrons. Another interesting note: ...
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The Irish Legend
Willow Springs, Illinois
8.7 miles from Downers Grove, IL
Formerly a speakeasy, this 1915 building was a popular hangout for gang members, including Al Capone. The place has a very violent history, and is haunted by several spirits. These include a bartender who was allegedly pushed down a flight of stairs by a gangster who took a dislike to ...
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Bloomingdale Road Bride
Glendale Heights, Illinois
9 miles from Downers Grove, IL
Under a bridge on Bloomingdale Rd. there is said to be sightings of a teenage girl jumping off the bridge or walking around underneath it. People have also heard crying and screaming. It is said to be that in the 1970's a teenage girl committed suicide by jumping of the ...
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Maple Lake
Willow Springs, Illinois
9 miles from Downers Grove, IL
The ghost light at Maple Lake is, according to local legend, a reddish-yellow orb that appears over the lake and floats into the woods on the other side. It is believed to be the spirit of a man who was decapitated nearby in an accident; the light is his lantern ...
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Archer Woods Cemetery
Willow Springs, Illinois
9.8 miles from Downers Grove, IL
Legend has it that only those leaving the cemetery can see and hear a white, filmy, hovering spirit of a sobbing woman.
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0Resurrection Mary
Justice, Illinois
10.1 miles from Downers Grove, IL
Resurrection Mary, according to popular local legend, was a pretty young girl who was killed in a hit-and-run accident while walking along Archer Avenue. She had just left the Oh Henry Ballroom after a fight with her boyfriend. The driver left Mary to die. Her grief-stricken parents buried her in ...
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Showmen's Rest
Forest Park, Illinois
10.3 miles from Downers Grove, IL
Showmen's Rest is a section of Woodlawn Cemetery where remains from a 1918 circus-train wreck were buried in a mass grave. Between 60 and 110 employees were killed when another train conductor fell asleep, causing his train to strike the circus train. Many of the victims' names were not known, ...
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Flapper Ghost of Waldheim Cemetery
Forest Park, Illinois
10.5 miles from Downers Grove, IL
The Flapper Ghost is a brunette beauty with a bob and 1920s clothing. She has been seen since the 1930s. Her identity remains a mystery, but throughout history she has been seen in the evenings at dance halls and asked for a ride home. She would direct them to Waldheim ...
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Portage Woods
Lyons, Illinois
10.6 miles from Downers Grove, IL
These woods are known by locals to be the home of the ancient gnomes. Beware coming here at night, glowing eyes follow you throughout these woods. Heavy sightings are seen on the other side of the river, just over the railway bridge. (Submitted by Juan Z)
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Cigars and Stripes
Berwyn, Illinois
11.4 miles from Downers Grove, IL
This bar and lounge is believed to be haunted by a number of spirits. Screams and footsteps are heard in the building when there's no one around. Objects move around by themselves, and at least five people have seen a shadowy apparition moving around the building. (Submitted by Callum Swift)
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Moline House
Berwyn, Illinois
11.5 miles from Downers Grove, IL
This house is a private residence. According to reports, the Moline House is haunted by shadowed spirits who hide objects or move them to places where they don't belong.
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St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church
Cicero, Illinois
12.7 miles from Downers Grove, IL
This is the home of Our Lady of Cicero, a weeping Virgin Mary icon panel. In 1994, during Holy Week, the painting began weeping oil. It was examined by eight orthodox bishops; all determined the tears to be genuine. The Virgin Mary still continues to weep.
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Morton College
Cicero, Illinois
12.8 miles from Downers Grove, IL
The spirit of Emily, a young girl who was murdered, lingers around this school. The murder took place on nearby Laramie Bridge before the school was built. Security guards have seen Emily on the rooftops at night, and theatergoers have heard her in the theater, especially during violent plays that ...
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0O'Hare Airport
Chicago, Illinois
13.1 miles from Downers Grove, IL
It is reported that spirits still linger from a disaster in 1979, when Flight 191 exploded into flames on the runway, resulting in the deaths of 271 passengers and crew members. According to some sources, flying phantom aircraft also have been seen at O'Hare.
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Firehouse on North Walker Ave
Chicago, Illinois
13.8 miles from Downers Grove, IL
According to reports, a ghost who is thankful to the firefighters patrols the firehouse, protecting it. Witnesses say they have heard footsteps and seen the firepole covers being opened and closed when everyone is asleep. The firehouse doors also have been known to open themselves almost instantly after the fire ...
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Robinson Woods
Chicago, Illinois
13.8 miles from Downers Grove, IL
The hauntings here can not only be seen and heard, but also smelled. Folks say they have seen shadows, red or white orbs, and an ectoplasm mist that has been caught on camera. Strange sounds and scents of violet and lavender have been witnessed as well; reports say the activity ...
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Sunrise Park
Bartlett, Illinois
14.4 miles from Downers Grove, IL
Sunrise Park has many different spirits and hauntings; first, the black dog with a human face, speculated to be a demon by those who have seen it, and next, a murderer from the 1800's who murdered children and scattered their bones around the park; his spirit is still rumored to ...
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American Flight 191 Crash Site
Des Plaines, Illinois
14.5 miles from Downers Grove, IL
On May 25, 1979, Flight 191 lost some parts of its engine as it was taking off and flipped on the runway. It exploded into a huge fireball, killing all the crew and passengers aboard and 2 people on the ground. Shortly after, folks reported white lights moving around in ...
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Sheraton Gateway Suites
Rosemont, Illinois
14.6 miles from Downers Grove, IL
There have been several suicides committed by jumping from this 11-story hotel, and a few drug overdose deaths. Perhaps this is the reason guests have seen apparitions in their rooms and have experienced very odd things. One guest came out of the shower to find her clothes strewn about the ...
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0St Turibius Church
Chicago, Illinois
14.8 miles from Downers Grove, IL
At this old Roman Catholic church, the ghost of a priest named Father Joe Lechert lingers. It is said that after a church reorganization he was let go, and as a result, he died of a broken heart. Parishioners and altar boys say they have seen his ghostly figure and ...
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John Wayne Gacy House Location
Chicago, Illinois
14.8 miles from Downers Grove, IL
1970s serial killer John Wayne Gacy hid the remains of at least 29 different people in and around his home at 8213 W. Summerdale Avenue. The house was demolished in 1979, but locals were mystified by the fact that the lot remained mostly barren for years thereafter - not ...
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Munger Road
Bartlett, Illinois
15.3 miles from Downers Grove, IL
Munger Road is reportedly haunted by flashing lights, screams that come from the railroad tracks, and phantom trains. Legend has it that a train once hit a school bus, killing the children on board, and their ghosts linger all over the area. But that's not the only legend told about ...
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0The Leland Tower
Aurora, Illinois
16.1 miles from Downers Grove, IL
This 21-story building, the tallest in Aurora, has been the means for several jumping suicides. Evidence that the building is haunted includes reports of bad odors and moaning sounds that come from the elevators.
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Patten House Restaurant
Geneva, Illinois
16.1 miles from Downers Grove, IL
This historic restaurant dishes up fine southern cuisine, an exquisite range of liquor and a litany of ghost stories. The main spook reported here time and time again is that of a poltergeist that makes itself known on stormy nights. (Submitted by Callum Swift)
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St. Mary's Cemetery
Evergreen Park, Illinois
16.2 miles from Downers Grove, IL
The cemetery and surrounding areas have seen a lot of violent deaths, but despite that, not a lot of ghostly phenomena have been reported or known here. However, drivers past the cemetery late at night have seen a man leaning against the fence and looking at them as they passed.
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Baymont Inn and Suites
North Aurora, Illinois
16.3 miles from Downers Grove, IL
Claims of a white moving "light" have been seen in the lobby as well as some visitors reporting feeling like they are being choked.
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0Old Rush Copley Memorial
Aurora, Illinois
16.4 miles from Downers Grove, IL
The Old Rush Copley Hospital was build in 1888 and shutdown in 1996. Paranormal researchers and people that have broken in this hospital have heard footsteps,unexplained voices and even apparitions. In one encounter, a group of teens have seen a doll that might have belong to a young child ...
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Evergreen Cemetery
Evergreen Park, Illinois
16.5 miles from Downers Grove, IL
The phantom hitchhiker in this ghost story is a teenaged girl who looks for a ride to Evergreen Park, where she vanishes from the vehicle. Legends say her body is buried in Evergreen Cemetery within the park, but her identity or the reason for her restlessness is unknown. This ghost ...
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St. Rita of Cascia
Chicago, Illinois
16.6 miles from Downers Grove, IL
This site is known for a harrowing experience said to have happened on All Souls Day (November 2) in the 1960s. Reports say a small gathering of parishioners witnessed the organ begin to play by itself as 6 robed monks, 3 in red and 3 in white, advanced toward the ...
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Mount Olivet Cemetery
Aurora, Illinois
16.8 miles from Downers Grove, IL
This cemetery dates back to the 1850s, and has a very specific type of haunting. It is said on numerous Internet sites that spectral ghosts wearing 1950s attire are seen throughout the cemetery, only to disappear on second glance.
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Camp Falcon
Downers Grove, Illinois
16.8 miles from Downers Grove, IL
Location is on 143rd street, (Midlothian Turnpike) about about a 1 mile west of Oak Park. Just a mere road across the street from Tinley Creek Woods about half a mile into the woods. It is unknown when the camp grounds were abandoned or why but location has been ...
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Arcada Theater
St. Charles, Illinois
17.1 miles from Downers Grove, IL
Arcada Theatre, built in 1926 by millionaire and Chicago Tribune cartoonist Lester J. Norris, is haunted by disembodied voices that waft from the balcony throughout the rest of the building, a phantom odd odor, and unexplained cold pockets.
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0Hotel Baker
St. Charles, Illinois
17.2 miles from Downers Grove, IL
At this splendid historic hotel, originally built in 1928, an apparent suicide is often given as the reason for some strange phenomena. Moaning sounds come from the sixth floor storage area, which used to be used as housing for employees. Folks say in the 1970s, a hotel chambermaid who was ...
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Frank Leavy - Firehouse No. 107
Chicago, Illinois
17.3 miles from Downers Grove, IL
According to legend, in 1924 Fireman Frank Leavy had a premonition of his death as he rested with his palm against a windowpane. Sure enough, that very day a wall collapsed during a call, and killed him. His palm print remained on the glass, and no cleanser or glass expert ...
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0Bachelor's Grove Cemetery
Midlothian, Illinois
17.5 miles from Downers Grove, IL
Beginning in the 1970s, visitors here have seen orbs, apparitions, phantom vehicles, and even a floating, shrinking, and vanishing phantom farmhouse. A mysterious black dog and figures in monks' robes also have been seen. Investigations by ghost researchers have turned up ghostly images and electronic voice phenomena.
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Midlothian Turnpike
Midlothian, Illinois
17.6 miles from Downers Grove, IL
Drivers on the turnpike have reported phantom cars and trucks that appear suddenly, causing the drivers to swerve. Phantom gang activity also has been seen, involving car chases full of gangsters shooting at each other with tommy guns. Some drivers have collided with the ghostly vehicles, even hearing shattered glass ...
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Congress Theater
Chicago, Illinois
18.1 miles from Downers Grove, IL
Congress Theater is said to be haunted by many entities. Witnesses have seen an apparition of a woman and shadow figures and they've heard disembodied footsteps and strange noises.
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Benton House
Chicago, Illinois
18.5 miles from Downers Grove, IL
The Benton House, circa 1909, may be haunted by “Ma” Benton. Witnesses have seen apparitions and heard slamming doors and footsteps, and someone unseen has been known to put out the fire in the fireplace. The place was featured on an episode of TV's Ghost Hunters.
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0Holy Family Church
Chicago, Illinois
18.8 miles from Downers Grove, IL
At this old church, one of the few structures that survived the Chicago Fire, parishioners have reported seeing a white apparition.
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The Givens Castle - Beverly Castle Academy
Chicago, Illinois
18.9 miles from Downers Grove, IL
The 1886 limestone-towered castle built by real estate promoter and novelist Robert G. Givens is said to be haunted by his Irish wife, who passed away before she could come to America to live in her castle. Witnesses say her apparition has been seen walking up the hill to the ...
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0Polish Museum of America
Chicago, Illinois
19.1 miles from Downers Grove, IL
This Chicago cultural museum is said to be haunted by the ghost of renowned pianist Ignace Paderewski.
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0Harpo Inc.
Chicago, Illinois
19.1 miles from Downers Grove, IL
Oprah Winfrey's headquarters building is said to be haunted by victims of the Eastland Disaster, a 1915 incident in which an overloaded passenger steamer rolled over while still docked, killing over 800 people. The building was an armory at the time, and was used as a makeshift morgue.
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Holmes Death Castle Location
Chicago, Illinois
19.2 miles from Downers Grove, IL
A post office now stands on the former site of the Holmes Death Castle, or Murder Castle, built by serial killer H.H. Holmes. He built the hotel to lure in 1893 Chicago World's Fair visitors, then tortured and murdered his guests, including women and children. In this area, witnesses say ...
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0Jane Addams Hull House
Chicago, Illinois
19.2 miles from Downers Grove, IL
Used as a settlement house beginning in the late 19th century, Hull House operated as a place that attempted to influence and improve the lives of the poorer neighbors in the community. The most often repeated story about Hull House (and the inspiration for the story Rosemary's Baby) is that ...
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