Illinois is known for its haunted houses and Halloween extravaganzas: the kinds of places that draw lines out the door and attract visitors from all over the country. But beyond these creepy crowd favorites are a number of lesser-known spooky spots, all with backstories both historical and paranormal—like the “devil baby” that haunts a former Chicago settlement house or the witchy tomb that draws in fans of the occult from far and wide. The Prairie State is home to all manner of legendary urban myths and strange characters whose life stories sound too far-fetched to be true, until you realize they just might be …
With spooky season underway, there’s no time like the present to explore Illinois’s many odd and eerie destinations. In fact, many of the state’s most unsettling sites are only a short drive from each other. So this autumn, as the days grow shorter and the leaves change colors, gather the whole family for a one-of-a-kind roadtrip: a journey into untold histories, mysterious deaths, and centuries-old superstitions. From haunted headstones to witchcraft to cursed estates, this Illinois itinerary is jam packed with scary spots best experienced in the crisp fall air, just after sundown (if you dare).
George Stickney House
Start your spooky journey in the outer suburbs of Chicago, where small-town charm gives way to unsettling family secrets.
This English-style country home was built in 1836 by George Stickney and his wife, Sylvia, and designed to have no sharp corners, allowing spirits to travel freely through the space. On the second floor of the house, in a grand ballroom, the couple hosted any and everyone who wished to commune with the dead. It’s believed that the Stickneys’ fascination with spiritualism was a result of great tragedy: only three of their 10 children survived to adulthood.
Subsequent owners have reported strange, unexplainable occurrences, including appearances by the ghost of George Stickney himself. Legend has it that when old George died, he was found tucked into the sole 90-degree corner of the home, a look of pure dread on his face. Today, the building is home to the Bull Valley police force and is not open for public tours, but if you’re lucky, you’ll come across one of the many officers who has reported supernatural activity.
The Italian Bride
Drive closer to the city and you’ll find Mount Carmel, a popular burial site for Hillside’s Italian-American population. The cemetery is home to everyone from mobsters to bishops to this mysterious young woman.
Julia Buccola Petta died at age 29 after giving birth to a stillborn son and was buried here in her wedding dress. Six years later, Julia’s mother had vivid dreams in which her daughter begged her to be exhumed. When the family eventually got permission to do so, they found her body perfectly intact and barely deteriorated, though her baby’s body was fully decomposed.
Later, a statue of Julia in her wedding gown was built at the gravesite, with two pictures placed on the tombstone: The first is of her on her wedding day, and the second is of her exhumed body. The statue earned the tomb its nickname of “The Italian Bride.” While some think that Julia’s mother fabricated this entire affair, others believe that Julia’s miraculous preservation was proof of an “incorruptible” saintliness.
Jane Addams Hull-House Museum
Make your way into the heart of Chicago’s west side for a look at both the city’s rich humanitarian history and its restless spirits.
The settlement house movement of the late-19th century saw volunteers settling in poverty-stricken neighborhoods to create social and cultural institutions for the underprivileged. This particular house, founded in 1889 by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr, served disadvantaged immigrant communities in Chicago by establishing public health programs, language classes, and childcare initiatives; however, it was also the subject of frightening rumors. Word spread of a “devil baby” that haunted the attic, leading residents to leave bowls of water at the top of the stairs. (It was theorized that spirits couldn’t cross a body of water.)
While Jane theorized that the devil baby obsession came from people’s projected anxieties about low-income housing, the baby is said to still haunt the building to this day. Now a protected historic landmark, Hull-House is a museum operated by the University of Illinois and free to visit. Whether you opt for a guided tour or walk the house at your own pace, you’ll get to pass through many an unnerving area, from Jane’s bedroom, frequented by a mysterious “Lady in White;” to the courtyard, where visitors have reported hearing children’s voices.
Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery
Drive south through Chicago into the quaint suburb of Midlothian, where you’ll find what is perhaps the state’s most unsettling resting place.
Founded around 1840, this small graveyard was built for an early settlement that didn’t last long. By the 1920s, it was a rumored dumping ground for gangland bodies; by the 1950s, local teenagers used it as a party place, regularly breaking off or stealing pieces of the headstones. It was around this time that strange sightings were first reported at the cemetery, with visitors claiming to see spectres like a black dog, a ghostly white woman, and floating, glowing orbs.
While the cemetery is still in relative disrepair, it’s a fascinating place to wander, with cleared pathways leading you past fallen trees, a swampy pond, dug-out holes, and partially preserved headstones. It’s also not uncommon to encounter ghost hunters here, especially after dark. Just make sure to tread carefully and treat the burial grounds with respect.
St. Omer Cemetery Witch Grave
As you make your way further into Illinois’s famous cornfields, follow a gravel road to the crumbling remains of the town of St. Omer. This ghost town might have been completely lost to history if it weren’t for the strange monument that’s become subject to many witchy legends: the Barnes gravestone.
This monument is the final resting place of the Barnes family, including an alleged witch, Caroline, who was executed for her supernatural crimes. The orb atop the grave is even said to be a crystal ball that lights up with mystical energy when the sun goes down. The site has become a popular place for supernatural rituals, with wax and other debris found there on many occasions. Beyond the Barnes monument, St. Omer Cemetery is a serene—albeit slightly scary—site to explore, with its centuries-old, moss-covered headstones proving eerily beautiful.
McPike Mansion
Your last stop places you right on the Illinois/Missouri line, just across the river from St. Louis. Here, in the town of Alton, horticulturist Henry Guest McPike commissioned this grand estate in 1869 and used its sprawling grounds to grow his wine grapes. After McPike died in 1910, the building was used as both a boarding house and a business school, but by the 1950s, it had been abandoned and left to nature’s whims.
When Sharyn and George Luedke purchased the property in 1994, they wanted to return it to its former glory. However, odd orbs of light, noises, mists, and human-like shapes stopped them in their tracks, and they decided to devote their time to protecting the supernatural energies in their home.
Today, the mansion is open for family-friendly tours, which include a history of former residents, paranormal highlights, sessions with tarot card readers, and even a “how-to” lesson on communicating with spirits via a Dowsing rod. With an estimated 15 spirits currently residing in the house, there’s never any shortage of strange activity, though the Luedkes attest that the spirits are quite friendly. When you visit the house, you can even get your very own “Ghost Patrol” ballcap or an “I Survived McPike Mansion” drink koozie.