Supernatural suburbia? Check out these reportedly haunted local sites
For years, it was “a rite of passage” for Northwest suburbanites to check out supposedly haunted Cuba Road at night, actor/filmmaker Jon Lee Brody explained.
So it made perfect sense for the Palatine native, who now lives in Los Angeles, to borrow his mom's Volvo when he was a teen and set out to prove himself one evening in 2001. As Brody and a carload of friends drove down the dark road near Barrington, a cluster of small green orbs appeared and surrounded the vehicle, he recalled.
Some of his passengers shrieked, others “tried to play it cool. I'm just trying to make sure we don't crash,” Brody recalled.
The lights were one thing. “But then we saw a car drive into the cemetery,” he said. They followed it to White Memorial Cemetery also on Cuba Road and “we saw there was no car.”
“That was weird to me. To this day, I can't explain what that was,” added Brody, co-host of the “That Was Pretty Scary” podcast with Freddie Prinze Jr.
Some may scoff. But local folklore is full of strange, inexplicable things happening in suburbia.
Phantom children on Munger Road in Bartlett. Mysterious noises at the Bull Valley police station. A Civil War specter in Volo.
As the witching hour of Halloween approaches, here's a list of (reportedly) supernatural suburban spots, courtesy of Daily Herald archives and local sources.
Historic Naperville
Spirits are high in Naperville from apparitions including deceased janitor “Yellow Boots” who supposedly lives in North Central College's Pfeiffer Hall and lovers Charles Hillegas and Jessie Robateene who are said to roam the historic area.
“Naperville's just packed with them. It's really an amazing thing, all the different ghosts we have,” said Kevin Franz, who leads The Ghost Tour of Naperville.
He wrote a book about Hillegas, son of a prominent family, who fell in love with Robateene, an abused wife. They eloped in 1901 and lived together for over a decade until Robateene's death, Franz recounted.
A heartbroken Hillegas horrified the town by digging up Robateene's grave at Naperville Cemetery in hopes of reviving her with a potion. Franz said he learned about the romance from the deceased couple themselves. With help from a specialized recorder, “they were very talkative and told us the whole story,” he said.
Munger Road
The spirits of children killed in a crash on the railroad tracks at Munger Road in Bartlett still haunt the area, according to legend. It inspired St. Charles writer/director Nicholas Smith to film the independent horror film, “Munger Road.”
The Country House
The rustic Clarendon Hills Country House restaurant takes pride in its phantom, a blonde woman that reportedly leaves a scent of fresh flowers and invisibly moves pots and pans. The story goes that she showed up distraught at the 1920s roadhouse, then sped away on 55th Street and crashed fatally into a tree.
Shoe Factory Road
The scenic route in Hoffman Estates once housed the historical Charles Lindbergh Schoolhouse, purported to be haunted although that could be pegged to teenagers who rendezvoused there. Also adding to the road's mystique is an unsolved triple murder at a farmhouse where Earl Teets, his wife Elizabeth, and their son Gary were found shot to death in 1979.
The Stickney Mansion
A former mansion built by spiritualists George and Sylvia Stickney, who held seances in the 1800s, now houses the Bull Valley Police Department. The police presence has not deterred reports of unseen children laughing and doors slamming for no reason.
The Hotel Baker
Not only does the Hotel Baker in St. Charles provide an elegant getaway, it's also rumored to be home to the spirit of a jilted chambermaid.
Volo Antique Mall
Civil War soldier Wallace Gale's tombstone is in the Volo Cemetery but he's apparently active at the Volo Antique Mall. Some visitors claim to have seen a young boy looking down at them from the fourth floor and described floating perfume bottles and images of a soldier, officials with Lake County's Dunn Museum said.
Haunted theaters
Both the Woodstock Opera House and the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan are known for supposed paranormal drama. In Woodstock, it's “Elvira,” a performer who leapt from the opera's tower when she didn't get a part and now is said to sit in the audience. Meanwhile, the Genesee celebrates its spookiness, which includes disembodied barking, with an annual “Ghost Wauk.”
Got a suburban ghost tale to share that's not on our list? Drop an email to mpyke@dailyherald.com.