Haunted Illinois: Ghosts and Strange Phenomena of the Prairie State by Troy Taylor

Haunted Illinois: Ghosts and Strange Phenomena of the Prairie State Reviews

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  Joe Krakovsky

  HAUNTED ILLINOIS: GHOSTS AND STRANGE PHENOMENA OF THE PRAIRIE STATE was a pretty good little book about the paranormal. But it was much more than that. The background information to each story was very informative as far as history of the locals go. To read about abandoned mansions, hospitals, cemeteries, and even small towns haunted by the unexplained added new meaning to the label ghost towns. A few of these stories I had heard before, having befriended a ghost hunter, but there were a few new ones here.
  
  Like the Titanic on her maiden voyage, the crowded Iroquois Theater in Chicago, Illinois caught fire on opening night on December 30, 1903. The owners and management touted that the theater was extremely safe due to several safety features that would protect the patrons in case of fire. Evidently they lied. In the ensuing fire some 602 people lost their lives, including 212 children. Upon investigation they found that the doors opened inward and the crush of people trying to escape prevented the doors from opening. Water sprinklers were not installed as they were thought unsightly and expensive. Some doors were locked shut in attempt to keep nonpaying people from sneaking in. The chairs were wooden and stuffed with hemp. An 'asbestos' curtain that was meant to be lowered to protect the audience from a fire backstage was actually made of cotton and combustible materials. There were no lit exit signs nor fire alarms. When the firemen finally got inside they found bodies stacked ten high in front of the doors. Some had been trampled to death. Outside in the alley were 150 bodies of people who fell or jumped to their death. The investigation led to a cover-up by city officials and the fire department who denied any knowledge of safety code violations. Due to corruption that is still evident in Chicago to this day, none of those responsible were ever brought to justice. The theater is now long gone but the alley and surrounding area is rumored to be haunted with faint cries, the feeling of being touched by unseen hands, and cold spots. Because of this disaster safety codes are enforced today.
  
  On the south bank of the Illinois river is the Starved Rock State Park. It takes its name from the savage struggles between the Illiniwek Indians and their enemies of the Iroquois, Fox, and other tribes bent on genocide. In the last battle the remaining Illiniwek sought refuge atop the huge rock along the river. It was there that they starved to death or were killed off trying to escape. I have talked to someone who worked there and she told me that people claimed to have seen Indians and have found arrowheads. One of the upper rooms is supposedly haunted, though I don't know why. Staff have heard strange noises emanating from within.
  
  One story which is really creepy is the one told of Jane Addam's Hull House and the Chicago Devil Baby. The poor child was probably just deformed and unjustly suffered for it.
  
  Resurrection Mary is a popular tale shared by ghost hunters. Mary's identity is unknown for sure, but she is thought to have been a young woman buried within Chicago's Resurrection Cemetery. According to the stories, Young men meet her at dances and when giving her a ride home she vanishes from their car as they near the cemetery. Mary is the only 'ghost' to leave physical evidence behind. A patrolman saw a woman at the gate and thought she was locked in. He investigated but she disappeared. The strange thing was the spot where her hands had grasped the iron bars had melted the iron. The gate is long gone but the tale continues to be passed along.
  
  Skeptics will say there is an explanation for the unexplained though they can offer no real explanation. Another way to debunk these stories is to just blow them off as wild imagination of gullible people. Boy, I sure hope real scientists don't use that simple logic when trying to solve the mysteries of our universe. I don't know what to think about these stories, but I do have an open mind, and if you like reading about the paranormal this won't be a waste of your time.
  
  
• 
  Melissa

  Some pieces were interesting. Some felt like they were trying too hard.
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  Tiah E

  I like how each one is only a few pages max. This was a quick easy read for me. Interesting to learn about the different "haunting stories".
• 
  Hew La France

  A collection of various haunted locations throughout Illinois,
  Haunted Illinois is a nice little field guide for anyone looking to explore the paranormal side of the state. While it DOES leave out some locations that I feel should have been included, it was still a very nice collection.

  
  

  Each location is given a brief description of the history of the location (what caused it to become haunted) and some brief details as to a couple of occurrences people have had at said location.

  
  

  A strong recommend for anyone looking to explore the state of Illinois from a paranormal perspective
• 
  Kelley Heaney

  Troy Taylor is an Illinois resident who is fascinated with history and ghost stories.
  
  He does a great job of relating the history of a particular place along with the allegations made about it being haunted without drawing conclusions. He lets the reader be the judge.
  
  He does not condone people trespassing in grave yards or other places that should be kept private and so often just gives a general location of the place in question.
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  Annie

  I'm really not allowed to read scary books. While I enjoy being scared at the time, they tend to freak me out when I think about them later.
  This one should be ok though because it really focuses on the history of the haunted places rather than the hauntings.
• 
  Kathryn

  The history behind many of the haunted places in Illinois. Some of the stories were interesting, but overall nothing great.
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  Heidi

  Not bad, but wasn't as great as I thought. It was a free Kindle book, so I can't complain.