All anecdotal reports

Midwest — Anecdotal filings

Anecdotal reports in Illinois

Illinois keeps 21 anecdotal files — secondhand accounts and casually repeated reports, the friend-of-a-friend shelf. The archive holds them because the stories circulate and somebody should keep count; each is filed as reported, no stronger.

21 dossiers1 county covered95% open to visitorsCongress Plaza Hotel — deepest file

Also filed anecdotal:Arizona58 Hawaii55 Virginia34 Michigan31 Louisiana29 Texas26 Pennsylvania24 Georgia24

Other Illinois shelves:documented legends50 local folklore33 investigation claims20 media-reported hauntings4

Congress Plaza Hotel

Chicago, Illinois

1893 World’s Fair hotel with a mobster reputation and sealed-room lore.

4 claims · 2 legends→

Dana-Thomas House

Springfield, Illinois

Historic house associated with documented cultural history.

3 claims · 1 legend→

High confidence

Mineral Springs Hotel

Alton, Illinois

Hotel associated with documented cultural history.

3 claims · 1 legend→

High confidence

McPike Mansion

Alton, Illinois

Mansion associated with documented cultural history.

3 claims · 1 legend→

Old Joliet Prison

Joliet, Illinois

1858 fortress prison—Jake and Elwood Blues walked out its gate.

3 claims · 1 legend→

Carthage Jail

Carthage, Illinois

Where Joseph Smith was killed—June 27, 1844.

2 claims · 1 legend→

Eastland site

Chicago, Illinois

July 24, 1915—the ship that rolled at the dock, 844 dead.

2 claims · 1 legend→

Haymarket Square

Chicago, Illinois

May 4, 1886—the bomb that made May Day.

2 claims · 1 legend→

Pullman

Chicago, Illinois

The company town that sparked the 1894 strike.

2 claims · 1 legend→

H.H. Holmes Murder Castle site

Chicago, Illinois

The site where the "Murder Castle" stood—the post office on the corner.

2 claims · 1 legend→

Fort Dearborn

Chicago, Illinois

The 1803 fort—where the 1812 massacre happened.

2 claims · 1 legend→

Chicago Water Tower

Chicago, Illinois

The 1869 tower—one of the few to survive the fire.

2 claims · 1 legend→

Knickerbocker Hotel

Chicago, Illinois

The 1929 hotel—where the Playboy era left its ghosts.

2 claims · 1 legend→

Auditorium Building

Chicago, Illinois

The 1889 Sullivan masterpiece—hotel, offices, and theatre in one.

2 claims · 1 legend→

Thebes courthouse

Thebes, Illinois

The 1845 courthouse—where the jail kept the condemned.

2 claims · 1 legend→

Grand Tower / Devil’s Bake Oven

Grand Tower, Illinois

The rock tower in the Mississippi—where the Devil baked.

2 claims · 1 legend→

Menard Correctional

Chester, Illinois

The 1878 prison—the state’s oldest maximum.

2 claims · 1 legend→

Vandalia Statehouse

Vandalia, Illinois

The 1836 capitol—where Lincoln served his first term.

2 claims · 1 legend→

Cahokia

Collinsville, Illinois

The mound city—where the Mississippians built their capital.

2 claims · 1 legend→

Pumping Station

Chicago, Illinois

The 1869 pumping station—across from the tower, both survived.

Cairo

Cairo, Illinois

The confluence city—where the rivers meet and the town died.

Full Illinois record → state index· Every anecdotal filing → evidence shelf

Record last amended October 2, 2026 · shelves recounted with the archive