Haunted Chicago
HOLY NAME CATHEDRAL
The 1926 hit that took down Al Capone rival Hymie Weiss outside Holy Name Cathedral left the church with bullet holes alleged to possess supernatural qualities. Believers say the holes have always resisted patching, claiming the mortar used would pop out or fail to harden. Bielski says she was skeptical about the site’s paranormal associations until a few years back, when a tour participant captured photos of unexplained orbs of light surrounding the cornerstone (unfortunately now partially blocked by stairs). 735 N State St
BIOGRAPH THEATER ALLEY
Legend says John Dillinger’s ghost haunts the alley where he died in a hail of FBI bullets after a movie at the Biograph (now Victory Gardens Biograph Theater) in 1934. Taylor’s not convinced. “There is solid evidence to suggest that Dillinger didn’t die that night,” he says. “Even his own family didn’t recognize the corpse.” Taylor says the ghost may be Jimmy Lawrence, who was set up to be killed in Dillinger’s place.
Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 N Lincoln Ave
ST. VALENTINE’S DAY
If you don’t pick up on any supernatural energy at this grassy Clark Street lot (formerly a garage and bootlegging operation where seven of Bugs Moran’s men were famously shot in 1929), your four-legged friend might. According to Taylor, Highball, a dog belonging to Moran’s mechanic, was there during the massacre. “It wasn’t the machine guns that alerted neighbors to a problem at the garage but rather Highball’s howling,” he says. Since then, it’s rumored that some dogs become distressed when passing the site. Why the canine jitters? Says Taylor, “I’ve always theorized that dogs were sensing the trauma experienced by Highball that morning.” 2122 N Clark St
LINCOLN PARK Lincoln Park is one of Chicago’s most idyllic
spaces—or is it? (Dun, dun, dun!) In fact, Bielski declares it “without a doubt the most active site I’ve investigated,” citing “activity both visual and auditory, manifesting in ‘heavy’ atmospheres and physical effects like light- headedness and nausea.” In her view, the high level of paranormality is linked to the land’s former function
Time Out Chicago September–November 2016 O t Ch 34 Holy Name Cathedral
PHOTOGRAPHS (FROM TOP): ANDREW NAWROCKI; COURTESY CHICAGO HISTORY MUSEUM
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