Haunted Places in Donovan, Illinois



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    Roff House - The Watseka Wonder

    Watseka, Illinois

    9.2 miles from Donovan, IL

    The Roff House was one of the two houses in which the Watseka Wonder took place. The Watseka Wonder was a spiritual possession said to have happened in the late 19th century to an epileptic girl named Lurancy Vennum, who was 14 at the time. One of the spirits who ...


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    Vennum House - The Watseka Wonder

    Watseka, Illinois

    9.8 miles from Donovan, IL

    The Vennum House was the home of Lurancy Vennum, a teenaged epilectic girl who was said to have been possessed in the incident known as the Watseka Wonder. The story of the late-19th-century possession was related in the 2009 film "The Possessed." The house may be open for ghost tours ...


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    City Tavern

    Kankakee, Illinois

    20.8 miles from Donovan, IL

    Employees and diners at this popular restaurant and bar have reportedly encountered a male spirit. Known as 'David', patrons have had their hair pulled and have been pushed around by unseen hands. (Submitted by Callum Swift)


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    Majestic Theater

    Kankakee, Illinois

    20.9 miles from Donovan, IL

    Dating back to 1912, the historic theater achieved notoriety when the 'Marx Brothers' performed a vaudeville act there in 1916. However, the theatre is also renowned for its ghostly inhabitants, including a ghostly child and Julia Remmington, a former owner. (Submitted by Callum Swift)


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    Memory Gardens

    Rensselaer, Indiana

    21.7 miles from Donovan, IL

    Memory Gardens is a cemetery with a haunted statue, locals claim. The saint statue at the back of the graveyard is rumored to move at night, keeping watch on visitors. Some say its head and arms will change position. However, the cemetery is closed after dark and trespassers will be ...


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    Saint Joseph's College

    Collegeville, Indiana

    24.1 miles from Donovan, IL

    Some of the many oddities at St. Joseph's College include a spirit in the chapel, a rumored exorcism at Aquinas Hall and reports of witnesses hearing voices in their heads inside Drexel Hall. Also, Dwenger Hall is rumored to be possessed, and the ghost of a baby is said to ...


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    Manteno State Hospital

    Manteno, Illinois

    26.1 miles from Donovan, IL

    The 1930s Manteno State Hospital suffered a typhoid fever epidemic in 1939, and more than 50 patients and staff members died. The hospital eventually was renamed the Manteno Mental Health Center; it ceased operations in 1985 and the complex became business rentals, a bank, part of the Illinois Diversatech Campus ...


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    Lake Prairie Cemetery

    Lowell, Indiana

    29.1 miles from Donovan, IL

    Apparitions of deceased townspeople, ghostly mists, and orbs all have been reported at this cemetery, especially in the southern half, which is the oldest.


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    Locust Grove Cemetery

    Ambia, Indiana

    32.3 miles from Donovan, IL

    Phantom sounds of an army cadence and marching are heard at Locust Grove Cemetery. Legend has it that Harrison's ghostly men are re-creating the Battle of Tippecanoe.


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    Crown Point Sheriff's House and Jail

    Crown Point, Indiana

    39 miles from Donovan, IL

    The Crown Point Sheriff's House was built in 1882, and the jail was added on in 1926. This is the very jail from which John Dillinger made his notorious escape in 1934. He used jail-issued razor blades to carved a gun out of part of a wooden washboard. He used ...


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    Baums Bridge Inn

    Kouts, Indiana

    39.2 miles from Donovan, IL

    This inn is reported to be home to a the apparition of a man surrounded by a dim light. He is said to appear around midnight and may be a bit shy: Rumor has it that if you look at him too long, he will become enraged and appear in ...


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    Ax-Man's House - Ax-Man's Bridge

    Crete, Illinois

    39.3 miles from Donovan, IL

    Legends told by locals say that in the 1970s, a man killed his wife, kids, and two policeman with an ax before hanging their bodies from meat hooks in his shed. When the police found out, he ran from them. The police gave pursuit and shot him in the woods ...


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    Dog Face Bridge

    La Crosse, Indiana

    44.6 miles from Donovan, IL

    Spooky legends surround this old bridge. The stories involve a honeymooning 1950s couple and a dog that ran out in front of the car, causing them to drive off of the bridge. Reports of many things have been made in the vicinity, including apparitions of bodies, apparitions of a females ...


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    Reeder Road

    Griffith, Indiana

    44.7 miles from Donovan, IL

    Local lore about Reder Road tells of Elizabeth Wilson, a hitchhiking ghost who drowned in a swamp when her car went off the road. Her ghost waits at the roadside for a ride to her former house, but she disappears from cars at Ross Cemetery, where she was buried in ...


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    Hotel Attica

    Attica, Indiana

    45 miles from Donovan, IL

    A glowing apparition has been seen in several hotel rooms late at night or in the early hours of morning. Guests have reported seeing their closet doors open and close by themselves, as well as hearing ghostly voices and ballroom music. (Submitted by Callum Swift)


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    Attica Public Library

    Attica, Indiana

    45.2 miles from Donovan, IL

    Built in 1905, the employees of this library have heard strange noises including knocking, whistling, whispering, dragging sounds, and even the sounds of the toys in the children's area moving by themselves after closing. The employees have also mentioned seeing figures watching them or shadows darting around. They ...


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    Harrison Cemetery

    West Lafayette, Indiana

    45.5 miles from Donovan, IL

    At Harrison Cemetery, visitors have heard crying and moaning and had an eerie feeling that something is watching them. A few have been touched by something unseen or have had things thrown at them by invisible hands. Gravestones are said to move around here as well.


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    Inn at Aberdeen

    Valparaiso, Indiana

    46.7 miles from Donovan, IL

    A playful haunt at this 1830s-era inn has been known to hide guests' belongings in odd places. For example, one guest's missing lipstick turned up in a shoe. Cold spots and disembodied footsteps also have been reported, and psychic and ghost-hunting teams have determined that there are spirits of a ...


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    Stallbohm-Kaske House

    Munster, Indiana

    47.1 miles from Donovan, IL

    According to locals, the original inn that stood here burned down on Halloween of 1909. And in 1949, resident Wilhelmina Kaske passed away in a front bedroom, and these incidents may have led to the house's hauntings. Witnesses have reported a figure leaning out of the barn window, a presence ...


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    Carolina Street Demon House

    Gary, Indiana

    48.3 miles from Donovan, IL

    The house was said to be haunted by more than 200 demons. Witnesses have reported levitating children, swarms of flies that mysteriously appear in winter, footprints, and apparitions. The demons were believed to have possessed the three children of the family who lived there, and case workers, priests and police ...


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  • Chicago Ghosts
    Rachel Brooks
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    Porter County Jail and Sheriff's House

    Valparaiso, Indiana

    49.6 miles from Donovan, IL

    Porter County Jail and Sheriff's House is rumored to be haunted and has been used at Halloween for a haunted house attraction. Witnesses have described many strange occurrences including orbs of light and objects that turn up missing.


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    Valparaiso University

    Valparaiso, Indiana

    50.2 miles from Donovan, IL

    At the Alumni Hall at Valparaiso University, two ghost children, age 8 or 9 and wearing jogging pants, are known to run up and down the hallways at about 2 a.m. According to some of the student residents, the ghosts have spoken to them and told them they were playing ...


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    Rialto Square Theatre

    Joliet, Illinois

    50.6 miles from Donovan, IL

    The Rialto Square Theatre was built as a movie palace and vaudeville venue in 1926. Today, it is said to be haunted by a woman believed to be a former actress. Employees, construction workers and visitors have seen the female form floating throughout the theater. There are also a male ...


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    Patrick Haley Mansion

    Joliet, Illinois

    50.6 miles from Donovan, IL

    Egyptologist and architect Frank Shaver Allen built this mansion that's been popular with ghost hunters since the '70s. Among the spirits believed to be active here are the architect himself as well as a little boy, an older woman who died on the premises, and a nanny. Perhaps adding to ...


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    206 N. Broadway

    Joliet, Illinois

    50.8 miles from Donovan, IL

    Built in 1882, the Victorian house at 206 N. Broadway St. was originally a private residence, but was a school and a boardinghouse for women until the 1970s when it again became a private home. It is said to be haunted by the ghost of a 19-year-old who was shot ...


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    Wolf Mansion - Josephus Wolf House

    Valparaiso, Indiana

    51.1 miles from Donovan, IL

    Legend has it that the mansion owner went crazy after slavery was abolished, and in his rage, he killed all of his slaves and their children. Some stories say he even killed his family while he was at it. Then he killed himself. Now, folks say, an unexplained light comes ...


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    Fischer Theater

    Danville, Illinois

    52.2 miles from Donovan, IL

    Fischer Theater was a 19th century opera house located in Danville, IL that has served many purposes over the years including housing, stores, and of course, a theater. While now a generally unknown location, the Theater has been known to be haunted when a volunteer of the Vermillion Heritage ...


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    Bachelor's Grove Cemetery

    Midlothian, Illinois

    52.3 miles from Donovan, IL

    Beginning in the 1970s, visitors here have seen orbs, apparitions, phantom vehicles, and even a floating, shrinking, and vanishing phantom farmhouse. A mysterious black dog and figures in monks' robes also have been seen. Investigations by ghost researchers have turned up ghostly images and electronic voice phenomena.


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    Midlothian Turnpike

    Midlothian, Illinois

    52.3 miles from Donovan, IL

    Drivers on the turnpike have reported phantom cars and trucks that appear suddenly, causing the drivers to swerve. Phantom gang activity also has been seen, involving car chases full of gangsters shooting at each other with tommy guns. Some drivers have collided with the ghostly vehicles, even hearing shattered glass ...


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    Camp Falcon

    Donovan, Illinois

    52.4 miles from Donovan, IL

    Location is on 143rd street, (Midlothian Turnpike) about about a 1 mile west of Oak Park. Just a mere road across the street from Tinley Creek Woods about half a mile into the woods. It is unknown when the camp grounds were abandoned or why but location has been ...


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    Maple Tree Inn

    Blue Island, Illinois

    53.2 miles from Donovan, IL

    This Louisiana-style brasserie serves up classic southern fare in a historic former speakeasy dating back to the early 1920's, and is rumoured to be haunted be a former owner. Known as 'Helen', the spirit haunting the place is not pleased with the changes occurring in her former establishment, and ...


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    Aux Sable Cemetery

    Morris, Illinois

    53.4 miles from Donovan, IL

    Aux Sable Cemetery is believed to be haunted by the ghost of a mischievous young girl who has been known to play pranks, such as lowering electrical car windows when the key is not even in the ignition. The site is also said to be a portal from a ghostly ...


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    Old Porter Road

    Portage, Indiana

    54.9 miles from Donovan, IL

    The shadowy figures that have been seen along the train tracks by Old Porter Road are a mystery. Some say they are almost doglike, with a tail and glowing yellow eyes. They have been known to run alongside trains and bay into the night.


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    Whihala Beach

    Whiting, Indiana

    55.7 miles from Donovan, IL

    Some say that at Whihala Beach at night, you can see and hear phantom sailboats and apparitions of folks swimming and playing with innertubes in old-fashioned bathing suits.


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    The Givens Castle - Beverly Castle Academy

    Chicago, Illinois

    57 miles from Donovan, IL

    The 1886 limestone-towered castle built by real estate promoter and novelist Robert G. Givens is said to be haunted by his Irish wife, who passed away before she could come to America to live in her castle. Witnesses say her apparition has been seen walking up the hill to the ...


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    St. James Cemetery - Monks Castle

    Lemont, Illinois

    58.7 miles from Donovan, IL

    Ghosts here include several robed monks who patrol the grounds, chanting in Latin, and a phantom horse and carriage presumed to date back to 1897. A wildly dancing woman in white has also been seen.


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    St. Mary's Cemetery

    Evergreen Park, Illinois

    58.7 miles from Donovan, IL

    The cemetery and surrounding areas have seen a lot of violent deaths, but despite that, not a lot of ghostly phenomena have been reported or known here. However, drivers past the cemetery late at night have seen a man leaning against the fence and looking at them as they passed.


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    Evergreen Cemetery

    Evergreen Park, Illinois

    59 miles from Donovan, IL

    The phantom hitchhiker in this ghost story is a teenaged girl who looks for a ride to Evergreen Park, where she vanishes from the vehicle. Legends say her body is buried in Evergreen Cemetery within the park, but her identity or the reason for her restlessness is unknown. This ghost ...


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    Maple Lake

    Willow Springs, Illinois

    59.2 miles from Donovan, IL

    The ghost light at Maple Lake is, according to local legend, a reddish-yellow orb that appears over the lake and floats into the woods on the other side. It is believed to be the spirit of a man who was decapitated nearby in an accident; the light is his lantern ...


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    The Irish Legend

    Willow Springs, Illinois

    59.9 miles from Donovan, IL

    Formerly a speakeasy, this 1915 building was a popular hangout for gang members, including Al Capone. The place has a very violent history, and is haunted by several spirits. These include a bartender who was allegedly pushed down a flight of stairs by a gangster who took a dislike to ...


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  • Haunted Aurora
    Diane A. Ladley
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    Willowbrook Ballroom

    Willow Springs, Illinois

    60 miles from Donovan, IL

    The 1921 Willowbrook Ballroom, formerly called the Oh Henry Ballroom, is a dance venue and banquet facility and is believed to be the last place famed Chicago hitchhiker ghost Resurrection Mary danced before she died. Her ghost is said to appear here and sometimes dance with ballroom patrons. Another interesting note: ...


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    Archer Woods Cemetery

    Willow Springs, Illinois

    60.3 miles from Donovan, IL

    Legend has it that only those leaving the cemetery can see and hear a white, filmy, hovering spirit of a sobbing woman.


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    Indiana Dunes State Park

    Chesterton, Indiana

    60.8 miles from Donovan, IL

    Around 1915, this area was mostly wilderness, and stories often came from fishermen about a naked woman who would swim in the lake. She was said to be Alice Marble Gray, a hermit who lived along the beach. She was the daughter of a Chicago couple and was cultured and ...


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    Grimes Sisters Murder Site

    Burr Ridge, Illinois

    61.1 miles from Donovan, IL

    The Grimes sisters were kidnapped and murdered between December of 1956 and January of 1957. Their bodies were found along this part of the road and the murders were never solved. Photographs have been taken around only to have a young woman appear in the photos. Submitted by Chris Berglund


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    Resurrection Mary

    Justice, Illinois

    61.4 miles from Donovan, IL

    Resurrection Mary, according to popular local legend, was a pretty young girl who was killed in a hit-and-run accident while walking along Archer Avenue. She had just left the Oh Henry Ballroom after a fight with her boyfriend. The driver left Mary to die. Her grief-stricken parents buried her in ...


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    Holmes Death Castle Location

    Chicago, Illinois

    61.9 miles from Donovan, IL

    A post office now stands on the former site of the Holmes Death Castle, or Murder Castle, built by serial killer H.H. Holmes. He built the hotel to lure in 1893 Chicago World's Fair visitors, then tortured and murdered his guests, including women and children. In this area, witnesses say ...


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    Green Hornet Trolley Disaster Site

    Chicago, Illinois

    62 miles from Donovan, IL

    33 people were burned alive when a trolley collided with a tanker carrying gasoline. It is believed that victims may still be here reliving that fateful day. Submitted by Chris Berglund


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    St. Rita of Cascia

    Chicago, Illinois

    62.1 miles from Donovan, IL

    This site is known for a harrowing experience said to have happened on All Souls Day (November 2) in the 1960s. Reports say a small gathering of parishioners witnessed the organ begin to play by itself as 6 robed monks, 3 in red and 3 in white, advanced toward the ...


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    St Turibius Church

    Chicago, Illinois

    62.9 miles from Donovan, IL

    At this old Roman Catholic church, the ghost of a priest named Father Joe Lechert lingers. It is said that after a church reorganization he was let go, and as a result, he died of a broken heart. Parishioners and altar boys say they have seen his ghostly figure and ...


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    Portage Woods

    Lyons, Illinois

    64.4 miles from Donovan, IL

    These woods are known by locals to be the home of the ancient gnomes. Beware coming here at night, glowing eyes follow you throughout these woods. Heavy sightings are seen on the other side of the river, just over the railway bridge. (Submitted by Juan Z)


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  • Haunted Decatur
    Troy Taylor


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