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| True Illinois Ghost Stories
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Avon Theatre
Decateur, Illinois
The Avon Theater opened in 1916, and had been constructed for showing moving pictures. The screen was the best and the largest in the city. The projectors were top of the line and there was an orchestra that would play music for the films. There was also a pipe organ. The Avon Theatre flourished for a number of years and then in the late 1920’s, it was purchased by the Constanopoulos family. In 1953, a new widescreen was installed in the Avon to show Panavision and 3-D films. In 1966 the theatre was bought out from the Constanopoulos family. They retained ownership of the building but had no control of the business. Gus Constanopoulos kept an office in the building for many years until, in 1966; he was forced out by the new owners. It is believed that Gus, even after death, did not really leave the Avon. The Avon’s popularity was on a steady decline for many years and in 1986 the doors were closed for good. In 1989 the Avon opened again as an independent and art film theater and it remains open. There have been many paranormal encounters at the Avon Theatre and Gus is believed to be the one behind all the activity. Staff has reported that items seem to go missing, lights turn on and off on their own, and that after the theatre has closed they can hear voices, laughter and applause coming from the auditorium. The sound of footsteps can also be heard in the empty theatre and the feeling of being watched constantly or even touched is also common. There have also been reports of an apparition of a man who is believed to be Gus. In the hallway upstairs staff has reported odd cold spots and the sound of footsteps coming toward them but they turn to look, nothing is there. Guests of the Avon Theatre have also felt strange when they pass through the front doors. They have complained about feeling like they were being touched by unseen hands and the feeling of every move they make being watched. Many guests have also seen apparitions and shadows.
Congress Plaza Hotel
Chicago, Illinois
The Congress Plaza Hotel was built in 1893. The hotel was originally called the Auditorium Annex when it opened to house the visitors to the World’s Columbian Exposition. A feature of the hotel was an underground marble passageway that connected the new annex with the Auditorium Hotel. The south tower was constructed in 1902 and 1907 and included a banquet hall, now known as the Gold Room, which would become the first hotel ballroom in America to use air-conditioning. Another ballroom, called the Florentine Room, was added to the North Tower in 1909. Over the years the hotel switched owners and in 1908 was renamed The Congress Hotel. In 1916 the hanging chandeliers were replaced with electrical outlets and desk lamps. The original bathroom plumbing fixtures were replaced in a 1923 and in the early 1930s; the former Elizabethan Room on the ground floor was transformed into a stylish night club, with a revolving bandstand. Renamed the Joseph Urban Room, it would become the 1935-36 headquarters for an NBC Radio show featuring Benny Goodman. Following the outbreak of World War II, the Government purchased the Congress Hotel and used it as a headquarters for U.S. Army officers. The Congress Hotel was once known as the “home of presidents,” as several of them used the hotel for speeches and to discuss campaign strategies. Guests and staff at the Congress Hotel have reported strange happenings in the building. There are numerous moving cold spots throughout the hotel, lights and TVs turn themselves on and off and objects in the hotel move on their own. Many people have complained that doors open then slam shut on their own and they feel as if someone is with them when they walk the hallways alone.
Bartonville Insane Asylum
Bartonville, Illinois
The original Peoria State Hospital for the Incurable Insane was built in 1887. The first building was never used due to the fact that it was built over a mine shaft. The building began sinking and cracking so it had to be demolished. In 1902, under the direction of Dr. George Anthony Zeller, construction began on the new hospital that exists today. Dr. Zeller was considered a pioneer in the mental health treatment field. It was his idea to implement the cottage system which meant that instead of having one central building to house the patients there were 33 different cottage-like buildings. He also believed that the windows should not have bars and restraints should not be used. The forms of treatment employed at the hospital would be considered inhuman by today’s standards. They include but are not limited to shock therapy and water submersion. Dr. Zeller also came up with a system to discard the bodies of the unclaimed dead. He put together a crew of staff members and patients to take care of the grave digging and burials. The burials took place on the hospital grounds in one of the four cemeteries. One of the members of this crew was a man that was referred to as A. Bookbinder or “Old Brook”. His name was unknown and he could not communicate so he was named after his last job. Although most of the patients buried at the hospital were not known personally by anyone there, Old Brook took each burial to heart and wept for every one of them. He would lean against an old elm tree which stood in the middle of the graveyard and to cry and sob. When Bookbinder died, almost everybody in the hospital turned out for his funeral. The four men that were handling the lowering of his casket into the ground pulled on the ropes so that the wooden planks could be removed to allow the casket to drop. As they did this the casket shot up into the air as if it were empty. At the same time there came a loud whining and moaning sound from the old elm where Old Brook used to lean. Everybody at the funeral turned to look at the tree and was horrified to see Old Brook leaning against the tree crying. People began to run and scream and Dr. Zeller ordered the casket to be opened. Upon opening the casket they found that the body of Old Brook was still there. Once the casket was opened the apparition and the wailing stopped. A few days later the old elm tree began to die and eventually was totally dead. Dr. Zeller tried to have it cut down but with the first swing of the axe came this loud sound as if someone were crying out in agonizing pain. The same thing happened after the doctor ordered the tree burned down. Since those days many people have ventured into the old hospital to experience something paranormal. There have been numerous reports of eerie noises, footsteps and even apparitions.
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