100 E. San Francisco Street
Room 242: A young woman was going through a rough time in her life and was very troubled. She began talking about wanting to make the voices stop. Staff and other guests became increasingly concerned and eventually called the authorities to try to intervene. But it was too late. Sadly, the woman took her own life, but her spirit is rumored to have never left Room 242. Guests have reported a tangible heaviness while in the room. Some say that a woman in a long white dress was sitting on the edge of the bed watching them sleep. Still others report feeling someone lying in bed right beside them. Want to stay here and find out what she wants?
However, ghost experts report that the hotel’s most haunted spot is Room 441, where a female ghost reportedly kicks guests awake from the foot of the bed. As you can imagine, it’s a frequently requested reservation.
One of the most famous ghosts is Al Capone, said to frequently be seen on the 8th floor. Peg Leg Johnny is also reported to be seen causing mischief. turning electronics off and on.
Not to be outdone, the ghost of a boy also reportedly haunts the Congress. Lore contends that his mother, distraught over her immigrant status, became increasingly troubled and threw both her children from a hotel window in despair, jumping out herself straight afterward. The boy’s ghost, like Peg Leg Johnny, causes mischief, but his shenanigans are largely limited to rearranging furniture and the like. That’s obnoxious but forgivable, right?
While the Congress Plaza is clearly teeming with apparitions, the hotel’s most enduring creepy legacy, perhaps, is connected to one of its real-life patrons, America’s first serial killer, Dr. H.H. Holmes. Holmes is known to have loitered around the hotel lobby in search of new victims. He was remembered most recently in the book Devil in the White City, which details Holmes’ evil deeds during the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.
However, ghost experts report that the hotel’s most haunted spot is Room 441, where a female ghost reportedly kicks guests awake from the foot of the bed. As you can imagine, it’s a frequently requested reservation.
One of the most famous ghosts is Al Capone, said to frequently be seen on the 8th floor. Peg Leg Johnny is also reported to be seen causing mischief. turning electronics off and on.
Not to be outdone, the ghost of a boy also reportedly haunts the Congress. Lore contends that his mother, distraught over her immigrant status, became increasingly troubled and threw both her children from a hotel window in despair, jumping out herself straight afterward. The boy’s ghost, like Peg Leg Johnny, causes mischief, but his shenanigans are largely limited to rearranging furniture and the like. That’s obnoxious but forgivable, right?
While the Congress Plaza is clearly teeming with apparitions, the hotel’s most enduring creepy legacy, perhaps, is connected to one of its real-life patrons, America’s first serial killer, Dr. H.H. Holmes. Holmes is known to have loitered around the hotel lobby in search of new victims. He was remembered most recently in the book Devil in the White City, which details Holmes’ evil deeds during the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.