Spirits of Lincoln Park

Ghosts have been known to walk different places within the Lincoln Park neighborhood.

A young woman jogging around Oz park was killed back during the 90s. Her case has gone unsolved but people who pass through the park at night report seeing a woman jog around the trail and then vanish without ever finishing.

The smell of smoke and frantic yelling has been reported during broad daylight from those walking through the neighborhood. Sometimes even the sounds of horses on brick paths as well.

Close to the lake, in the park itself, figures have been seen in the grass walking or sometimes just standing, looking down and around as if confused and disoriented. Once, a mother was walking with her young children after sunset and happened upon another woman who seemed quite confused. She wore a long dress and her hair was matted and dirty. When asked what she was doing, the woman said “I can’t find where they put me” and disappeared.

 

What is Left Behind

The south end of Lincoln Park used to be a potter’s field, City Cemetery, from 1843 - 1866. The burials stopped due to growing concerns over decomposition leeching into Lake Michigan. The Chicago river and the lake were growing increasingly polluted and the city was searching for solutions. It would still be some time before the Chicago River’s flow would be reversed in 1900.

With this archive you can learn more about City Cemetery and who was buried there.

While many bodies were moved and reburied during the excavations at City Cemetery, many still remail underneath the redeveloped land. In many cultures, buries that have been improperly laid to rest lead to wandering ghosts.